↑

Good Dinner Mom

Sharing Love through Good Food

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • The Main Dish
      • Chicken & Poultry
      • Beef & Meat
      • Slow Cooked Meals
      • Meatless Main Dish
      • Fish & Seafood
      • Soups, Stews & Chili
      • One Pot Meals
      • Breakfasts & Brunch
      • Eggs
    • Fresh from the Bakery
      • Bakery
      • Bread & Biscuits
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecake
      • Chocolate
      • Cookies, Bars & Brownies
      • Fruit Desserts
      • Jams, Jellies & Preserves
      • Muffins & Pastries
      • Pastries & Pie
      • Tarts
    • On The Side
      • Salads & Salad Dressings
      • Side Dishes
    • Hors d’oeuvres & Party Fare
      • Appetizers
      • Condiments, Dips & Sauces
      • Snacks
    • Frozen Treats, Drinks & Smoothies
      • Beverages & Smoothies
      • Frozen Treats
    • Even More Healthy
      • Gluten Free
      • Quinoa
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
    • Instant Pot/Pressure Cooker
    • Holiday Recipes
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Cuisines
      • Asian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
  • Shop
  • About
    • About Good Dinner Mom
    • Where I Live
    • Backyard Chickens
    • Contact

Good dinner recipeswhen you subscribe for recipes

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list.

.
  • The Main Dish
  • 30 Minutes or Less
  • Fresh from the Bakery
  • Vegetarian
  • Shop

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

13 Comments

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork starts with a dry rub, then gets basted in a Carolina style vinegar sauce. Fall off the bone tender, juicy, and delicious.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with mashed potatoes, green peppers, cole slaw and onions on a white platter. Juice from the slow cooker on the side

This is my favorite crockpot recipe of all time- and I’ve been making it for almost 20 years now (20? gah!) I still remember my first bite into this flavorful, buttery-tender meat. My friend Christine had served it up and I immediately demanded asked for the recipe. Since then, every member of my family, immediate and extended, has been served this Slow Cooked Pulled Pork at one time or another because it’s one of those recipes that’s incredibly easy (set-it-and-forget-it). It’s also one that ensures people will be asking for more.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with mashed potatoes, cole slaw, green peppers, onions, on a white platter

Today the blue recipe card that features my much-younger, much-neater, pre just-snap-a-picture-on-my-phone handwriting is blotted with stains and crinkled a bit from being pulled out and used so many times. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork was and still is “the” recipe to ensure that “wow!” factor for a successful meal but without a lot of effort. Plus it feeds a ton of people so it’s the perfect party recipe.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork before it's been shredded, onions on the side on a white platter

Right out of the slow cooker, the roast is ready for shredding. The onions are as soft as butter.

Success is achieved in two quick steps. First a dry rub of brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper is patted all over the meat which is then placed over onions in the pot. And since this is a Carolina-style pulled pork, a quick wet sauce is made featuring cider vinegar, Worchestershire, crushed red pepper flakes, dry mustard, garlic, and a tiny bit of cayenne. Truly incredible.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with onions on the side on a white platter

Then low and slow is the key to absolute perfection for success. I can’t stress enough that low temperature is the way to go with this roast. I’ve made the mistake of trying to cook it on high before and it just doesn’t quite get as tender as when it’s cooked on low for 8 to 10 (or even more) hours.The roast in these pictures was a 6-pounder and I actually cooked it overnight for 10 1/2 hours.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork starts with a dry rub, then gets basted in a Carolina style vinegar sauce. Fall off the bone tender, juicy, and delicious.

Before I leave you all so you can add the pork shoulder to your next grocery list (I’ll bet you have most all the other ingredients already in your pantry), I want to give a quick personal “thank you!” to my friend Chris- This recipe always reminds me of when you served it on sandwiches and wow’d us all. 😉 And to all you other awesome friends- Why not serve this up for some of your friends… they’ll never forget you and they’ll be sure to thank you.

Pin
Print Recipe
5 from 8 votes

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I highly recommend cooking this recipe on low to allow the time necessary to make this meat be fall-apart-tender. Cook for at least 8 hours, and up to 10 hours depending on the size of your roast. This is a good one to cook overnight. Serve with your favorite barbecue sauce on buns or with the reserved vinegar sauce atop garlic mashed potatoes.
Course Slow cooker
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 5 minutes
Servings 10 -12
Calories 193
Author Good Dinner Mom

Ingredients 

  • 2 large onions, quartered
  • 2 Tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon paprika, regular or smoked
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 4-6 pounds pork butt or shoulder roast, boneless or bone-in
  • ¾ cup cider vinegar
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 ½ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 ½ teaspoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon garlic salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne

Accompaniment Options:

  • Hamburger buns, favorite bbq sauce, cole slaw, garlic mashed potatoes

Cook's Note:

  • If your roast is on the larger size, feel free to double the rub ingredients (brown sugar, paprika, salt and pepper)

