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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
4.6 from 15 votes

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

😍🙌🎉 The EASIEST recipe for pulled pork, because your Crock-Pot does all the work for you! Set it and forget it for this AMAZING pulled pork that’s super flavorful and so tender and juicy! Great for pulled pork sandwiches and tacos!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs
Additional Time
15 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 273 kcal
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Pork
  • 2 white onions peeled and halved vertically, medium
  • pork butt also called Boston butt, 4 pound boneless or 5 pound bone-in
Dry Rub
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin ground
  • 1 tablespoon achiote paste also known as annatto seeds or annatto paste, or achiote
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper freshly ground
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano or regular oregano, dried, Mexican

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large 6 to 7-quart slow cooker, add the onions, cut side down.
  2. To a small bowl, add all the spices, salt, pepper, and stir to combine.
  3. Sprinkle the dry spice rub evenly over the pork on all sides, and use your fingers to press it in well.
  4. Add the pork with the fatty side up, over the top of the onions.
  5. Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for about 4 hours, or on LOW for about 6 to 8 hours. Tips - Start checking for doneness about 1 hour earlier than the recommended cooking time. As mentioned in the blog post, there are a wide range of internal temperatures listed online for when pork is done, but the best clue for doneness is that when you insert a fork into the pork, that it inserts with very little resistance and you can see the pork is ready to easily just pull or fall apart. You can also insert a digital thermometer. I do this first, check to see that it's about 170F, and from there, go by the visual clues of it looking and feeling like it's ready to easily shred.
  6. Allow the pork to rest on a cutting board for about 15 minutes.
  7. Reserve the cooking juices and liquid. Tips - There will be about 2 to 3 cups, but if there is a lot more, you can potentially discard some of it (I don't) but reserve at least 2 cups. We also love the onions and serve them alongside the pulled pork, but you can discard them if you prefer.
  8. Shred the pork with 2 forks, or just pull it apart with your fingers.
  9. Pour the reserved cooking juices (as much as desired) over the shredded pork, or add the pork back into the slow cooker and mix it around with the cooking juices before serving the pulled pork as desired, such as in a pulled pork sandwich or pulled pork taco. Tips - If you want to add barbecue sauce, add it now. If adding BBQ sauce, you can add less of the reserved cooking juices, maybe about 1 cup + 1 cup of BBQ sauce, or as desired to taste.
  10. Leftover pulled pork will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. Reheat leftovers gently in the microwave. Tip - Check out my Pulled Pork Sliders and my Pulled Pork Tacos recipes for great ways to use your pulled pork.

Notes

  • *Achiote or achiote paste is a spice blend commonly used in Mexican cuisine. It’s bright red in color and contains a mixture of annatto seeds, cumin, coriander, garlic, Mexican oregano, and more. Buy it on Amazon, Target, Walmart, Target, or in the spice section or Mexican aisles of your local grocery store. It's not totally essential if you can't find it or don't but it, but I highly recommend it for the extra overall depth of rich flavor it lends.
  • **For this recipe, I recommend that you use pork butt (or Boston Butt) as it's sometimes called. It can be boneless or bone-in.
  • Bone-in will take slightly longer to cook than boneless, but this is a non-rushed, slow cooking type of recipe anyway. Another 30-60 minutes isn't a big deal.
  • Cook's Illustrated has an excellent graphic that shows you the difference as well as a handy chart indicating when to use either pork butt (higher up on the pig's body) or pork shoulder (farther down).

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 273kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 8g (3%) Protein 35g (70%) Fat 11g (17%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g (6%) Monounsaturated Fat 5g (25%) Trans Fat 0.1g (5%) Cholesterol 109mg (36%) Sodium 833mg (35%) Potassium 685mg (15%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 6g (12%) Vitamin A 355IU (7%) Vitamin C 0.4mg (0%) Calcium 48mg (5%) Iron 3mg (17%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 10 servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 273

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 273kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Protein 35g 70%
Fat 11g 17%
Saturated Fat 4g 20%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 5g 25%
Trans Fat 0.1g 5%
Cholesterol 109mg 36%
Sodium 833mg 35%
Potassium 685mg 15%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 6g 12%
Vitamin A 355IU 7%
Vitamin C 0.4mg 0%
Calcium 48mg 5%
Iron 3mg 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.