Looking for a simple yet flavorful way to cook pork? This slow cooker pulled pork combines a homemade rub with a cheap cut of pork, a pork butt, and cooks it slowly in the Crock-pot for the best pulled pork recipe you ever tasted.
Versatile and freezer-friendly, the pulled pork is delicious on its own, in BBQ sandwiches, or in tacos and burritos. It’s the perfect home cooked meal for busy nights or to deliver as a postpartum meal for friends.
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When you sit down to meal plan, do you crave fun food that is easy to make and prime for the season? Fun food is what we want when we go out to eat or invite folks over, right?
I’ve got you covered for fun as well as delicious frugality with the Best Pulled Pork Recipe you’ve ever made. Trust me!
Why Make This
It’s very make ahead. This slow cooker pork butt recipe can be made in advance so you can go play at the beach, park, or lake — or go to work on a regular day — and not worry about what’s for dinner. Come home to supper all ready to go.
It’s easy. Between being a fantastic filling for tacos or sandwiches and good for eating as a main dish, this pulled pork proves to be a perfect busy night or company dinner. Since the slow cooker does the cooking, you can take it easy either way!
It’s easy on the budget. It’s simple to make a very large batch of this pulled pork, depending on what size roast you buy. Pork butt or shoulder roasts are extremely affordable, so don’t hesitate to stock up when you see a sale.
It’s versatile. The custom spice blend is versatile so that it complements Mexican food (think tacos, burritos, enchiladas) just as well as it does classic barbecue sandwiches. It’s out of this world on Everything Hamburger Buns with this homemade BBQ sauce.
Leftovers can take a new identity the next day without tasting like they’re out of place. Bonus: This pork fits a variety of diets so all your meat eaters can enjoy it.
Ingredients
You don’t need much for this recipe except a pork butt roast and a handful of spices.
Using a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, onion flakes, chile powder, ground cumin, cayenne, and cloves will give your pulled pork great flavor without a lot of work.
All the ingredients are gluten-free, making this a great addition to a Whole 30 meal plan, paleo, and other gf diets. Just be sure to check your chile powder package. Sometimes they add funky stuff to chile powder.
The roasts I buy are huge, making for two meals for our family of 8. I love cooking once and feeding my family multiple times. However, if your roast is significantly less than 8 pounds, use less of the spice mix. Store it in an airtight container in the pantry until you’re ready to make this again.
Trust me, you will want to!
Step-by-Step Instructions
This recipe is super simple.
- Measure out the spices and mix them together.
- Place the roast in the slow cooker and coat it generously with the spice mixture. Cover and cook for 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.
- When the meat is cooked, it will easily shred. You can shred the cooked pork in the slow cooker or remove it to a dish. Simply pull the meat apart with a fork or tongs. Moisten the meat with some of the drippings if you like.
- Serve chunks of meat as a main protein or in sandwiches or tacos.
Make-ahead instructions
This pulled pork will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for about 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, oven, or stovetop before serving.
Freezing Instructions
For longer storage, stash this in the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Just be sure to chill the meat completely before placing in the freezer compartment. This helps it freeze quickly and prevents freezer burn.
I purposely developed the spice mix to go with BBQ as well as Mexican flavors, so the possibilities of how to serve the final product are truly endless. Make a big batch and divided it into meal-size packages to stash in the freezer.
Be sure to watch our video to see how easy it is to make this slow cooker pulled pork.
Serving Suggestions
Use the savory pulled pork in tacos, burritos, taquitos, chimichangas, lettuce wraps, salads, and sandwiches.
We love serving this piled high on a kaiser roll and you can drizzle on some of your favorite barbeque sauce. You can even add a scoop of this Simple Coleslaw Recipe. Or maybe some Homemade Dill Pickles!
Then don’t forget the sides! Macaroni Salad, Easy Mac &Cheese in the Instant Pot, or this Easy Homemade Deli Potato Salad would all make excellent side dishes.
FAQs
By nature, pulled pork needs to be made from a cut of pork that will become tender and basically fall apart after cooking. Pork butt and pork shoulder roasts fit the bill perfectly. These might also be labeled Boston butt or picnic shoulder.
