The BEST pulled pork recipe in the crock pot! Get the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork with almost zero effort from your slow cooker. It’s such an easy recipe, the results are AMAZING, and you can feed a crowd an impressive dinner lickety-split. I’m also including instructions for oven roasted pulled pork! Also try my Smoked Pulled Pork recipe. And don’t forget the BBQ Sauce! Originally published July 15, 2022.

pulled pork in a black slow cooker, topped with barbecue sauce.
Table of Contents
  1. This is the juiciest Pulled Pork Recipe!
  2. The best pork for Pulled Pork
  3. Ingredients for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
  4. How to make Pulled Pork in Crock Pot
  5. How to make oven roasted pulled pork
  6. How to shred Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
  7. Pulled Pork Recipe Slow Cooker Tips
  8. How to serve Crock Pot Pulled Pork
  9. What to serve with pulled pork
  10. How to store leftovers
  11. Can you freeze pulled pork?
  12. Pulled Pork Crock Pot reheating instructions
  13. How to get tender pulled pork
  14. What’s the difference between shredded pork and pulled pork?
  15. What temperature do you cook pulled pork to?
  16. Can you overcook pulled pork?
  17. How much pulled pork to make per person
  18. More slow cooker recipes you will love!
  19. Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe

Let me tell you the scariest part about moving to a new house. It’s not the new neighbors, it’s not the new commute, it’s not the new grocery store where I have to relearn where everything is (although that is also pretty high on my inconveniences list, not gonna lie. WHERE IS THE BBQ SAUCE IN THIS DANG STORE I’VE LOOKED ON 17 AISLES.)

No, the worst part is the fact that being in a new house, you know exactly how many times something has happened since “the move”. Some things are pleasant, like oh, we’re having our first dinner in our new dining room! Or oh, we’re having friends over to swim in the pool for the second time! How nice.

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oven pulled pork on a hamburger bun on parchment paper.

But then it gets dark. How many times have I wiped my kitchen counters corner to corner since moving here? I will tell you, not once. How many times have I vacuumed? Not a single room. I’m not telling you how long exactly we’ve been here, so that you can hold back your Judgy McJudgerson stare.

But even I’m starting to get a little squirmy over here. You mean I still haven’t yet given my 2-year-old a bath in the new house? NOT EVEN ONCE?? (In my defense, we swim in the pool every day. That’s like, totally the same as a bath for a toddler, right?)

pulled pork made in the oven with blackened edges, shredded with a fork.

Okay, fine. Judge me all you want for the lack of general hygiene going on over here. At least we’re not starving. I may not find time to bathe my children, but there’s always time for easy summer dinners. Bust out the slow cooker.

This is the juiciest Pulled Pork Recipe!

I am a recent convert to loving pulled pork, but now I’m unstoppable. I CAN’T GET ENOUGH of this juicy, tender deliciousness. I’m so excited to share how easy it is to get yourself from zero to amazing, crowd-pleasing, finger-licking pulled pork glory.

close up of slow cooker pulled pork drizzled with bbq sauce.

Have you read my BBQ Smoked Pulled Pork post yet? Today is the sister post. The recipe for the rub and the actual ingredients are nearly identical for these two recipes, but the method is SO unique for each of them that I decided to split it into two posts to make everything more bite-size. The Smoked Pulled Pork recipe gives you all the info you need to make smoky, tender pulled pork on your gas grill, no smoker needed. Today’s post we are going over how to make super flavorful pulled pork roasted in the oven OR in the slow cooker.

Like I said, the ingredient list is almost the same for all 3 methods (grill, oven, slow cooker) but with all the process photos and explanations it was just turning into such a monster post that I decided to split. So if you have a gas grill and about 12 hours, head over to the smoked pulled pork recipe. If you are looking for oven and slow cooker methods then read on!

crock pot pulled pork shredded in a black crock pot.

