This is the best slow cooker pulled pork recipe we’ve made. The pork turns out incredibly juicy and tender, with a rich, flavorful broth that’s perfect for spooning over the meat. It’s easy and unbelievably delicious.
I’m a bit picky when it comes to pulled pork, so we tested many variations to get this one just right. I’m happy to report that this version truly delivers. The secret is cooking pork shoulder low and slow, which makes it melt-in-your-mouth tender.
This crock pot pulled pork turns out incredibly and flavorful every single time. Because it simmers in our simple spiced tomato broth, the pork also stays unbelievably juicy. I love piling it high on rolls for pulled pork sandwiches with creamy coleslaw. If you don’t have a crock pot, try our oven pulled pork, which is just as good!
Key Ingredients
- Pork: Use boneless or bone-in pork shoulder for the best pulled pork (this cut is sometimes called Boston butt or pork butt). It’s a tough, well-marbled cut that becomes tender and juicy when cooked low and slow. The fat melts as it cooks, which is why this turns out so incredibly moist and tender. I use the same cut when making our pork carnitas, and love it!
- Onion, Garlic, and Tomato Paste: These ingredients form the base for our cooking liquid. I love sweet onions, fresh garlic, and double-concentrate tomato paste for the best flavor.
- Chili Powder and Cumin: A small amount of chili powder (try our homemade chili powder or ancho chili powder) and a bit of ground cumin make this pulled pork really flavorful without overpowering it.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: This is a little secret for making the best pulled pork. A splash of vinegar adds gentle tang and helps tenderize the pork while it cooks. Without it, the flavor can fall a bit flat.
- Fish Sauce or Worcestershire: It might sound unusual, but a small amount of fish sauce or Worcestershire adds the most delicious savory flavor to the cooking liquid. If you taste it and aren’t immediately smiling, add a few dashes, and I bet you’ll be better off.
Find the full recipe with measurements below.
How to Make the Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Tip 1: Season your pork generously. Seasoning your pork really well is essential. Once you hit start, you don’t want to lift the lid, so it’s a good idea to think about flavors and seasoning up front. We’re generous with salt and pepper and like to rub them all over the pork, getting the salt into every nook and cranny of the meat.
Seasoning about 20 minutes before cooking gives the salt time to penetrate and helps the pork stay juicy and well-flavored.
Tip 2: Build a flavorful base. After seasoning the pork, we sauté onions, garlic, tomato paste, and spices to make the base for our cooking liquid. This mixture adds so much flavor to the pork.
Tip 3: Cook it low and slow. Pork shoulder is really forgiving, and it’s pretty hard to overcook, which means you can let it go for hours. Cooking low and slow melts the fat, tenderizes the meat, and gives you incredibly juicy, shreddable pork.
Pour the mixture over the pork, then cook the pork on LOW for at least 8 hours, though you can easily extend that to 9 or even 10. The pork should be so tender that you can cut it with a spoon. You can even set it overnight and wake up to perfectly cooked pulled pork.
Tip 4: Shred the pork and stir it back in. When the cooking time is up, you’ll have juicy, tender meat and a pot full of rich, flavorful broth (it’s pure gold). To take advantage of it, pull your pork, then stir it back into the broth. I do the same when making crock pot shredded chicken.
Shred the pork using two forks. It should fall apart easily, then stir the shredded meat back into the cooking liquid so it soaks up as much of that delicious cooking liquid as possible.
Serving Suggestions
Pulled pork pairs well with both cold and warm sides. Try it with classic summer sides like potato salad, red potato salad, orzo pasta salad, or a bean salad. For warm, comforting sides, try mashed potatoes, creamy mac and cheese, or my favorite roasted potatoes.
I love serving these on bread rolls for pulled pork sandwiches, and usually add some coleslaw (creamy or vinegar slaw), then serve with some pickles on the side. If you aren’t in to the bread rolls, but still want something to soak up that delicious cooking liquid, homemade cornbread or this easy beer bread are excellent.
More Pork Recipes
Perfect Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
This guarantees juicy and tender pork cooked in a delicious, savory cooking liquid. Serve the pork as is with some of the cooking liquid (delicious), or feel free to stir in your favorite BBQ sauce or other sauces at the end of cooking.
Watch Us Make the Recipe
You Will Need
4 ½ to 5 pounds boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (pork butt), twine or netting removed
2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped small
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon ancho or mild chili powder, try homemade chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cup water
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fish sauce or 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Directions
1Season the pork: Rub the pork with salt and pepper, then place it into your slow cooker.
2Make the cooking liquid: Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, then cook, occasionally stirring, until they are sweet and browned around the edges.
3Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring, until the tomato paste turns from bright red to orange, about 3 minutes. Add the water, apple cider vinegar, and fish sauce and cook for about 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
4Add the cooking liquid to the pork: Pour the onion and spice mixture over the pork, then move the pork around so that some of the onion and spice mixture slides underneath.
5Cook the pork: Add the lid and cook until very tender, LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6 hours.
6Pull the pork: Turn off the cooker and transfer the pork to a cutting board. If the pork has a bone in it, remove and discard it. Use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any connective tissue and large clumps of fat.
7Save the cooking liquid: Remove the cooking liquid and skim most of the fat from its surface. Discard the fat, and then set aside the cooking liquid.
8To finish: If you’re adding barbecue sauce, mix it with the shredded pork and a bit of the reserved cooking liquid for extra flavor. If not, simply return the pork and cooking liquid to the cooker, then taste and season with salt, vinegar, or hot sauce.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Storing: This lasts in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. Freeze in airtight containers or freezer-safe bags. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- Reheating: To reheat pulled pork, place it back into the cooker and cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours. Or reheat on the stove in a pan over medium-low heat until heated through. If it seems dry, add a splash of water to the pan.
- Add a sauce: The cooking liquid is absolutely delicious as-is, but you can always add more flavor with a sauce. Try our homemade BBQ sauce or a little homemade hoisin sauce.
- Instant Pot pulled pork: Using the sauté function of your Instant Pot, cook the onions, garlic, spices, tomato paste, water, vinegar, and fish sauce as shared in the recipe above. Add the seasoned pork and onion mixture to the Instant Pot, seal the lid, and cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Quick release based on the manufacturer’s instructions: shred the pork, and then skim and discard the excess fat from the cooking liquid. To serve, combine the skimmed cooking liquid and shredded pork.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
This is my go-to recipe for Pulled Pork. So flavorful. Freezes well, it’s just a winner in our home. We also serve the Seriously Good Homemade Coleslaw with the Pulled Pork. It’s a keeper. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
This is excellent. Great for summer entertaining or when all the kids are home and hungry. Also , wonderful hands off when you’re on vacation yet , still the cook 😉 Lots of your recipes have become my “go – tos “. I’m adding this one to the list . AI suggested using leftovers on a pizza with BBQ , mozzarella and red onion … delish ! I think it will try another with cheddar and apple , added as well . Keep up the great work)
Delicious and so tender. Easy weeknight dinner!
So happy you loved the recipe 🙂
I loved the recipe. Easy to understand, little Xtra reading, and DELICIOUS RESULTS. My only problem was I could never get tomato paste to turn orange. Please let me know what I’m doing wrong. Thank you for your wonderful recipe. Carrie
I haven’t made this yet but I am definitely making it tonight. A matter of fact everything is in the crock pot now. I’ll leave a review on the taste at a later time.
Absolutely amazing! added cooking liquid back in with the shredded pork plus about 1 cup of bbq sauce…served it on buttered/toasted ciabatta buns with coleslaw on top just like in the picture. The best pulled pork we have ever had!
This is absolutely the most flavorful and moist pulled pork we have ever eaten, at home or barbecue joints! We followed the recipe to a tee. Excellent job!
I have not cooked this yet but look forward to trying. I am trying to find a pork chop recipe for dinner tonight.
We use butt rub for the Boston butt and cook it 24 hours. Can add small amount of cauanne. If you want add a little vinegar before cooking
This has been my go-to pulled pork recipe for a few years, so I thought I should finally leave a review! It’s so flavorful and tender, and no heating up the kitchen!
Hi, I really loved this recipe. It was quick and easy to prepare, and absolutely delicious.
Thanks for coming back to let us know, Angela!
I cooked this for my grandsons 18th birthday party the kids loved it. It was so easy I now use this receipe when we have friends over. I’m elderly, I love to entertain so this recipe is just the thing.
Hi! I’ve made this before and it was amazing! I’m hoping to make double the servings this time for a party. Should I just double the quantities of everything? Also, how long should I slow cook for? Thank you!
Hi Hannah, As long as everything fits in your slow cooker, you should just need to double everything. No additional modifications should be required.
Cooking the day before. How should I reheat it? Oven or stovetop? Thanks!!
Hi Kim, Either will work. For the stovetop, add the pork to a saucepan and heat over medium and stir often until heated through. For the oven, you can add to a baking dish and cover it with some foil. Use a 350F oven and bake until heated through. You can also warm it in your slow cooker.
How long would it take to reheat in the slow cooker? Thanks!
