Crock Pot Pulled Pork
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With only 5 ingredients, this Crock Pot Pulled Pork recipe will become a regular weeknight meal in your home. Not only does the Crock Pot cook the pork to perfection but it can be prepped in minutes or prepped as a Crockpot freezer meal.
“Super easy and delicious recipe! It is a crowd pleaser. The homemade bbq sauce is amazing, simple and makes the pulled pork that much better.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – Kat
Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s EASY! Simply season the pork and cook it in the crock pot with Homemade BBQ Sauce (or whatever your favorite store-bought brand is).
- It’s freezer-friendly. Slow cooker pulled pork is a great recipe to double and freeze. You can also fully cook it and freeze it in small portions.
- It feeds a lot of people. When served on buns, this recipe can easily feed 10+ people. Here are 25+ Slow Cooker Recipes for a Crowd if you want more ideas.
- It’s a Dump & Go Recipe. We know people love those!
- It can also be made in the Instant Pot or Smoker!
Ingredients Needed
The ingredients for Crock Pot Pulled Pork are SO simple! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Salt & pepper
- 1, 3-4 lb. pork shoulder (also known as Boston butt)
- BBQ sauce (Here is our homemade recipe.)
How Long Do I Cook Pork Shoulder in the Slow Cooker?
After testing hundreds of recipes for our slow cooker cookbook, From Freezer to Cooker, we found that cooking a 3-4 pound pork shoulder should take 7-9 hours depending on your slow cooker.
Pro-Tip
Oftentimes, people take the pork out too early because it appears to be tough and dry.
However, the pork needs lots of time to break down the fibers holding the meat together. When cooked correctly, pork in the slow cooker should be tender and juicy.
Side Dish Ideas
Wondering what to serve with pulled pork? Try one of these winner side dishes.
Can I Freeze Pulled Pork?
YES! Like so many of our freezer meal recipes, BBQ Pulled Pork works great as a make-ahead freezer meal. To make this recipe into a freezer meal, follow these instructions:
Freeze for later: Follow steps 1 and 2. Place the seasoned pork and 1 cup of the BBQ sauce in a gallon-size freezer bag or round container. Seal and freeze. Place the remaining 1/2 cup BBQ sauce in a small freezer bag or container and the buns in a separate freezer bag. Seal and freeze them alongside the pork.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw. Place the pork in the slow cooker. Follow steps 4 through 6.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, a bone-in pork shoulder or pork butt will work fine.
Yep! Just add additional cooking time.
Any BBQ sauce will work! That is the beauty of this recipe. You can customize it to your liking.
If it’s already cooked, divide it up into small portions and freeze in an airtight container. It’s easy to reheat in the microwave on the defrost setting. Add a little extra BBQ sauce and/or maybe a little water when you reheat to add some moisture if you want.
We recommend safely thawing the pork completely before cooking it in a slow cooker. Cooking frozen meat in a slow cooker can lead to uneven cooking and may result in food safety concerns.
The pulled pork is done when it easily shreds apart with a fork. The meat should be tender and moist. You can also use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature, which should reach around 195-205°F (90-96°C) for pulled pork.
Make 6 Dump-and-Go Freezer Meals in 1 Hour!
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Crock Pot Pulled Pork
This pulled pork recipe is a cinch to make when you whip it up in the crockpot. Add some BBQ sauce and your dinner is done!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 (3- to 4-pound) pork shoulder (also known as Boston butt), trimmed
- 1 1/2 cups BBQ sauce, homemade or your favorite all-natural store-bought BBQ sauce
- 8–10 whole wheat hamburger buns, toasted on the insides under the broiler
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels and rub it with the seasoning mix to coat all sides. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Place the seasoned pork in the slow cooker and top with 1 cup of the BBQ sauce.
- Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours or on High for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat easily shreds.
- Transfer the pork to a cutting board and shred the meat. Return the meat to the slow cooker and stir it into the sauce.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to the toasted buns and top with the remaining BBQ sauce as desired. Serve.
Freeze For Later:
Follow steps 1 and 2. Place the seasoned pork and 1 cup of the BBQ sauce in a gallon-size freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze. Place the remaining 1/2 cup BBQ sauce in a small freezer bag or container and the buns in a separate freezer bag. Seal and freeze them alongside the pork.
Prepare From Frozen:
Thaw. Place the pork in the slow cooker. Follow steps 4 through 6.
Notes/Tips
- Oftentimes, people take the pork out too early because it appears to be tough and dry. However, the pork needs lots of time to break down the fibers holding the meat together. When cooked correctly, pork in the slow cooker should be tender and juicy.
- Storage Tip: A great way to store this freezer meal or leftovers is in our favorite reusable freezer bags.
- Where We Get Our Pork: We get our meat from ButcherBox. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like pork, uncured bacon, organic chicken, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
Such a easy and yummy recipe! I’ve been making this a lot during the summer and I love being able to feed my family a delicious meal without heating up the whole house.
★★★★★
Thanks Corinne!
fantastic! thank you
You are welcome Tessa! Thank you for leaving a review.