I’m going to go over some basic info and the first part of the recipe (which is the same for either method), then I will tell you how to make it in the slow cooker, how to make it in the oven, then go over FAQ at the end. The full recipes are both at the bottom of the post in the recipe card. Here we go!

The best pork for Pulled Pork

If you want the best pulled pork around, definitely buy a front shoulder cut of pork. If you think of a pig, picture the “shoulder” area of its forelegs. The top cut of the shoulder is called Pork Butt or Boston Butt, and the bottom section is called Pork Shoulder or Picnic Roast. When you go to the store, look for any of those terms and you will have the right cut.

raw pork shoulder on a wooden cutting board, bone in.

Pork Butt in general is preferred since there is slightly more fat marbling (fat=flavor), but Picnic Pork Shoulder is a close second. This article about the difference between pork butter and shoulder over on Cook’s Illustrated has an excellent explanation if you want to take a deep dive.

Ingredients for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

close up of spices in a white bowl.

It is so easy to make your own spice rub at home. Here are the ingredients for my favorite rub that adds TONS of flavor to this pork! Makes it melt in your mouth. Amounts are listed in the recipe below!

  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • paprika
  • garlic powder
  • onion powder
  • chili powder
  • cayenne pepper
  • cumin
  • dry mustard powder
  • brown sugar

How to make Pulled Pork in Crock Pot

This seriously could not be easier my friends.

  1. First things first, you need to decide how long you have to cook your pork. If you leave it whole, it will take 8-10 hours to reach fall-apart-level-maximum.
A chef's knife splitting a pork should in half on a cutting board.

If you split your roast in half, you can have it done in as little as 6-7 hours. Both ways work great, smaller portions just cook faster. Also, if you split, you get the benefit of being able to sear more edges of the pork.

bottle of liquid smoke on white countertop with tablespoon.
  1. Dry the pork with paper towels and rub with a little olive oil and liquid smoke, if you want. Cooking our pork indoors means we are missing out on that signature smoky flavor, so we are cheating a little. I love the distinct flavor it adds, but you can leave it out if you want. I like Wright’s brand best, the ingredients are just water and smoke, nothing else.
  2. Set aside about 3 tablespoons of your spice rub and save it for later. Rub the rest on your pork, reaching eeeevery nook and cranny. Get in there. I like to sprinkle the rub with one “dry” hand and rub with the other “wet” hand. Then seal it up and marinate for at least 6 hours, or up to 48 hours. When you are ready to make it, rub with the remaining 3 tablespoons spice rub.
  3. Now it’s time to sear! This process is essential for getting that browned flavorful edge! (This browning process is known as the Maillard reaction). The spices and edge of the meat get toasty and crisp, while the inside of your pork stays raw, ready to be cooked slowly to perfection.
searing pork shoulder in a skillet.
  1. Keep the heat on medium high and sear all the edges of the pork, turning it with tongs every couple of minutes. After it’s done searing, place it directly in your slow cooker. Put the lid on and set to low heat. DO NOT try to cheat by cranking up your crock pot to “high”. Your meat will be cooked at the end, but it will not be tender and juicy. The secret ingredient in this recipe is time.

How long does pulled pork take to cook in the slow cooker?

Slow cook for 6-8 hours if you split the meat in half, and about 8-10 hours if you left the pork butt whole.

The trick to good pulled pork is cooking low and slow! We want all the collagen and connective tissues to break down and give us that tender, delicious texture.

a meat thermometer reading 203 degrees F stuck into cooked pork shoulder in crock pot.

Make sure you check with a meat thermometer toward the end to make sure it doesn’t go above 200 degrees F. Higher than that and the meat gets dried out and stringy. (Forgive me for this terribly blurry photo, I was very excited to dig into this for lunch!!)

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and let rest a few minutes before pulling.

pulling the bone out of cooked pork shoulder on a cutting board.

Here is my slow cooker pulled pork all rested and ready to shred. You can see that it is so tender that I’m lifting the bone out with no resistance. The meat just falls right off.

