Slow cooker pulled pork

Try this easy slow cooker pulled pork for an effortless, crowd-pleasing meal. The pork is covered in a smoky spice rub and slowly cooked in apple juice for succulent, pull-apart with a fork tender meat. Stuff soft rolls with the tender pork and add a spoonful of homemade BBQ sauce or apple sauce. Sublime!

Slow cooked BBQ pulled pork has to be one of my favourite things ever. Soft, tender meat that literally falls apart at the merest touch with a fork – I love stuffing the meat into a soft, fluffy Brioche burger bun.

Give me some BBQ sauce and coleslaw and I am one very happy girl!

Chicken is also great for slow-cooking – this slow cooker BBQ pulled chicken recipe is always a winner.

Slow cooking is by far my favourite method of cooking pork – that long, slow cook makes the meat incredibly tender and soft. I also love the fact that you can just throw all the ingredients in the pot and forget about it for several hours!

how to make slow cooker pulled pork

Scroll to the bottom of the post to find a printable recipe card with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

1. Mix all of the ingredients together for the spice rub.

2. Unwrap the pork and remove any strings. Rub the spice mix all over the pork shoulder. I find it easiest to place the joint in the slow cooker before applying.

3. Pour over the apple juice, just enough to cover the meat about halfway up the sides. Cut the peeled onion in half and place it in the slow cooker.

4. Cover with a lid and cook on LOW for about 10 hours, or until the pork is very tender and pulls apart very easily.

5. Place the pork on a serving plate and shred with two forks. Pour over the BBQ sauce, if using.

how long will pulled pork keep once cooked?

The cooked pork will keep for up to 2 days in the fridge. As soon as the shredded meat has cooled down completely, place it in an airtight container and refrigerate.  

Top tip –  pouring some of the cooking juices over the pork before chilling will help keep it juicy and prevent it from drying out IF you aren’t coating it in the BBQ sauce. 

What’s the best liquid for pulled pork in a slow cooker?

I like to cook pork shoulder in fresh apple juice as it adds a slight sweetness to the meat.

If you like, you can swap this for cider, Coca-Cola, (if you like the idea of this see my slow cooker ham in coke recipe), Dr Pepper, or even beer.

Whatever liquid you choose to cook the pork in, it should not completely cover the joint.  It should reach no more than halfway up the sides.  The pork will release a lot of juices as it cooks, so you’ll need to make space for it. 

recipe notes

Pork shoulder is labelled “pork butt” or “Boston butt” in America.  Despite the name, this cut of pork doesn’t actually come from a pig’s rear end!

When you shred the pork, you might find little pieces of gristle and fat.  It’s best to discard these as they aren’t pleasant to eat.

Can you freeze pulled pork?

Yes! If you don’t feel like eating pulled pork for a few nights in a row (I’ll be giving you a few ideas for using up the leftovers at the end of this post), you can always freeze some for a future dinner.  Store the cooked and completely cooled pork in an airtight container or thick freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.

Defrost the pork overnight in the fridge before re-heating.

How to reheat pulled pork without drying it out

If you’re intending to re-heat the pork, don’t throw out those valuble cooking juices! They may not look very pretty, but they are the key to making sure your reheated pork stays juicy and flavoursome.

Pour some of the cooking juice over the shredded pork before chilling.  The cooking juices will also keep in the fridge (in a separate container) for up to 2 days.

Then when you want to re-heat the pork, place the meat in an oven dish and spoon over a little more of the cooking juices you’ve saved. 

Preheat the oven to 200C/180Fan/400F and cook for 30-35 minutes or until piping hot (I highly recommend using a meat thermometer – the safe temperature for re-heating pork is 165F/75 degrees.) 

Never re-heat cooked pork more than once.

For further information on safely storing and reheating pork, please check out this website.

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Yield: 10 servings

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Print

This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is an easy and delicious way to feed a crowd. Pork Shoulder/pork butt coated in spices and slowly cooked in apple juice for tender, juicy, flavoursome meat .

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 hours

Total Time 12 hours 15 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 kg Boneless pork shoulder joint
• 3 tablespoons soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Fennel Seeds
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon chilli flakes, optional
• 1 teaspoon fine salt
• Lots of freshly ground black pepper
• 150ml Fresh apple juice
• 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
• FOR THE BBQ SAUCE:
• 250g Tomato Ketchup
• 100g soft light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 100ml red wine or cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Set the slow cooker to slow.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the brown sugar, smoked paprika, fennel seeds, garlic powder, onion salt, smoked paprika, oregano and chilli powder if using. Add 1 tsp salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
3. Rub this spice mixture all over the pork. If you want to, you can leave the pork in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight at this stage.
4. When you're ready to cook the pork, place the joint in the slow cooker and pour over the apple juice. Place the lid on top and cook on LOW for about 10 hours. It would do no harm at all to leave it cooking even longer - I've often left mine in the slow cooker for up to 12 hours.
5. To make the quick BBQ sauce, simply combine all of the ingredients together until smooth.
6. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and when it's cool enough to handle, remove the thick layer of fat and shred the meat with a fork. It should fall apart at the merest touch.
7. If you're planning to re-heat the pork, don't forget to save the meat juices.

Notes

Shortcut - If you don't want to make your own BBQ sauce, feel free to use a bottle instead!

Storing: The cooked, completely cooled pork will keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Freezing: Pulled pork can be frozen for up to 2 months.

Ingredient swaps: You can swap the Dijon mustard for wholegrain. You can also use mustard powder, but don't use more than 1/2 teaspoon - a little goes a long way.

You can swap the apple juice for cider, beer, Coca-Cola or Dr Pepper.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 607Total Fat: 37gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 157mgSodium: 698mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 42g

Calories and nutritional information are provided by a third party application and should be viewed as indicative figures only.

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