Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork is juicy, tender and packed with flavor. This simple crockpot pulled pork recipe is perfect for sandwiches, or even just served over rice.
I love my slow cooker. Now that school has started up again, my afternoons/early evenings are absolutely crazy and it is the worst time to try to prep dinner. This BBQ Pulled Pork recipe can be prepped in the morning (with only a few minutes of prep!) and then the pork cooks all day long, so it’s ready whenever you finally have a few minutes to eat dinner on those super busy days!
Pulled Pork Recipe (Crock Pot Version)
This Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork recipe is a great recipe because it starts with a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce. Add some spices and peppers and onions to make the flavor even better. The recipe is super easy to make, but tastes so much better than just using plain BBQ sauce straight out of the bottle! This is absolutely the best pulled pork recipe that I’ve ever tried – it’s easily become a family favorite! Such an easy recipe to put in the regular meal rotation.
What is the best cut of meat for pulled pork?
I’ve used bone-in pork roast as well as boneless pork roasts and I think they’re both amazing. I tend to use the boneless variety more often because I buy them in bulk at Costco, and they are typically easier to fit into the crockpot too!
Why BBQ Pulled Pork is a favorite recipe
- Easy to make. Only a few minutes of prep for this delicious pulled pork recipe. The BBQ pork can be made in a slow cooker or an Instant Pot to save on time.
- High protein. I know many of you are trying to mindful of eating in a more balanced way and making sure you get enough protein in your diets! Each serving of pork has about 35 grams of protein! If you are trying to reduce your carbs, you can eat the pork over lettuce as a salad.
- Delicious and versatile. Many readers have confirmed that this BBQ Pulled Pork recipe is the best one that they’ve ever tried! My kids are pretty picky eaters, but this is one meal that they all love! Some eat the meat plain, some eat it on buns, some in a salad – everyone can customize the meat however they want, but everyone loves it!
What to Serve with Pulled Pork in a Crock Pot
BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches go really well with sides like Creamy Parmesan Potatoes and Peas or Sugared Asparagus. My family loves when I serve this with Baked Sweet Potato Fries or Pepperjack Mac & Cheese as well! And don’t skip dessert! Have some Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies or some Texas Sheet Cake for the perfect ending to your meal.
Easy Crock Pot Pulled Pork Ingredients
- Pork shoulder or pork butt roast – I like to use a boneless roast, but you can use one with the bone-in as long as it fits in your slow cooker! I use a 3-4 pound roast for this recipe. You’ll plan on each pound of roast feeding about 3 people.
- Spices: Several basic spices really take the flavor of this pulled pork to the next level. I use salt, cumin, paprika, black pepper and red pepper.
- Onion: I usually use yellow onions with this recipe. Slice the onion really thin before adding to the crockpot. If your kids are picky and don’t like onions, you can add some onion powder instead for some of that flavor.
- Green bell pepper: You’ll need one green pepper, sliced thinly into strips. This can also be left out, but it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce and the pork!
- Barbecue sauce – You’ll need an 18 oz. bottle of BBQ sauce. Whatever kind you prefer, but I usually use one that is more the plain side, since you’ll be adding quite a bit of flavor to it.
- Light brown sugar – Sweetens up the pork and the sauce just a little bit and gives all of it that amazing sweet BBQ flavor we all love!
How to Make Pulled Pork in Crock Pot
- Trim excess fat from pork.
- Combine salt, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and red pepper in small bowl; rub the dry rub all over roast.
- Place onion and bell pepper in slow cooker; add pork.
- Combine barbecue sauce and brown sugar; pour over meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Transfer roast to cutting board. Trim and discard any fat from roast.
- Use 2 forks to pull pork apart.
- Serve shredded pork and sauce over rice or place it on buns to make pulled pork sandwiches. You can store any leftover pulled pork in the refrigerator to heat up later.
What BBQ sauce is best for crock pot pulled pork?
In the past, I have usually used Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, but I’ve been trying some others lately. Costco has been carrying the Kinder’s brand which I really love because it is organic, has much cleaner ingredients, and I actually think it tastes so much better than many of the other varieties that I’ve tried. I prefer the Mild BBQ flavor, but they have some varieties that have more kick to them if you like spicy!
Blues Hog has a reputation of having some of the best BBQ sauce out there, but I have actually never tried it. It is also made with all natural ingredients and there are quite a few varieties to try!
Storing and Reheating Pulled Pork
Pulled pork should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat the leftovers in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove.
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. boneless pork shoulder or butt roast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp ground red pepper
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium green bell pepper cut into thin strips
- 18 oz. bottle barbecue sauce
- ½ cup light brown sugar
Instructions
- Trim excess fat from pork. Combine salt, cumin, paprika, black pepper, and red pepper in small bowl; rub over roast.
