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.
Cooking recipes low and slow in the Crock Pot is an easiest ways to get dinner on the table. One of the many reasons we love recipes like Crock Pot Whole Chicken, Crock Pot Marinara Sauce, and Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie. See all of our Slow Cooker Recipes here.
Or try our Instant Pot Pulled Pork instead.
“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
- 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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- Step-by-Step instructions & video tutorial
- Serving suggestions & dietary substitutions & more
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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.
Katie says
My husband made this at the firehouse for 10 men. He used a 9# pork butt roast. There was only a small container left. All the men said my husband could make it again.
Carla from Thriving Home says
I’ve heard firemen are good cooks, so they wouldn’t say they’d eat it again unless they liked it. 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Katie.
Linda says
Flavor was delicious! Question on crockpot cooking – I cooked it on low for 6 hours and it came out very tough. Does this mean it was over cooked or should I have kept it in longer? Thermometer was saying it was cooked so assuming this just means my crockpot cooks quickly. TIA!
Carla from Thriving Home says
Hi Linda! Glad you enjoyed the flavor. Using a meat thermometer for doneness with a tough cut like pork shoulder or beef chuck roast doesn’t work. Although the temp will say it’s done, you have to slow cook it (on low) until it shreds easily. Hope that helps!
Corinne Crockett says
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.
Carla from Thriving Home says
Thanks Corinne!
tessa ellis says
fantastic! thank you
Carla from Thriving Home says
You are welcome Tessa! Thank you for leaving a review.
Mandi says
I made this for the first time last night for a group of 14. It was idiot-proof and delicious! I also made the 5-ingredient slaw which was also a HUGE hit (no leftovers!) and super easy!
Carla from Thriving Home says
Terrific news Mandi. Thank you so much for taking time to leave a review.
Kat says
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. Thank you for sharing this!!!
Rachel Tiemeyer says
Hi Kat. Really thankful to hear this was a winner for you. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback!
Bas says
Yes Yes Yes on all fronts. If you need to feed a large crowd then this is the go to. Trust me, use the BBQ sauce from this recipe… whole different level. Thank you great recipe
Rachel Tiemeyer says
Thanks for the feedback! We’re so glad you like this recipe, and we agree that the BBQ sauce is a game changer. 🙂
Rachel Tiemeyer says
Thanks for taking the time to leave some feedback. Yep, great one for a crowd and our BBQ sauce is the way to go (but I’m partial, lol).
Norma says
Just made this. Pork butt roast, nearly 5 pounds. The smallest they had. I used 1.5 cups of BBQ sauce and cut the roast into 5 pieces. Cooked it on low for 9 hours, stirring occasionally to get all the pieces under the liquid. It was done perfectly and just fell apart. This was the easiest “recipe” I’ve ever followed. This is going in my rotation from now on! Delicious AND easy! win win!!
Rachel Tiemeyer says
Awesome! Love that it worked out so well for you, even with the super large roast. Pork butt works get in the slow cooker. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review.
Meagan says
I read a lot of people saying to not put in any liquid as it makes it’s own… thoughts?
Kristi Adams says
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.
Sharon says
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?
Polly says
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!
sabrena says
How long will it take to cook a 5 1/2 lb. roast
Tracy says
Please post cooking times for a larger roast.
Also, did you a whole bone-in pork roast?
Jen says
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.
Rachel says
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!
Megan says
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.
Rachel says
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.