Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
This slow cooker pulled pork is truly the best! It is very easy to prepare and requires only a few ingredients. It is delicious, tender, and so flavorful. This slow cooker pulled pork recipe can easily feed a crowd or be used for meal prep throughout the week. This meal requires very little prep work and then cooks all day for a ready to go dinner.
Slow cooker pulled pork
It is a great “hands off” food. It cooks all day long, and the tender meat easily shreds with 2 forks. You can eat it on its own or it makes for a delicious sandwich or a topping for salad or baked potatoes. I have prepared this recipe for birthday parties, pot lucks, church meals, family gatherings, and for our family to eat throughout the week. It has always been a hit!
What is pork shoulder?
This pulled pork recipe calls for pork shoulder. To start with, it has several names. You may see it labeled one of these at your grocery store: Pork shoulder butt roast, Boston butt, blade roast, and pork butt. For a little pig anatomy lesson, pork shoulder is the top portion of the front leg of the hog. The name is a bit deceiving as it is not actually in the “butt” of a pig. Here is what my roast looked like when I purchased it from the store:
Should I use bone in or bone out pork shoulder?
Either one! I typically end up with a bone in because that is what my grocery store carries. Both end up with wonderful flavor!
Ingredients in slow cooker pulled pork
- Pork Shoulder (aka Pork Butt)
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- 1 Tbsp Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
- Juice of 1 orange
How is pork shoulder best cooked?
Pork shoulder has a lot of fat and connective tissue, making it perfect to slow cook. The slow cooking allows the meat to break down and makes it so easy to pull apart. It is a perfect cut of meat for pulled pork!
Equipment needed
Slow cooker: I recommend this one as it has a locking lid to prevent spills. This is especially helpful if you need to take it on the go. It also has a digital clock to set the exact time you want to cook for.
How long to cook the meat?
This recipe calls for 8 lbs. of meat. This recipe truly makes a lot of meat!! For 8 lbs. of meat I cook it for 8-9 hours on high. Make sure your slow cooker is large enough for this recipe. You will need a 6 quart slow cooker. If you want to speed up cooking time a bit, cut your meat in half prior to placing it in the slow cooker. You will know the meat is done cooking when it reaches 190 degrees internally and can easily be pulled apart with 2 forks. It is really hard to “overcook” it.
8 lbs of pork shoulder: high for 8-9 hours
4 lbs. of pork shoulder: low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours
Temperature when pulled pork is done
You will know the meat is done cooking when it reaches 190 degrees internally and can easily be pulled apart with 2 forks. It is really hard to “overcook” it.
What if the meat is not pulling apart?
The first time I made this recipe I had this exact issue! I realized I did not cook the meat long enough. I would say if it doesn’t pull apart you likely have purchased the wrong type of pork or you have not cooked it long enough. This recipe is really difficult to “overcook” so I wouldn’t worry about that and add more time. Every crockpot is a bit different as well, so give yourself some extra time the first time you make it.
What can I serve this with?
It goes great simply on sandwich or slider buns. You can throw it on top of a salad or baked potato. Top it with your favorite BBQ sauce! Some tasty side dish options would be baked beans, potato salad, coleslaw, deviled eggs, French fries, chips, or sweet potato fries.
How to prepare slow cooker pulled pork
- Remove pork shoulder from packaging and trim large pieces of excess fat (the trimming of fat is optional, but I do prefer to do it)
- Combine all spices into a small bowl and mix together
- Season all sides of the pork shoulder generously and place into slow cooker
- Squeeze juice from 1 orange on top of meat. You do not need any additional liquid. The pork shoulder will naturally release a lot during cook time
- Cook on high for 8-9 hours
- Move meat into a separate bowl to pull apart with 2 forks. It is a large piece of meat and should easily fall apart into large pieces as you move it into a separate bowl
- Shred meat with 2 forks. You can spoon some of the excess liquid from the slow cooker over it if you like. Enjoy!
Equipment needed
- 6 quart slow cooker
- Small bowl for spices
- Large bowl to shred pork shoulder in after cooking
How much pulled pork for 20 people?
This recipe has 24 servings and will easily feed 20 people using the 8 lb. pork shoulder.
Storing leftovers
This recipe truly feeds a crowd at 24 servings. The leftovers store well in the fridge up to 5 days or you can freeze for up to 3 months. I place the leftover meat in gallon sized freezer Ziploc bags. When ready to eat, I move it to the fridge overnight to thaw out. You can reheat on stovetop with some oil or butter in a skillet.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 8 lb. pork shoulder (aka pork butt)
- 1 Tbsp. salt
- 1 Tbsp. Pepper
- 1 Tbsp. Garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. Onion powder
- 1 Tbsp. Chili Powder
- 1 Tbsp. Smoked Paprika
- Juice of 1 orange
Instructions
- Remove pork shoulder from packaging and trim large pieces of excess fat (the trimming of the fat is optional)
- Combine all spices into a bowl, mix together and then rub on all sides of the pork shoulder
- Place the pork shoulder into slow cooker and squeeze juice of 1 orange over top
- Cook on high for 8-9 hours**
- Remove from crockpot and place into large bowl to shred with 2 forks. This is a large cut of meat and I typically remove it in segments to shred. If you did not trim off fat originally, I have a 2nd bowl to discard large pieces of fat
- You can spoon over some of the excess liquid onto the meat. Serve and enjoy!
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