Pork butt and pork shoulder roasts are perfect all year-round. Roasts cook up super well in the slow-cooker which is an ideal tool to use in the summer time as well as in the busy winter months. Not only do they save you from heating up the oven, but they can also sit for awhile cooking dinner while you finish your daily business.
Both cuts are from the shoulder of the pig, but pork butt is just higher up on the foreleg. Generally these are tough, fatty cuts which means they are cheaper in price.
They benefit from a slow cooking method like this recipe that utilizes your crockpot! The slow cooker will help to break down this tough, fatty meat into a juicy pulled pork you will want to pile high on a bun with barbecue sauce.
It is possible to overcook the pork on the high setting. If you are worried about overcooking the pork then I recommend using the low setting.
I don’t bother with browning the meat before putting it in the slow cooker. The long, slow cooking process will break down the meat and create a juicy, shredded pork.
However, that being said, you can by all means brown the meat on all sides before adding it to the slow cooker. Doing so, will just add a bit more flavor.
Surprisingly, no. You don’t need to add water to the roast and spices in the slow cooker. This cut of pork is naturally juicy, and yes, fatty. In just a few minutes it will juice up in the pot. At the end of the cooking time, you should have a decent ½ to 1 cup of drippings. You can use these to moisten the meat, make soup or chili, or discard.
Recipe Costs
Knowing how much it costs you to prepare a recipe can help you decide if it’s the type of recipe to make regularly or one you might want to save for special occasions. Let’s crunch some numbers and see how this recipe pencils out.
- pork butt roast $1.99/lb x 8 pounds = $16
- spices $0.50
When you make an 8-pound pork butt, you should have enough for 24 servings of pulled pork for tacos or sandwich filling. At $16.50/batch, this works out to 69 cents a serving!
Save even more.
Pulled pork is already a very affordable dish, thanks to the fact that pork roast is a cheap cut of meat. However, there are a few other things you can do to lower your costs even more:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When you see a good price on pork roasts, buy a few extra to stash in the freezer for later. You know you’ll use them — especially when you make this pulled pork. Stocking up can save you money.
- Buy spices in bulk. I regularly buy larger containers of spices I use frequently, like pepper, sea salt, garlic powder, and chile powder. I store excess dried herbs and ground spices in the freezer if I know it will be awhile before I go through the large container.
More Great Pork Recipes
Tell us what you think!
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Best Ever Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Equipment
- 7-qt slow cooker
- cooking tongs
- ziptop freezer bags
- redi-tainers
Ingredients
- 8 lb bone-in pork butt or shoulder roast
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon dry onion flakes
- 1 tablespoon chile powder or ground chile
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper or more to taste
Instructions
- Remove the roast from the packaging and place in the bottom of a large slow cooker.8 lb bone-in pork butt or shoulder roast
- In a small bowl combine the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, onion flakes, chile powder, black pepper, cumin, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Spread this all over the roast, turning the meat to coat all sides.1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon dry onion flakes, 1 tablespoon chile powder or ground chile, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- Cook in the slow cooker for 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low. The meat will be so tender that it will easily shred with tongs or two forks. Remove the bones and fat, and shred the meat.
- Serve the meat as a filling for tacos, sandwiches, lettuce wraps, burritos, salads, or taquitos.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on May 26, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Heather
Gonna make this sometime this week. I am soooo excited!!!!??? One question, though, I didn’t realize it was supposed to be bone-in so I bought a boneless because it was cheaper. Is there anything different I should do?
Love your recipes. Thanks for sharing with us all!!
Jessica Fisher
It doesn’t matter at all. No worries. Carry on. 😉
Lisa
I am making this for the 2nd time today because my “picky eater” husband loved it so much the first time I made it. We are going to a New Year’s Eve party and he insisted that I make this so we could share it with our friends. When he likes something this much, trust me, it must be really good!! I also usually freeze the left overs so we can heat-and-eat whenever we want, but I doubt there will be any left overs this time. Thank you so much for sharing this! It is a hit!!!!
Jessica Fisher
Yay!!!! That’s how I feel every time I make it. Like, wow! I made this?! So glad you will rock the party tonight!
Nedra Bryce
I made this today! It turn out delicious! It was my first time making pulled pork. Thank you for the recipe.
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it!