Add the pork back into the juices in the crock pot and voila! Dinner is done! See serving suggestions below. Now I’m going to show you how to do this in the oven!

How to make oven roasted pulled pork

I love me some slow cooker pulled pork, and you can’t beat it for convenience. But shhhh….I love me some oven roasted pulled pork even better. The crispy blackened edges on the outside of oven pulled pork (called “bark”) is just unstoppable. You can’t get that from a slow cooker. (The meat from the slow cooker is still great. We’re just talking about the edges.)

  1. To get started, first we are going to split our pork butt into 3 equal pieces. The more edges, the more blackened flavor. The smaller the pieces, the faster they cook. Win-win.
raw pork shoulder on a cutting board, in 3 pieces.
  1. Follow the same method described above of drying off with paper towels, rubbing with a little oil and liquid smoke (if you want), and rubbing with most (but not all) of the spice rub.
rubbing pork shoulder with spices, pork on wire rack over baking sheet.
  1. Set a cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet, spray with nonstick spray, and crank up your oven to 425 degrees F. Arrange the pork butt pieces on the cooling rack (this keeps the pork crispy on the bottom). Add about a cup and a half of water to the pan to let our pork cook in a humid environment.
half cooked pork shoulder on a wire rack.

Here’s the pork after 30 minutes at 425. Starting to get beautiful brown edges already!

How long does pulled pork take to cook in the oven?

Now for the low and slow part. Turn the oven down to 300 degrees and keep cooking the pork for another 3-5 hours. We need all the collagen and connective tissues to break down slooooowly; that’s what gives us the tender, juicy texture we want.

Do not rely on times for cooking this pork, rely on your meat thermometer. The pork is done when it reaches 195 to 200 degrees F. 200 degrees is what we are shooting for, but remember that the internal temperature of the pork will rise a few degrees even after you take it out of the oven.

oven roasted pork shoulder in 3 pieces on parchment paper with bowl of bbq sauce.

You might think this pork looks burned. You are wrong. This is the gorgeous, blackened, incredibly flavorful “bark” on the outer edge of oven roasted pulled pork. It’s divine! Ready to shred??

How to shred Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Transfer the pork to a cutting board and let rest for about 10-20 minutes, to allow the juices to redistribute.

crock pot pulled pork with blackened edge being shredded with a pork.

Now it’s time to “pull” your pork, or shred. I like to use two big forks. It’s very satisfying if you’ve cooked it properly! It just falls apart at the slightest touch.

Pulled Pork Recipe Slow Cooker Tips

I’m going to get bossy here for a minute. DO NOT THROW AWAY THE FAT.

I’ve actually seen instructions on other recipes, “remove the crusty fat cap and discard.” Ummm I’m sorry, what? You want me to just throw away this crispity-porky-blackened-bark goodness?? Who do you think you are?

pulled pork made in the oven shredded on parchment paper with bbq sauce.

One time, many moons ago, before I was a cook, we were camping and I was cooking bacon. My brother-in-law found me over the trash can, peeling off the strips of fat on the bacon that hadn’t crisped up. He yelled, “What are you doing! Do you not understand bacon??” No, no I did not.

Fat = flavor. Say it with me now. Pork tastes good because it has lots of fat. If you’ve ever had bacon, you are literally eating pork fat. AND IT’S DELICIOUS. Get over yourself and your fat hating ways.

Discard any gristle you find, any bits and pieces that are unpalatable, but please do not discard every bit of fat you find. Shred it up and toss it in with the pork. THIS is what makes pulled pork so flavorful. You will not regret it!

How to serve Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Barbecue sauce, of course! I have a fabulous recipe for easy Homemade BBQ Sauce that I’ll be sending your way shortly (update! It’s live!), but until I get it posted, I recommend Stubb’s Original BBQ sauce. It has a classic black-pepper-molasses flavor that I absolutely love. It was the inspiration for making my own recipe! (I still love Stubb’s, but after testing and retesting, I like my own homemade BBQ Sauce better :)

You can stir in about 1-2 cups BBQ sauce with your shredded up pork, or you can pass it at the table for people to add to their pork individually.

pulled pork sandwich with bbq sauce on a plate.

