Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
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Super easy slow cooker pulled pork is a delicious base for sandwiches, bowls, or wraps any time of year. Pork shoulder is easy to season with pantry staples and BBQ sauce, then becomes fall-apart tender after cooking low and slow while you live your life.
Hello, slow cooker season! In truth, all year is slow cooker season for many of us, but there is definitely something about early fall that brings this humble workhorse of an appliance top-of-mind. Not only is slow cooking well-suited to cozy autumn favorites, but this is when many family schedules kick into high gear, with school, sports, and other events making it more challenging than ever to gather around for home-cooked meals.
Crockpot BBQ pulled pork requires almost zero prep and makes the most of flavorful, deeply-marbled pork shoulder. Little more than onions, garlic, and your favorite BBQ sauce are needed to make delicious shredded meat you can stuff into sandwiches, pile into bowls, or use creatively in nachos, wraps, and more.
My healthy homemade coleslaw and buttermilk cheddar cornbread are must-have sides!
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Juicy and flavorful pork from the slow cooking liquid
- Irresistibly sweet and tangy BBQ flavor
- Makes a big batch for meal prep or feeding a crowd
- Super easy—the pork shoulder goes in the Crockpot all in one piece
- Very adaptable recipe—add spices, liquid smoke, or coffee (!) to make it your own
- Versatile enough to enjoy in sandwiches, bowls, and more
Ingredient Notes
Sourcing Tip
I often get boneless pork shoulder in my ButcherBox deliveries, because I find them reliably good quality and value.
Serving Ideas for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- Pulled pork sandwiches are a classic, with buns, coleslaw, pickles, extra sauce—and plenty of napkins!
- BBQ pulled pork bowls are a fun and lower-carb option. Make a build-your-own-bowl bar with slaw, pickles, and corn or other veggies. Rice is a good base if you want an optional grain.
- Have a little left over? Pile over nachos for a tasty game day-style treat.
No Need To Cut or Sear
For this recipe, you will just place the pork shoulder in the bowl of your Crockpot all in one piece over a bed of sliced onions and apple cider vinegar. This is so nice if you’re getting dinner started in the morning or at midday and don’t want to deal with a bunch of extra dirty dishes.
Sprinkle minced garlic and kosher salt over the pork, then slather generously with BBQ sauce.
Cover the slow cooker and turn it onto low heat if you have time, high heat if you are pressed. Plan on 8-10 hours on low, or 5-6 hours on high.
The main variable in the cook time is simply the size of your pork butt; be flexible and count on an instant-read thermometer to know for sure when it’s done. Whole cuts of pork, including shoulders, should reach an internal temperature of 145°F.
When the meat is done, it should be almost shockingly easy to pull apart using two forks. You can do this directly in the slow cooker for ease and minimal cleanup. This is also the time to pull out and discard any large pieces of rendered fat.
Options to Reduce the Cooking Juices
You can serve right away, or leave the lid off and turn the slow cooker back onto the high heat setting to let the juices thicken up a bit. I’d leave it this way for up to 1 and ½ hours.
If you want to thicken the rendered juices up more, strain some off and transfer to a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until they are reduced to your liking, then pour back over the pork.
Leftover BBQ Sauce?
If you’re not using the whole bottle for this pulled pork, I have a few ways to use it up!
- Slow Cooker BBQ Meatballs
- BBQ Chicken Flatbreads
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken (perfect in sandwiches, bowls, or stuffed sweet potatoes)
- BBQ-Glazed Chicken Bites
Or did you know you can freeze BBQ sauce? It works well to do it in ice cube trays so you can defrost only as much as you need.
More Slow Cooker Favorites
- Slow Cooker Butter Chicken
- Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
- Slow Cooker White Bean and Parmesan Soup
- Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos
Browse all of my favorite Crockpot recipes here!
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 1 medium onion red or yellow
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ – 3 pound boneless pork shoulder
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- kosher salt
- 1 and ¼ cups BBQ sauce any favorite
For Serving
- buns for sandwiches or rice for bowls
- coleslaw
- pickles
- corn, green onions, or other veggies
- extra BBQ sauce
Instructions
- Cut the onion into thin slices (no need to chop or dice) and arrange on the bottom of your slow cooker. Pour apple cider vinegar on top.1 medium onion, ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- Remove and discard all packaging from the pork shoulder, including any netting. Use paper towels to pat the pork dry on all sides, then place it on top of the onions.2 ½ – 3 pound boneless pork shoulder
- Spread the minced garlic on top of the pork, followed by a light sprinkle of kosher salt. Slather BBQ sauce on top.3-4 garlic cloves, kosher salt, 1 and ¼ cups BBQ sauce
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.
- Use two forks to pull apart the pork directly in the slow cooker, pulling out any large pieces of fat and letting the shredded pork soak up the rendered juices. Once all the meat is shredded, sample and season with extra salt and pepper to taste.
- You can serve right away, or leave the lid off and turn the slow cooker back onto the high heat setting to let the juices thicken up a bit. (If you want to thicken them up more, strain some off and simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat, then pour back over the pork.)
- Assemble into sandwiches or bowls with coleslaw, pickles, more BBQ sauce, and other veggies as desired.
Notes
- Cooking Time: If you’re worried about the pork taking too long to cook (and you’re home), start it on high and check its temperature partway through the cooking time. Pork should reach an internal temperature of 145°F. You can drop from high heat to low if it’s getting close to temperature and you don’t need to eat for awhile.
- Storage: Store leftover pork tightly covered in the fridge for 4-5 days. Reheat as desired in the microwave or over medium-low heat on the stovetop, adding a little more BBQ sauce as you like.
- Freezing: Leftover pork can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat as normal.
This is a go-to for us on busy nights, and I especially love that I can satisfy the kids with traditional sandwiches and make myself a lower-carb bowl packed with veggies when that’s what I crave. I hope you love it as much as we do!