Chris
Best rub ever! I have slaved over making this until now, thanks for sharing! God bless you!
Jessica Fisher
Glad you like it. I used the rub on grilled pork tenderloin this weekend and it was really good that way. If you’ve got leftover rub, use it for grilling.
Annette
What if it has no bones..do I add water or let some of the fat make the juice
Jessica Fisher
I don’t add water because there’s enough fat and juice in conventional pork. I might do something different if I was using organic, but that’s not in the budget at this time.
Alice
I do not like pulled pork with vinegar or barbecue sauce so I decided to try this for a family gathering. It was a huge hit, many comments on how it was the best they’ve ever had! At first I thought all the liquid would make it greasy, but shredding it made it soak in and it was perfectly moist and yummy. Thanks.
Jessica Fisher
SO glad you enjoyed it. I feel the same way about the vinegar and BBQ! #greatminds 😉
Courtney
I just bought my roast today at a organic farmers meat store, it’s frozen. I want to cook it for tonight, have u ever cooked it in your crockpot frozen? Any tips?
Jessica Fisher
It’s generally not recommended to cook a frozen roast because the inside can be at unsafe temperatures for a very long time, allowing bacteria to grow. http://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Slow_Cookers_and_Food_Safety.pdf I would recommend thawing it overnight and cooking it tomorrow.
Patty
Making this for our bible study tonight. It looks and smells awesome! Thanks!!!
Samantha
Hello! I’m making this right now, I am new to cooking and have never used ground cloves. The smell of it is terrible to me, as its cooking it is kind of taking over the smell all together. Now I’m worried I put too much on accident or is that normal? Silly question I know! Lol
Jessica Fisher
There is a distinct odor to cloves, so yes, you would notice it, particularly if you haven’t used it before. I made this this weekend but was out of cloves and I missed that scent. Hopefully, you didn’t put too much. Fingers crossed.
Christina
I made this today and I used too many cloves. That’s all I taste ? I’m super bummed. I think next time I’ll leave the cloves out. It wouldn’t “ruin” the outcome correct?
Jessica Fisher
No, you can omit it. Bummer that it was too much today!
Brenda OHearn
I didn’t have cloves and mine was great! I actually misread the recipe the first time I made it and added a tbsp instead of tsp of cayenne pepper and realized it too late and my family (who likes spicy food) absolutely loved it!! It was just a little spicy but not overwhelming.
Jessica Fisher
Good to know! Thanks for sharing, Brenda!
Kay Ross
Do I divide the seasonings if my roast is only 2 pounds or do I still use the amount listed for an 8 pound roast? Sorry..I’m new to this cooking thing!
Jessica Fisher
Just make 1/4 the batch or just use less if you’ve got a smaller roast.
Shirley Jaques
There is a type-o in the directions – “Cook on low in the slow cooker for 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.” It should read “Cook in the slow cooker for 6 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.”
The recipe was great, I had to restrain myself from adding liquids, but in the end it was moist & had great flavor. I’ll make it again.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the heads up! Glad you enjoyed it!
Margaret Lilley
This came out super dry! We ended up using the leftover meat for enchiladas because it really didn’t stand alone. Followed the directions, so I’m not sure what happened.
Thanks for the lovely post…at least I got some great ideas from you. Love the blog, too!
Jessica Fisher
I am sorry to hear that. It was a pork shoulder? Not all cuts do well with slow cooking. Other thought would be that it cooked too long? Usually this cut is so fatty that it’s always moist. Bummer!
Lisa
I added a little dry vermouth to mine
Jill
I made this overnight last night and I just have to tell you THANK YOU! It is absolutely amazing. It is the best pork I have ever made in the crock pot, hands down. I was skeptical because there was no liquid in the recipe, but I went with it anyway because of the comments. I am so glad I did. It is so good. The spices made kind of a crust on it and it’s just absolutely amazing. My store didn’t have any huge roasts so I bought 3 smaller ones to equal about what your recipe called for. Worked just fine. I tried to pick them up and they just fell apart! The meat is so moist and flavorful and not dry at ALL. Just insanely good. Thank you!
Jessica Fisher
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that you liked it! Good work!