- Place onion and bell pepper in slow cooker; add pork. Combine barbecue sauce and brown sugar; pour over meat. Cover; cook on low 8-10 hours.
- Transfer roast to cutting board. Trim and discard any fat from roast. Use 2 forks to pull pork apart. Serve pork and sauce over rice or place it on buns to make pulled pork sandwiches.
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FAQ for Crock Pot Pulled Pork
When you cook a pork roast in a slow cooker, how long you cook it for depends on how large your roast is. I use a small 3-4 pound boneless pork roast for this recipe and I like to cook it in a slow cooker on LOW for at least 8-10 hours, but if you have time, 10-12 hours is even better. You can cook it on HIGH for 4-5 hours, but I think the texture and flavor is better when you cook it on low.
I like to cook this pulled pork recipe in a 4.5 quart basic crock pot. (Basic but so pretty!)
Pork gives off enough liquid as it cooks that you don’t need to add anything other than what the recipe states.
Pork releases lots of juice as it cooks, so there’s no need to add water to the crockpot. In this recipe the only added liquid is BBQ sauce and you’ll find you have plenty once it’s cooked!
We find that adding BBQ sauce and flavor through a variety of spices combines with the juices pork releases while cooking to be the best liquid to cook pulled pork in.
Pulled pork is fall apart tender at 195°F degrees, which is reached by about 9-10 hours of slow cooking. Moist pork is pork that is perfectly cooked, so once that temp has been reached, switch your crockpot over to “warm” to prevent it from over cooking and drying out.
Pork will get increasingly more tender until 195°F degrees, when it’s “fall apart tender.” Letting the pork cook on low for the full 8-10 hours will yield the moist, tender pulled pork everyone wants!
HOW TO MAKE PORK ROAST RECIPE IN AN INSTANT POT
I’ve also begun making this in my Instant Pot and it’s AMAZING. It’s quite a bit faster than using a Slow Cooker (it takes about 2 hours total!) and I think I like the results even more! I use a small, 2-lb Pork Sirloin Tip Roast from Costco and add the remaining ingredients. It’s fall apart tender and so flavorful!
Place everything in the Instant Pot and set to Manual High Pressure for about 65 minutes for a 2 lb roast. Add 10 minutes per additional pound of pork roast. When the time is up, let it Natural Pressure Release. Once all the pressure is released, the pork should be super tender and fall apart easily!
LIKE THIS EASY CROCKPOT RECIPE? TRY THESE OTHER SLOW COOKER RECIPES ~
- Easy Crock Pot Hawaiian Chicken recipe
- Best Crockpot Beef Stew recipe
- Best Crock Pot Pork Roast
- CrockPot Turkey Breast
- Crock Pot Sweet Pork
- How to make Crock Pot Shredded Chicken
- Best Crockpot Pork Carnitas
- Easy Crockpot Madras Lentils
- Crockpot Roast with Dr.Pepper
- Crockpot Chili
- Crockpot Chicken Alfredo Lasagna
- Best Pork Tenderloin Marinade recipe
- Easy Slow Cooker Sweet Pork
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork is moist, tender and packed with flavor. This simple crockpot pulled pork recipe is perfect for sandwiches, or even just served over rice.
Terry says
At the end, are you mixing all of the onion and pepper in with the meat or are they just added for flavoring while cooking?
Nellie says
Totally depends on whether you like peppers and onions! My kids don’t like them mixed in with the meat, but I do!
Gail says
I love the rub on the pork. I do not like bell peppers or sweet barbeque so those were omitted. I used red onions in this recipe and Bachan’s Japanese barbeque sauce. I’ve tried many recipes to cook pork in the crock pot but it never fell apart like this does. It is my go-to recipe for great barbeque.
Jessica says
So glad to hear Gail! And YES on the Japanese BBQ sauce. YUM.
Diann Diaz says
If my pork roast is 8lbs, how long to cook in the crockpot?
Nellie says
I would plan on at least 10-12 hours on low, maybe even up to 14 just to be safe.
Ashley says
Can this be made without the bbq sauce being used in the cooking process? We all like different sauces so ideally I would like to just let everyone pick their own sauce before they eat.
Jessica says
Hmmm… the BBQ sauce in the crockpot is the only liquid that it cooks in. So you’d have to put something else in- maybe chicken or veggie broth? Apple juice? Then just use a slotted spoon to serve it (or tongs!) and then have people add their own BBQ sauce. Let me know if you try it, I’m curious how it turns out!
Taylor says
Can I use this for chicken?