Cook on LOW for 2 to 3 hours or add to a saucepan on the stove, which would take 15 to 20 minutes.
I was looking for a pulled pork recipe that was not drenched in BB sauce. Your recipe allows people to add their own sauces to the sandwich which is a huge hit with my family. The fact it cooks in a slow cooker is an added bonus. This recipe is now in regular rotation in the group of meals we enjoy eating. Thank you for a common sense, enjoyable, articulate website on creating delicious foods!
Can I have some tips if I’m making it a day prior please? Do I add the sauce mixture to the shredded pork and refrigerate overnight or would it be best to add it back on the following day and reheat?
Hi Melinda, I have updated the post above with storing/reheating instructions, so hopefully that helps. Yes, I refrigerate the pork and sauce overnight. You can reheat slowly on the stove or in the slow cooker.
I made this recipe for my very fussy husband who always tells me there’s not enough flavour in my food. We are British Indian and you can imagine me making anything non-Indian and always being told I need to add more spices. I served him the dish very nervously and said its my first time trying this out and he absolutely loved it. He now keeps going on about cooking every meat with the same marinade 🙂 He has asked me to look out for more of your slow cooker recipes and cook them 🙂 It was very delicious. Thank you!
This recipe sounds amazing. The reviews having impressed so I would like to make it tomorrow. Can I use Pork Butt instead of Shoulder or Tenderloin.
Pork Butt and Pork Shoulder are the same thing. It is also sometimes called “Boston Butt”.
This recipe was out of this world!!! First time making pulled pork and I am blown away 1. How easy it was 2. Minimal ingredients and prep required 3. The mouthwatering taste!! I tweaked the recipe ever so slightly and replaced the cumin and chilli powder with 1/2 tablespoon of smoked paprika and 1/2 tablespoon of ground paprika. I also slow cooked it for 9 hours and once I shredded the meat I just added about 5 ladles of the liquid onto the meat and placed in the fridge. I have since shared this with all my family. Thanks so much for the incredible recipe 🙂
You are very welcome. We are so glad you enjoyed it!
This recipe turned out excellent. I didn’t follow it to a “T” because I didn’t have available all the ingredients. But I followed 98% of it and it still turned out excellent. Very moist meat. Very tender. All our guests commented how tasty it was. By the way, Inspiredtaste.net is my go to web-site for recipes. Hats off to Adam & Joanne because everything I have made from your recipes was well worth it! Plus, you make more complex recipes rather simple. Thank you for your passion in sharing high quality and very tasty recipes!
Hi Mark, We are thrilled that you enjoyed the pork so much and thank you very much for all of your kind words!
This really is the best pulled pork recipe! I have made it twice and it is just delicious! Made it in a Crockpot – cooked on low for 9 hours – first with tenderloin, then with pork shoulder – both delicious. Tenderloin gave it a leaner taste – the shoulder tasted richer and more flavorful.
Followed the recipe; the second time added some tabasco and a little BBQ sauce before it cooked 🙂
Have you ever made this in a roaster oven? If so, what temp would you recommend? Thanks!!
Hi Carrie, You might enjoy our Oven Roasted Pulled Pork Recipe. It is very similar in flavor to this pulled pork, but made in the oven.
This recipe is excellent! I have made it 4-5 times. I brought it over to a pot luck once with sourdough buns and coleslaw, it was the favourite dish. I tried other recipes and they don’t even come close.I have made it without fish sauce only, still very good. It reheats beautiful in the sauce, we skim some fat from the top and I have kept it to cook other foods.
Is it best to pull the pork right away after taking it out of the pot? My daughter made this, flavor was there, but slot of fat
Hi Stephanie, You can pull the pork and then add it to all of the juices. Then place into the fridge. Any fat will rise to the top and you can scrape it away before reheating.
This pulled pork recipe was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe exactly and it was tender and juicy and full of flavour. I will definitely be making it again.
This is the absolute best recipe I’ve tried for pulled pork. I get given a lot of wild pork and the slow cooker is the best way to cook it. Thanks for sharing.
This looks delicious and I’d love to try this for an event this weekend. Any tips on the best way to do this ahead of time and reheat?
Hi Theresa, I’ve included more tips above for storing/reheating.
Just a quick mention: With the exception of the apple cider vinegar, this recipe is Keto and could be adapted for those on a ketogenic diet. Some pulled pork recipes are full of sugar. Great to find one that is not.
Excellent pulled pork recipe- the best I have ever made. Used a 7 pound pork shoulder in the crockpot. Cooked on low 12 hrs. It literally melted in our mouths. My family is a fan!