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Here’s where things get fun. Once your pork is ready to go, it’s time to make the best pulled pork sandwich of your life.

Get a brioche hamburger bun, a good one, nice and soft. Slather it with butter. Then heat up a skillet over medium heat and add a dollop of butter to the pan. When that has melted, add the bun, butter sides down, and heat for 2-4 minutes, until they are getting just slightly browned and toasty.

toasted hamburger bun on a plate with chips, hamburger bun topped with shredded pork.

Then pile on your tender, juicy, hot pulled pork. Add some BBQ sauce

pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on a white plate.

But DO NOT SKIP the Favorite Coleslaw. It’s essential for this sandwich!!

And there you have it my friends! THE BEST pulled pork of your life, in the slow cooker or oven, or smoked on the grill. Whew! Now for some more helpful info:

What to serve with pulled pork

What’s a BBQ without the sides?! In addition to the essential BBQ Sauce, here are some of my favorite side dishes to go with pulled pork:

Check out my bbq holidays recipe section for even more ideas!

Frequently asked questions:

How to store leftovers

Pulled pork makes for about the easiest leftover meal ever. Let the meat cool to room temperature, add to a glass container with a lid that seals well, and move to the refrigerator. You can absolutely use plastic if you don’t have glass, just be aware that some plastic containers can be stained by the sauce, especially if you warm the meat in the container.

Can you freeze pulled pork?

Freezing pulled pork is so simple! Just let it come to room temperature, add to a freezer ziplock bag, seal with as much air removed as possible, and then stick it in the freezer. That’s it! It should be good in the freezer for about 4-6 months. To reheat, defrost the bag on a plate in the refrigerator. Once thawed, follow these same reheating methods:

Pulled Pork Crock Pot reheating instructions

To reheat a single serving, add some pork to a bowl and microwave, covered, on 50% power for a minute or two until warm. To reheat a large amount, you can follow the same microwave instructions for a longer amount of time, or put it in a pan on the stove with a lid and 1-2 tablespoons water until warm (stir occasionally), or put it back in the slow cooker on the warm setting until warmed through. Add a sprinkle of water so it doesn’t dry out.

slow cooker pulled pork shredded and topped with bbq sauce.

How to get tender pulled pork

There are actually two secrets to getting the most tender pulled pork. First, you gotta start with the best cut of meat: go for the Boston Butt, aka pork butt! (“Pork shoulder” cut is a close second) Despite its name, pork butt is a shoulder cut with lots of fat marbling, a uniform shape, and lots of muscle that makes it ideal to cook down into fall-apart deliciousness.

The second secret is cook time. The shoulder cut comes from a part of the pig with lots of connective tissues and fat. If the meat isn’t cooked long enough, those tissues will stay intact and you’ll have tough pork; your teeth will have to do the work, no thank you. We want low and slow heat to melt these connective tissues over time, leaving behind perfectly tender meat!

What’s the difference between shredded pork and pulled pork?

For most people, there is no real difference between shredded pork and pulled pork. They’re both slow cooked pork broken up into small bits. However, there definitely are some BBQ enthusiasts who will tell you that shredded pork has been separated into strings of meat with no clumps or chunks, whereas pulled pork has some larger clumps or chunks of meat mixed in with the shreds. Not really a huge difference in the grand scheme of things, so as far as this recipe goes, just pull or shred the meat to how you like it.

spoon lifting shredded pork with bbq sauce.

What temperature do you cook pulled pork to?