Renee
I’m confused by your hashtags, recipes, and photos.. this and many other look like delicious meals, but are not at all whole 30. Rolls? Tortillas? Cheese… even alot of the ingredient lists, the sunflower oils, dairy etc. Again, I’m sure they’re great recipes, but shouldn’t be labeled or promoted as Whole30. For someone like myself wanting to truly meal plan for 30 days, there are way too many mods needed or things that aren’t w30 approved. just some thoughts.
Jessica Fisher
If I’ve tagged something Whole30, I’ve included modifications either in the headnotes or the recipe itself. The pictures do not always correspond with the modifications. I apologize for the confusion.
Marie
My husband loved this recipe!! So easy to make. I will be making again. Thanks for sharing!
Cheryle
What am I doing wrong? Whenever I make pulled pork in my slow cooker I always end up with lots of grease & meat that is still pink, even though it’s falling apart. If I keep cooking it all of the grease cooks into the meat. I buy the leanest pork shoulder/butt I can & usually it’s boneless. Any tips are appreciated.
Jessica Fisher
I am not sure. I don’t buy the lean stuff, just the cheap stuff. Sorry that happens to you!
Cheryle
Hi Jessica. Mine is cheap too. Believe me, I only buy it when it’s a really good sale. I just pick the leanest they have. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Looking over your comment again. Pink meat is okay if it’s reached a safe temperature. The USDA even lowered the safe level of pork in the last few years. Mine does make a lot of drippings. Thinking about putting it on a rack next time so it doesn’t sit in the drippings? You can make a makeshift rack out of foil if you don’t have one that fits your slow cooker.
jacqi
A bit of fat is natural and helps with flavor and moistness. That said, too much is too much. Every slow cooker is different, but try a higher temp. I do like to add a little liquid to help steam meat and ensure even cooking. I lift the lid just once about three quarters into cooking, when meat is cooked thru but still chewy so that I can flip the meat over and get the top half immersed in some liquid. I like to remove done meat, and skim oil from top of the remaining liquid, then either crank setting up or boil the liquid in pan to reduce or stir in some thickener to cook. Wondra flour, corn flour, mashed potatoes, etc.
Katie
I got a screamin’ deal on a pork butt at Fry’s (Kroger affiliate in Arizona) and am making this for my frozen dinner club. Sometimes I let the recipients do the actual cooking, but since it’s such a large piece of meat, I am going to do the cooking, shred it, and let them just heat-n-eat. I’m contemplating making the homemade buns as well. 🙂
Jessica Fisher
Sounds like a fun club to be in!
Carol
We love pulled pork in our family and use it as a base for a variety of meals as you mentioned. What I would like to know is that a homemade bun in the photo and if so would you share how to make them?
Jessica Fisher
Those are my Everything Burger Buns and the recipe is coming this week! 🙂
Alice E
This looks good. I am new to rubs, but interested in trying them However, I don’t have sea salt and can’t eat black pepper. Would Kosher salt, canning salt or table salt work best? Would you make any other adjustments when leaving out the pepper? Do you think I could use crumbled summer savory leaves? Thanks for any suggestions. I have a couple of pork butt roasts waiting for me in the freezer. Oh, and have you ever tried the leftover pork in chili or with noodles, two of my usual destinations for leftover diced meat?
Jessica Fisher
Kosher salt is good. The other adaptations you mention sound great.
Kat
Do you need any liquid with this recipe? None listed although I realize you’d have condensation and fat from the meat.
Jessica Fisher
I didn’t, but it was swimming in liquid. If you feel like you still want to, you can add 1/4 cup and you’ll be fine.
Heather
You will have plenty of liquid from the meat cooking
Jessica Fisher
Yep.
LeesaB
We love pulled pork in my family, though my husband always smokes it. We then freeze it in 1-lb packages to pull out for quick and easy dinners. Typically chile verde, gumbo, moo shu pork, or bbq sandwiches in my family. I can see how the slow cooker would be great to finish the pork off during the summer if need be, though since he likes to smoke 4-6 butts at a time, that may have to be reserved for those emergency pork needs…
Jessica Fisher
How nice to have a smoker!
Maureen
The pork looks so tender and soft. And it can be really mix and match easily. It also definitely fits variety of diets. Yummy!