Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

White oval dish with shredded pulled pork and barbecue sauce.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork takes only minutes to prep, with minimal ingredients, and slow cooks for 10 hours. The pork is then shredded and smothered in your favorite barbecue sauce. You can eat it as is or place the pulled pork between two buns to enjoy as a pulled pork sandwich.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Diet Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 10 10

Servings

Calories 424kcal

Author Katie

Equipment

Slow Cooker
1 Tongs

Ingredients

1 Onion thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Black pepper
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
6 pounds Pork Shoulder
8 ounces Pineapple Juice
18 ounces Barbecue Sauce

Instructions

Mix together the salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Rub all over the pork shoulder until fully covered and seasoning is used up.
Place the sliced onions on the bottom of a 6 quart slow cooker. Then plan the pork shoulder FAT SIDE UP in the slow cooker. Pour the pineapple juice. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.
After the pork is done cooking, carefully remove the pork from the slow cooker and place into a large serving dish. Remove as much of the fat off of the pork as possible. Begin to shred the meat. Once all the pork is shredded, add the cooked onions into the meat and about ¼ cup of the liquid.
Next, add ¾ of a bottle of barbecue sauce to the shredded pork. Mix well. Serve immediately or drain most of the liquid out of the slow cooker and place back in slow cooker on "warm" setting until ready to enjoy.

Video

Notes

Pork - The most common cut of meat used for pulled pork is a pork shoulder or also known as a Boston Butt Pork Roast.
Liquid - I like to use pineapple juice. If you don't have this on hand you can use apple juice or even a light lager beer. If you don't have any of those options on hand water always works but just does not provide as much flavor.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches - Serve ½ cup portions of shredded pulled pork on to a hamburger bun. Top with more barbecue sauce if desired. Add a scoop of coleslaw to your sandwich for an extra treat! Or top with bread and butter pickles.
Cooking Liquid - Reserve 1-2 cups of the cooking liquid that the pulled pork was made in for freezing and reheating.
Freezing leftovers - You will have a lot of shredded pork leftover depending on how many people you feed for the initial dinner. The good news is that the bbq pulled pork freezes great! Simply place a 1-2 cup portion of shredded pork (with extra cooking liquid if you happened to reserve it) in a labeled freezer bag. Freeze flat for up to 3 months.
Reheat Frozen Shredded Pork - To reheat the frozen shredded pork you will want to place the frozen pork in the refrigerator the night before to thaw. Once thawed you'll want to cook on the stove top on medium-low heat until warm. Add liquid to the sauce pan to prevent the pulled pork from drying out. I would personally avoid reheating in the microwave as that may dry out the pork.

Nutrition