Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is juicy, tender, packed with flavor, and extremely versatile. Use for sandwiches, quesadillas, tacos, nachos, and more.

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 8

Total Time 8 10

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword dairy free, gluten free

Method Crock Pot, Slow Cooker

Servings cups

Calories 414kcal

Ingredients

4 - 5 lb boneless pork butt trimmed of excess fat then cut into 4 - 6 large pieces
5 large garlic cloves pressed or minced
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon sea salt
1/2 Tablespoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup chicken broth

Instructions

Place the pork pieces into the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot then sprinkle the garlic, brown sugar, salt, and pepper over the tops. Rub the seasonings all over the pork using your hands then stream the chicken broth in around the edges of the crock pot.
Place a lid on top of the slow cooker then cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until the meat shreds very easily with a fork. If you’re around the crock pot at the halfway point, turn the pieces of pork over with tongs, though this isn’t a required step.
Using tongs, transfer the pieces of pork to a large plate or cutting board then carefully pour the cooking juices into a fat separator. Shred the meat using two forks then add it back into the crock pot, or a glass storage container. Pour your desired amount of cooking juices over the shredded pork, leaving the fat in the separator. Stir to combine then use as desired, see notes for serving suggestions

Notes

Pork "butt" actually comes from the upper shoulder region of the pig and is well marbled with fat. You’ll want to leave some fat on the pork pieces — pork fat = flavor! Just remove excessively large pieces prior to slow cooking.
How to store: refrigerate leftovers in an airtight, glass container for up to 5 days. Microwave individual-sized portions in the microwave until hot then strain out the juices (I use a fork to press the pulled pork against the side of the dish) then use.
How to freeze: transfer the cooled pulled pork plus juices into a Ziplock freezer bag then remove the air and freeze flat for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator then reheat in a pan over medium heat until hot.
BBQ Pork Bowls: coat the pork in BBQ sauce, place it on a bed of dressed coleslaw, then add roasted sweet potatoes and pickles.
BBQ Pork Sandwiches: coat the pork in BBQ sauce then pile onto buns.
BBQ Pork Pizza: spread BBQ sauce on a pizza crust then top with pulled pork, Mexican cheese blend, and bake. Top with minced fresh cilantro and red onion before serving.
BBQ Pork Quesadillas: swap the chicken for pulled pork in my BBQ Chicken Quesadillas.
Cuban Quesadillas: layer pulled pork, deli ham, and sliced provolone or swiss cheese on a tortilla then cook in a skillet until crisp. Open up then stuff with pickles and yellow mustard before slicing and serving.
Regular Quesadillas: layer pulled pork and Mexican cheese blend on a tortilla then cook in a skillet until crisp. Serve with salsa verde, and guacamole.
Tacos or Nachos: use pulled pork as the meat inside your tacos, or on top of a platter or nachos.
Enchiladas: swap the chicken for pulled pork in my reader-favorite Enchiladas recipe.
Pulled Pork Hash: add pulled pork to a skillet over medium-high heat with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil then saute until crisp. Top with a runny egg and sliced avocados.

Nutrition