Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow cooker pulled pork is a versatile main dish recipe perfect for sandwiches, nachos, tacos, and more. With easy prep and lots of hands-off time, you'll love the flavor of this slightly smoky and spiced up seasoning rub.

It's a new year and I'm already crossing off a resolution from my list: share my slow cooker pulled pork recipe on the blog.

Not that that's a great big achievement or anything. I've been meaning to for years, actually, so if anything it's a sign of how successfully I can procrastinate.

But still, let's round out the first month of the year with an easy win.

P.S. If you're looking for something quicker, this coffee-rubbed (!) Instant Pot pulled pork will be more your speed.

Reasons to Love This Recipe

• The recipe prep is just about as simple as can be. Rub the meat, add everything to the slow cooker, and come back later to shred and eat. No searing in a separate pan.
• The dry rub is made with pantry staples and flavors the pork so well, you don't even need to add sauce!
• The cook time isn't finicky, and this recipe is pretty forgiving. There's no worry here of cooking it a bit too long and drying out the meat.
• This recipe makes enough pulled pork to serve a crowd, and leftovers freeze very well.

Recipe Ingredients

• Onions: Two sliced onions cook underneath the pork and provide both moisture and flavor. No pre-cooking is needed, just slice them and place them raw in the slow cooker.
• Broth: Either reduced-sodium chicken or beef broth will work (chicken is my preference).
• Seasoning: Your favorite store-bought rub will work, but I've included the recipe for an easy, smoky, and perfectly seasoned rub made with pantry staples in the recipe card below.
• Pork: You want a fattier cut of pork for pulled pork. Now is not the time for super lean pork tenderloin, a loin roast, or pork cutlets. Boston butt is my preference.

Meat: The Best Cut For Pulled Pork

Ideally use the Boston butt cut to make slow cooker pulled pork, also known as pork butt. This cut is from the thick shoulder region (not the rear!) and has lots of great fat marbling. More marbling means more flavor.

If you're unable to get Boston/pork butt, pork shoulder is another good option. While it has a bit less marbling than a Boston butt, it's from the same region and will cook to be nice and shreddable. Either cut is best intended for low and slow methods like crock pot cooking.

Pulled Pork Seasoning

While your favorite pre-made spice rub would definitely work, I'm partial to this blend of herbs and spices, made with all (or nearly all) pantry staples. This pulled pork spice blend includes:

• brown sugar
• kosher salt
• chili powder
• black pepper
• paprika
• garlic powder
• cumin
• cayenne pepper, and
• cinnamon

It's spiced, smoky, and warm, from the tiniest bit of cinnamon. It might seem out of place adding cinnamon to a savory meat recipe, but it really ties the flavors together and adds warmth and something special.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. First stir together all of the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Next trim the fat cap aiming to leave about ⅛" to ¼" on the pork butt. What is the fat cap? More on that below.

Trimming the Fat Cap

I know I just said that we want the fat in our pork shoulder or Boston butt to make pulled pork, but my preference is to trim away SOME of the fat cap, which is the very thick, hard, and solid white layer of fat along one side of the meat.

Reason being is that we want the spice rub to get a chance to get in there with the meat, and this super thick layer can get in the way. There's plenty of fat marbled throughout the meat that I've never found pulled pork made with a somewhat trimmed fat cap dry or lacking in flavor.

It also doesn't break down entirely as the meat cooks, and will have to be sliced into small pieces in order to mix into the pulled pork at the end. When doing that with a full cap-on cut of meat, I usually end up discarding a portion of the fat cap when slicing because it's just too fatty. 

Disclaimer: I know there are multiple schools of thought here, making do-you-or-do-you-not-trim-the-fat-cap a controversial subject. Some say leaving it on and placing it cap-side up helps baste the meat as it cooks.

Curious if I have been in the wrong for years by trimming the fat cap, I found this interesting Amazing Ribs article that digs into the science behind all things fat cap. They advocate for trimming the cap in most circumstances to between one-eighth and one-quarter of an inch. (Since the slow cooker most certainly does not produce a crisp exterior on anything, I say we're exempt from the situation where leaving it on would be beneficial.)

Setting Up the Crock Pot

3. Slice the onions and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.
4. Pour the broth into the slow cooker.
5. Rub the combined spices on all sides of the pork butt and place it in the slow cooker.

6. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours or HIGH heat for 7-8 hours, or until the butt reaches a temperature between 195-200°F and it's tender enough that a fork can easily be inserted to break it up into shreds. The size of the meat and the quirks of your particular slow cooker will determine precisely how long it takes.

7. Transfer the cooked pork butt to a cutting board (some pieces may separate out as it's fall-apart tender!). Using two forks, shred the pork into bite-sized pieces, discarding excess fatty bits and the bone, if using a bone-in cut.

8. Pour the cooking liquid through a strainer (reserving it), then add the onions back to the slow cooker.
9. Add the shredded pulled pork back to the slow cooker. Skim some of the fat off of the cooking liquid before pouring some of the cooking liquid back into the slow cooker. Toss with the onion and pulled pork, then serve as-is, or with your favorite BBQ sauce.

Expert Tips

• If you're looking for a quicker way to shred slow cooker pulled pork, place the cooked meat in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and "mix" on the lowest speed until the pork is broken up into small shreds. Cover the stand mixer with a pouring shield or clean kitchen towel so you don't burn yourself on the hot shreds if they fly out.
• If your slow cooker is on the smaller side (4 - 4.5 quart) you may want to choose a boneless Boston butt as it will be smaller than the bone-in varieties and will be easier to fit in the slow cooker.
• While low heat is generally recommended for cooking crock pot pulled pork, I have made it on both low and high heat numerous times and honestly don't find it dry or lacking in any way using high. This is a long cooking recipe even on high heat, so shaving off 2-3 hours can make things easier.

Recipe FAQs

What to Serve with Pulled Pork

• Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens - a classic Southern staple.
• Easy Skillet Roasted Corn - something different! These can be spiced up so many different ways.
• Garlic Sauteed Green Beans - no blanching needed.
• Instant Pot Mac and Cheese - if you don't mind dueling appliances, this recipe is done in a flash.

More Slow Cooker Recipes

If you’ve enjoyed this recipe, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card and/or a comment review below!

Method with slicing the onions/base spice rub adapted from chowhound.