It doesn’t matter what your cooking method is for pulled pork–you can smoke it, slow cook it, or oven roast it–the final internal temperature of the meat should be about 200 degrees F. Once it reaches about 195 degrees, you can remove it from heat, because the pork will continue to rise in temperature a few degrees after you take it off. If you let the temperature go any higher than about 203, you run the risk of the pork drying out.

A decent meat thermometer is absolutely essential for making pulled pork! You cannot rely on the clock; the range on times is way too high. Get yourself a meat thermometer and once you are approaching internal temps of about 185, check the temperature of the pork about every 15-30 minutes.

Can you overcook pulled pork?

For as much as I’ve emphasized cooking long and slow, be aware that yes, it actually IS possible to overcook pulled pork! Bear with me through some quick science here. As it’s cooking, when the pork butt reaches about 130 degrees, the fat starts to render (melt) and braise the meat from the inside out (yum). Then, once it hits about 160 degrees, the collagen (connective tissue) starts to break down and melt into the meat as well (double yum). But, when the temperature reaches about 210 degrees, the muscle fibers themselves start to toughen up and dry out – leaving sad, chalky, chewy pork. Noo!! This is why I HIGHLY recommend a meat thermometer to get it juuuust right.

pulled pork made in the oven on a hamburger bun with bbq sauce.

How much pulled pork to make per person

In general, plan on about ⅓ lb of meat per person/sandwich. If you have lots of small children in your crowd or have several different sides to accompany your pulled pork, you can get away with more like ¼ lb per person. If you have several people who will have more than one sandwich, maybe up the amount a bit. The nice thing about pulled pork is that any leftovers will freeze beautifully and you can enjoy the fruits (meats?) of your labors at some point down the road if you have extra. You best believe I have a buttload of delicious pork in my freezer right now after testing all these methods a hundred times! No regrets!!

Don’t forget, if you have a gas grill and about 12 hours, definitely try out this recipe on the grill, here is the post with all the details: Smoked Pulled Pork Recipe. Do it, DO IT!!! Enjoy your BBQ my friends!

More slow cooker recipes you will love!

I love the ease of making a main dish meat in the crock pot and simply adding sides.

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Crock Pot Pulled Pork

4.98 from 232 votes
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8 hours
marinating time: 6 hours
Total: 14 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 6
The BEST pulled pork recipe in the crock pot! Get the most tender, melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork with almost zero effort from your slow cooker. It's such an easy recipe, the results are AMAZING, and you can feed a crowd an impressive dinner lickety-split. I'm also including instructions for oven roasted pulled pork!

Ingredients

  • 5-7 pound pork butt or pork shoulder, leave the fat cap on
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, for rubbing on meat
  • 1 teaspoon liquid smoke*, optional, for rubbing on meat
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for searing, more as necessary

For the rub/marinade

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, use 2 and 1/2 teaspoons if using table salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

To serve

  • barbecue sauce, homemade or store bought
  • brioche hamburger buns, if you're making sandwiches
  • butter, softened
  • Coleslaw, this is my favorite herby recipe!

