Slow Cooker Pulled Pork {Freezer Meal}
This freezer friendly slow cooker pulled pork recipe is a cinch to make when you whip it up in the crockpot. Great dump and go freezer meal. Also a great meal for a crowd.
Why We Love Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Ever since I learned how to make pulled pork in the crock pot, it has been a regular around our house. It’s SUPER easy, freezes beautifully, and makes a lot of servings. Since we used rolls to turn the last batch into pulled pork sandwiches, it was enough to feed 10+ people! A butcher will tell you to plan for 1/2 pound per person but I find that to be pretty generous. I guess it just depends on the appetites of those you are feeding.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
This crock pot pulled pork recipe is hard to screw up. Simply plop the chunk of meat in the crock pot with some broth or water, wait, stir it up with some BBQ sauce and you’re done!
To be more specific, buy a pork butt roast from the store. Mine was about 2.5 pounds.
Add 1 cup of water to a 6 quart slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours or until meat easily shreds apart.
Drain the water out of the crock pot.
Add about half a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce or make our Killer Homemade BBQ Sauce.
Now with two forks, start pulling apart and shredding the meat while mixing the BBQ sauce in. It should pull apart very easily.
How to Serve Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
My favorite way to eat it is as a sandwich on our homemade wheat roll recipe, or if you want to go gluten-free, eat it without a bun. I serve it with more Killer Homemade BBQ Sauce on the side. Some side dishes that go well with Slow Cooker Pulled Pork are:
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Into a Freezer Meal
To make this recipe into a freezer meal, you have two options for freezing it:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Simply place the uncooked pork and broth into a freezer bag and seal. Place the BBQ sauce in a separate freezer bag and freeze together.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the pork. Drain the liquid off, shred, and stir in the BBQ sauce. Once the meal is cool, place in an air-tight freezer bag or container. Freeze in smaller portions, if desired, or as one big freezer meal.
To prepare this meal from frozen, you also have two options:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Thaw the pork using one of these thawing methods.. Then, follow cooking instructions below.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Thaw the pork using one of these thawing methods. Warm up using low heat on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the microwave in short increments.
This is a great recipe to stock up on when pork goes on sale! Such an easy freezer meal!
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
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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 pork butt roast (mine was 2.5 pounds) (here is where we buy our pork from)
- 1 cup beef broth
- 2 cups store-bought or Homemade BBQ sauce, plus more on the side
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Put pork and beef broth into a 6 quart slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8-10 hours, until the pork shreds easily.
- Drain the excess liquid out of the slow cooker. Using two forks, shred the meat.
- Gently stir in the BBQ sauce. Serve warm on buns or by itself with extra sauce on the side.
Freeze For Later:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Simply place the uncooked pork and broth into a freezer bag and seal. Place the BBQ sauce in a separate freezer bag and freeze together.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Fully cook the pork. Drain the liquid off, shred, and stir in the BBQ sauce. Once the meal is cool, place in an air-tight freezer bag or container. Freeze in smaller portions, if desired, or as one big freezer meal.
Prepare From Frozen:
Method 1 (Uncooked): Thaw the pork using one of these thawing methods.. Then, follow cooking instructions below.
Method 2 (Fully Cooked): Thaw the pork using one of these thawing methods. Warm up using low heat on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or in the microwave in short increments.
Make sure to check out our 101 Real Food Slow Cooker Freezer Meals!
I read a lot of people saying to not put in any liquid as it makes it’s own… thoughts?
From my experience, you will have to put some liquid in there because the heat from the heating element will make the bottom really hot and burn the meat and make it stick.
★★★★★
I’m looking for a freezer make head recipe for pulled pork. Could I make this as stated and then freeze? Then heat the thawed casserole dish in the oven for about 30 minutes and serve on rolls? I’m thinking if I add water to the dish before heating in oven it will not dry out. Any suggestions?
Yep! We reheat it all the time. I’d just reheat it at a low temp like 300-350 and let it take its time. Never had a problem with it drying out!
How long will it take to cook a 5 1/2 lb. roast
Please post cooking times for a larger roast.
Also, did you a whole bone-in pork roast?
I cooked a larger roast (3.5lb) and 5 hours on low was not long enough FYI. It didn’t pull apart when I went to do that part. Leaving it in longer now to see how it goes.
Thanks for the feedback, Jen. I agree, 5 hours probably isn’t enough for a roast that large. We’ll adjust the recipe to reflect varying roast sizes. Sorry it didn’t work as planned for you today!
How do you recommend freezing and reheating this dish? We love pulled pork, but unfortunately a good bit goes to waste because my husband and I can’t eat it all.
Oh yes, be sure to freeze what is left. Just wrap it up tight in some foil and stick in a freezer bag and label it with the name and date. It’s easy to reheat in the microwave on the defrost setting or in the fridge overnight and then on the stove top over low. Add a little extra BBQ sauce and/or maybe a little water when you reheat to add in some moisture, though.