Nellie says
You can use this recipe for chicken, but chicken will cook faster so you will only need to cook on low for about 6-8 hours. We also have a recipe specifically for BBQ Chicken you can try: https://butterwithasideofbread.com/slow-cooker-bbq-chicken-sandwiches/
Christine says
I followed your recipe to a T, but added a bottle of lager beer. It has been on for 3 hours now and my house smells divine! I have a 9lb butt in there. Low and slow, 12 to 14 hours. Can’t wait! Thank you for this recipe!
Brandi says
How much water do you use in the pressure cooker?
Nellie says
I have made it in the Instant Pot multiple times and haven’t added any water. There should be enough liquid with the sauce and the juice from the meat.
Jo says
I’ve made this recipe multiple times and love how easy and delicious it is! I’ve made it with bone in and boneless pork shoulders, it comes out great either way. It always has a lot of liquid in it when it is done cooking so I like to strain most of it out and mix all of the onions, peppers, and meat together before serving it on buns so they don’t get too soggy! I always add extra bbq sauce when serving, and coleslaw!
Nellie says
Thank you for all of your suggestions! Extra BBQ sauce and coleslaw are a must!
Christine says
Is ground red pepper the same as cayenne?
Nellie says
I just googled it and it looks like they are the same!
MoniA says
If I don’t trim the excess fat, will it turn out poorly?
Nellie says
It’ll still turn out fine, but you’ll still want to remove the fat after cooking/before serving!
loralyn p says
Can you cook this on high for four?
Nellie says
I’m guessing that would work fine, but I’ve never cooked it fully on high. I often cook it on high for the first hour or two and then switch to low and I know that works well. Let us know if you experiment!
Brittany says
Can I do an hour on high and then the rest on low? Unfortunately I don’t have 8-10 hours. Do you think that hour on high would ruin it?
Nellie says
I often do the first hour or two on high and it works just fine!
Mommaof3 says
Can I freeze this pulled pork? And how would I cook it afterwards?
Jessica says
Absolutely, I freeze it all the time! You can defrost it in the fridge, then reheat it in a pot on the stove, or in the microwave.
G says
Is it ok to meal prep this the night before sitting in fridge with the rub on it? Then just add the pepper and onion to the crockpot the next day, the spiced pork, then the brown sugar/bbq mix? I want this started at 5 am to give it long time to slow cook!
Nellie says
I’ve never tried that, but I think it would work just fine!
Crystal says
I’ve made a recipe very similar to yours & put the roast in the ‘frig overnight to marinate. I can highly recommend doing it that way, G Says!
I do have a question about the rub…do you think Old BaySeasoning would be a good addition to the rub?
Do I need to add any oil to the rub?
Thank you!
Nellie says
I’ve never used that rub before but I think it’s a great idea! And I don’t think you would need to add oil. Let us know if you experiment!
Jess says
Looking to make this for a huge crowd, but it’ll be a mid afternoon meal so I wont have 8-10 hours to cook. Do you suggest making it the night before and storing in the fridge and then heating on the stovetop the next day or is there a shorter 4-6 hour option on high the day of? Its about 9 pounds being made
Nellie says
I would make this the day before to make sure it has plenty of time to cook. Store in the refrigerator overnight and then put it all back in the crockpot on warm for a few hours before serving.
Chelsey says
What kind of BBQ sauce do you use?
Nellie says
I’ve used several different brands and they’ve all been good. I used to use Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce, but lately have been using the Kinder’s brand because they carry it at Costco.
Rebecca says
Can you freeze this recipe
Nellie says
Yes, once the meat is cooked and cooled, you can freeze it! I just place the shredded meat in ziplock bags. You can reheat in a crockpot or on the stove.
Tonya M Hobbs says
Can you use a pork tenderloin verses a pork shoulder
Nellie says
I’ve never tried, but that should work just fine!
Joanna says
Winner, winner, pulled pork dinner! I made this yesterday for our family’s Independence Day celebration and it was really delicious! It was a bit different than my standard pulled pork (just salt and pepper and then tossed with BBQ sauce after shredding), so it was a welcome change of flavor. It was especially good on those little Hawaiian sweet rolls, yum! I crammed 8lbs of pork butt in my crockpot and doubled the recipe for all the spices and sauce, cooked it for 6 hours on high in the crockpot and it turned out great! I can’t wait to try the slow cook for 8-10 hours that you recommend. Thanks so much for a phenomenal recipe!
Linda Ford says
First time making it. Do you get rid of all the liquid in the crock pot after it cooks? Mine has a lot of liquid.
Nellie says
I usually don’t have a ton of liquid left, but you can definitely drain out most of it. I like to have some in there just so the meat doesn’t dry out, and then I’ll use a slotted spoon or large fork to serve with to drain any excess moisture.