Instructions

  • Place 2 quartered onions in slow cooker. Combine 2 Tablespoons brown sugar, 1 Tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper; rub over roast. Place roast over onions.
  • Combine ¾ cup vinegar, 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons red pepper flakes, 1 ½ teaspoons sugar, ½ teaspoon mustard, ½ teaspoon garlic salt, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne. Stir to mix well.
  • Drizzle about ⅓ of the vinegar mixture carefully over the roast, ensuring the rub stays intact on the meat. Cover and refrigerate the remaining vinegar mixture.
  • Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low 8 to 10 hours (I have tried cooking this recipe on high in the past and the meat never comes out as tender as when cooked on low, but if you must cook it on high, cook it for 6 hours)
  • Drizzle another ⅓ of reserved vinegar mixture over roast during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
  • Remove meat and onions from slow cooker. Shred meat. If desired, add some of your favorite barbecue sauce to the shredded meat with extra to pour over top. Serve pork with onions on buns, passing around remaining vinegar mixture to drizzle over sandwiches. Another serving method (our favorite) is to serve as a main dish with garlic mashed potatoes on the side, drizzled with the vinegar mixture.
Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Amount Per Serving
Calories 193 Calories from Fat 72
% Daily Value*
Fat 8g12%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 4g
Cholesterol 74mg25%
Sodium 705mg31%
Potassium 470mg13%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 22g44%
Vitamin A 464IU9%
Vitamin C 3mg4%
Calcium 30mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Recipe from long-time friend, Chris Calder Coombs.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Pinterest Pin

You might also like

  • Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Wings
    Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Wings
  • Best Baby Back Ribs in the Slow Cooker
  • Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Soup

Published on January 25, 2017

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. colleen says

    May 20, 2022 at 6:37 AM

    5 stars
    Delicious and easy to make! I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Sweet and Spicy…gives it a nice kick!

    Reply
  2. barbara says

    May 16, 2022 at 6:23 AM

    5 stars
    This looks SO GOOD! We have a family reunion coming up this summer and this pork would be perfect to have for that. We could have the option of buns or no buns and different sauces… yum! I cant wait! So glad you shared this recipe Sally Thank you!!

    Reply
  3. CORI L says

    April 27, 2022 at 3:35 PM

    5 stars
    Just made this the other day for dinner and I have to admit, I pretty much inhaled it! The flavors are so good together and with Cole slaw-even better! Thanks Sally, another favorite from GDM 🙂

    Reply
  4. Fran bristol says

    April 27, 2022 at 3:32 PM

    5 stars
    Wow, I cannot wait to make this! Those onions look so good too. What a great idea to quarter them and have big chunks for us onion lovers.

    Reply
  5. mary whiting says

    April 27, 2022 at 3:26 PM

    5 stars
    This recipe is fantastic! If you want to make a great meal that everybody will enjoy- without a lot of dishes or strange ingredients then this is the recipe for you. This is a keeper!! I served mine with slaw and baked beans. So easy, so delicious!

    Reply
  6. Jennifer r says

    February 18, 2022 at 6:57 AM

    5 stars
    Excellent recipe! I made this for a pot luck at work and it was a huge hit! I followed the recipe exactly and drizzled a little sugar free BBQ sauce before serving.

    Reply
  7. joe s says

    February 18, 2022 at 6:54 AM

    5 stars
    This is amazingly good!! The roast I had was 8 pounds and this recipe easily doubled in my large oval crock pot!! We had lots of leftovers which we froze….and it was just as good after freezing!! Thank you Sally for the wonderful recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      February 23, 2022 at 9:28 AM

      Hi Joe, Wow, that’s a wonderful amount of pulled pork! Thanks for taking the time to comment and I’m glad you liked it!

      Reply
  8. Carol Whiting says

    June 28, 2020 at 5:38 PM

    5 stars
    I love this recipe! So easy, sooo goood!

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      June 28, 2020 at 7:20 PM

      Thank you, Carol! Glad you liked it and appreciate you taking the time to comment. Thank you!

      Reply
  9. Wanderluster says

    January 17, 2018 at 10:14 PM

    Can I cook for 12-14 hours? I have a 9lb roast

    Reply
    • Sally Humeniuk says

      January 18, 2018 at 2:01 AM

      Hello, I think it would do well after 12-14 hours.

      Reply
  10. Alexis Castro says

    February 6, 2017 at 6:14 AM

    So easy and so flavorful! I made it yesterday and people just loced it so much I’m gonna have to make it again next week.

    Reply
About Sally - Good Dinner Mom.

About Good Dinner Mom

My name is Sally and I love to be in the kitchen. Making fresh, unique dishes is my way of showing love for family and friends and I hope that here you’ll find recipes of both healthy and indulgent dishes that will inspire you to cook more at home while sharing some love of your own. more about me

Find a recipe:

Latest Recipes

Jalapeno Peppers with cheese and jalapenos stacked on a plate. A can of beer in background

Jalapeno Popper Pigs In A Blanket

Stuffed Jalapeños

Delicious Spiced Pear Oatmeal Recipe

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Cake

Halloween neapolitan cookies layered on black board. Cookies are purple black and natural with M&M's on them.

Halloween Neapolitan Cookies

Blueberry muffin cookies on white parchment with blueberries in a bowl above.

Blueberry Muffin Cookies

  • The Main Dish
  • 30 Minutes or Less
  • Fresh from the Bakery
  • Vegetarian
  • Shop
macaroni and cheese with peas asparagus and basil
The best Chinese Chicken Salad is right here with fresh vegetables, tender chicken and amazing Asian peanut salad dressing. Ready in under 30 minutes.
Oven Baked Chowder
Privacy Policy
Copyright ©2023, Good Dinner Mom. All Rights Reserved.
Design by Pixel Me Designs