Instructions

Slow Cooker Instructions

  • Choose your pork. A pork shoulder is great, but a pork butt (sometimes called Boston Butt) is better. They are similar cuts of meat and have all the fat and connective tissues we need to break down into a tender and juicy pulled pork (Butts have just a little more). Use a bone-in butt or shoulder if you can find it, but boneless if fine too. Choose one that is well marbled with white fat.
  • Marinate with spice rub. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 2 teaspoons black pepper, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder, and 1/3 cup packed brown sugar. Measure out 3 tablespoons of this mixture and set aside in a small ziplock or covered bowl; you will need it later.
  • If you would like to speed up the cooking process, use a sharp knife to cut the pork in half. This will increase the surface area of meat that you are able to brown on the stove (increasing flavor) and shorten the crock pot time to about 6-7 hours. (It's totally okay to leave the pork butt whole, it will cook in about 8-10 hours.)
  • Use paper towels to dry off the pork as best you can. Massage 3 tablespoons olive oil into the meat, making sure it's well distributed. Drizzle 1 teaspoon liquid smoke over the pork and massage it in. This step is optional but I like the smoky flavor it adds, which helps make up for the fact that we aren't cooking this pork in a smoker or on the grill.
  • Use your hands to rub the spices (all but 3 tablespoons) into the meat, getting every nook and cranny and under every flap. Place in a large ziplock bag and seal (I love these 2 gallon bags).
  • Marinate in the fridge for at least 6 hours, or up to 48 hours.
  • Remove the pork from the ziplock and pat dry if it is wet. Rub the remaining 3 tablespoons of the spice rub mixture into the pork.
  • Set a large dry skillet on your stove over medium high heat. Let the skillet preheat for at least 3 minutes on medium high. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and swirl to coat the pan. The oil should shimmer immediately.
  • Add the pork and sear for about 2 minutes until well browned. Use tongs to flip the pork and sear the other side until browned. Flip again onto its side, until all the outside of the pork is seared. Add more oil as necessary. Repeat with the other piece, if you split it in half.
  • Place the seared pork into your dry crock pot. Cover with the lid and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours if you split it in half, and about 8-10 hours if you left it whole.
  • Do not overcook your pork. You only want the temperature of the meat to reach about 200 degrees, so start checking it with a meat thermometer at the lowest recommended cook time. It's tempting to set it and forget it, but your pork will taste dried out and stringy if you leave it in too long. Rely on your meat thermometer. You can remove it from the slow cooker anywhere between 195 and 200 degrees F, since the meat will continue rising in temperature even after you take it out of the slow cooker.
  • Remove the pork from the slow cooker and let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes, tented with foil.
  • Shred the pork using two forks. It should be just completely falling apart. Remove any gristle, but do not discard all the fat! Shred it up and toss it in with the meat. Fat=flavor, and that slow cooked fat is part of what makes pulled pork so amazing. (You don't throw out the strips of fat on bacon, do you? I think not. Show your pork some respect.)
  • Add the shredded pork back into the crock pot (or whatever you plan to serve in) and toss with the cooking liquid.
  • You can stir about 1 to 2 cups homemade or store bought BBQ sauce into the pulled pork, or serve it with BBQ sauce as an optional topping. Serve warm on sandwiches (more instructions on that below), top a salad, use for meal prep, whatever your little heart desires.

Oven Pulled Pork Instructions

  • Cut your pork butt or shoulder into 3 equal pieces. This is to speed up the cooking process and to increase the amount of edges that will get browned in the oven. Hello flavor!
  • Follow the same instructions above for preparing your pork: pat dry, rub with 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon liquid smoke (optional), then rub with all but 3 tablespoons of the spice rub. Place in a large ziplock and marinate for 6 to 48 hours.
  • Remove the pork from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for about an hour. This ensures more even cooking in the oven. Nobody wants a dry outer edge.
  • Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Let it heat up for at least 20 minutes.
  • Place an oven-safe wire cooling rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Spray with nonstick spray. Add 1 and 1/2 cups water to the bottom of the pan, to provide a humid environment while the pork is cooking.
  • Remove the pork from the ziplock and rub each piece with the remaining 3 tablespoons spice rub. Place the pork on the cooling rack, making sure the pieces are not touching each other. Fat caps should be on top, if you can.
  • Roast in the oven for 30 minutes at 425 degrees. This initial blast of heat is to help sear the edges of the pork. After 30 minutes, lower the oven temperature to 300 degrees. Open the oven door for 30-60 seconds to cool the oven down a bit. Close the door.
  • Roast at 300 degrees for another 3-5 hours, depending on how large the pieces are. Add more water to the bottom of the pan as necessary.
    Rely on your meat thermometer to test for doneness. Take the pork out of the oven when a meat thermometer reads 195 to 200 degrees F. Do not let the meat go above 200 degrees, as the temperature will keep rising a few degrees after you take it out of the oven.
  • Remove the pork from the oven and let rest for about 15-20 minutes, tented with foil. Transfer the pork to a cutting board.
  • Shred the pork using two forks. It should be just completely falling apart. Remove any gristle, but do not discard all the fat! Shred it up and toss it in with the meat. Fat=flavor.
  • Make a sandwich: To make the best pulled pork sandwich of your life, butter both sides of a brioche bun. Heat another tablespoon of butter in a pan over medium heat on the stove. Toast the buns for 2-4 minutes, until lightly golden.
  • Add shredded pork to your bun. Top with more BBQ sauce, if desired. Top with an unreasonable amount of lemony herb coleslaw, if you're like me. Smash with the top of your toasty brioche bun and devour messily.
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep for 4-5 days in the fridge.
  • Pulled pork freezes very well. Seal in a ziplock bag (with or without BBQ sauce mixed in). It will freeze for up to 4-6 months. Let thaw in the fridge overnight. Heat leftovers in the microwave, or place in a tin foil covered pan, sprinkle with water, and bake in an oven set to 300 for about 20-40 minutes, depending on how much there is.

Video

Notes

*Use a decent brand for liquid smoke, Wright’s is good. The only ingredients should be water and smoke. 
Don’t miss out on making this recipe on the grill at least once in your life: It’s so good. Smoked Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill.

Nutrition

Calories: 664kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 72g | Fat: 34g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 227mg | Sodium: 1423mg | Potassium: 1380mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 824IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 6mg
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 664
Keyword: BBQ, pork, Pulled Pork
Did you make this? I’d love to see it!Mention @thefoodcharlatan or tag #thefoodcharlatan!

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Comments

  1. Hi! I am making this tomorrow and marinating tonight! But…I will be shipping tomorrow morning so I can’t buy the liquid smoke until tomorrow, after it has marinated over night. Can I add it at some other point tomorrow or am I better off just skipping it? Thank you!

    1. Hi JJ! Yes for sure, you can add the liquid smoke just before cooking in the slow cooker! I hope it turned out well!

  2. 5 stars
    Followed recipe exactly and it was the best pulled pork I’ve ever had! I definitely questioned the “no liquid” part but I was wrong! I used an 8lb bone in roast and let it cook on low for about 10 hours – SO GOOD!!

  3. hello,

    came across this recipe a bit too late but still going to try it anyway. I just don’t have enough time to marindae the pork as my guests are coming over in 8 hours so im going to just try it out anyways because it looks delicious and after reading all the comments I didn’t want to wait for another time. hoping its not going to make too much of a difference if I don’t marinade it but will be back to let you know how it went. thanks for the recipe!

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe (including the BBQ sauce and Cole slaw recipes). I prefer the oven version to the slow-cooker version, but both are good. My comment today is that I was in a hurry the other day and decided to try it with the pork loin i had on hand and the short time I had. I had no time to marinate it and couldn’t find my roasting rack, so I slathered the whole rub on the loin which I cut into three pieces, and roasted it in the oven with a half inch of water and some olive oil in the bottom of the pan. I turned the meat a couple of times during the roasting. It turned out great! The loin was a little trickier to pull apart, but it did pull apart. So this recipe works this way too! Fantastic!

    1. That’s great to know that this recipe works with pork loin too! Thanks so much for leaving your tips Solvay :-)

  5. I’m making this for a Xmas party tomorrow. Can I make this a day ahead and just heat it back up in the oven or slow cooker?

    1. Yes Nicole, that’s right! I know it sounds a little odd, but the low temperature allows the pork to cook without burning and plenty of liquid (fat) will be rendered as the pork cooks. Enjoy!

      1. 5 stars
        Made this a few times, its my favorite way now! A great way to feed a crowd for better and cheaper than catering!

        1. So glad to hear you’ve liked this one Melissa! It is great for feeding a bunch of people, right? Thanks for taking the time to leave a review and comment – it means a lot :-)

  6. 5 stars
    This is now my go to pulled pork recipe. It’s a regular in our house, and it’s always a favorite. Thank you for the awesome recipe

    1. I’m so happy to hear that Briana! Glad you all are loving it. Thank you for taking a moment to review! Super meaningful to me!

  7. Oh MY GAWD!!! Your pulled pork recipe is amazing. I am billeting a hockey player and after the game I had him, his 2 team mates, his Dad and a friend over to have dinner with us at 11 pm. I cooked the pulled pork in the slow cooker all day after searing it on the BBQ. I was nervous that it was actually cook in time but that moment came where it just turned soft and fell apart. Everyone loved it! I also made your lemony coleslaw that was perfect balance to the sweetness of the BBQ sauce and meat. Not often that I don’t tweak recipes but I stayed true to both of the recipes and they were fabulous. I guess a testament that these are your tried and true recipes. I don’t always enjoy people sharing their lives while I am trying to just get the recipe but I found your sharing your life very amusing and something I could relate to. And if I wanted to move on I could move on. Thank you so much for the great recipes I will use them over and over for sure! I wish you all good things in life, take care, Jean

    1. Hi Gloria! I’ve never used smoked spanish paprika, it sounds delicious! I think it sounds good, Let me know how it turns out!

      1. Everyone loved the pulled pork. We’re a low sodium family, so I didn’t use the salt. My eyes seem to glide right past instructions to marinate something, so I didn’t. I’ll probably cook it 7 hours instead of 6 next time. But there will definitely be a next time.

    2. Hello, I’m about to prepare this for a Friendsgiving party tomorrow. Is it OK to use olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

      1. Hi Cynthia! Yes that should be fine. Olive oil has a lower smoke point, so it will smoke a little more, but it shouldnt be a big issue in this recipe. Enjoy!

  8. 4 stars
    Hi Karen,

    How spicy would you say this recipe is? I’d like to make it for my family but we have two young kids. Not sure they could handle the cayenne pepper and chili powder. I could leave them out but would it be as flavorful?

    1. Hi Grace! It’s not very spicy. To be safe, you could leave out the cayenne but I would definitely keep the chili powder! Hope you love it!

      1. 5 stars
        Hi Karen,

        Thanks for such a quick response! I made the crockpot version today for a party of 25 and followed it to a tee (left out the cayenne pepper bc of all the kiddos) and it was amazing!! Everyone loved it and there were no leftovers. I was kinda bummed bc I wanted to freeze some for later but I’m taking it as a compliment! Thanks for the great recipe! I’ll def be keeping this one and making it again in the future!

  9. 5 stars
    This is the BEST pulled pork recipe! My roast was 7#, which is a beast, and next time I will cut it in half to be able to handle it better when searing. The only thing different I did was use a mustard sauce instead of BBQ, which was extremely yummy!

  10. 5 stars
    WOW. Normally do not review anything and that may sound a bit cliché, but it’s true. This recipe was 5/5, 10/10, 100/100.. whatever the rating scale may be. I had people doing back for 3rds! I did make it without the liquid smoke fearing I was missing out on flavor but lemme reassure you it wasn’t. I slow cooked it for just under 10 hours, meat was tender and falling right off the bone.

    1. I’m SO happy you found my recipe Lidia!! Thank you for taking the time to review and comment, that helps out so much! I’m glad it was a hit and I have also been known to go back for 3rds on this one lol. Gotta live our best lives right.

    1. Hi Karen! Just to your best to cut around the bone, trying to make the pieces as even as possible. Enjoy!

      1. Hello there,
        I was just have a quick question. What do you use the last 3 tablespoons of seasoning for? Maybe I missed what you said sorry. I’m marinating my pork as we speak. Thanks in advance
        Lisa

        1. Hi Lisa! After marinating, you rub the 3 tablespoons into the meat right before searing. It’s in step 7. Enjoy!

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