I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! We certainly did. It was pretty amazing and I’m going to write a little more on that later this week. But today, since everybody is really tired of turkey, I’m going to share my method of cooking pulled pork.
You know what pulled pork is, right? Yep, it’s just a slow cooked pork roast that has been pulled into shreds and mixed with barbecue sauce. Sounds really simple because it is! And if you have a slow cooker, it’s almost child’s play. Just pop that big old roast in the cooker, set it and forget it. You could start this before you leave for work and have dinner nearly ready when you walk back in the door. It’s also great on a busy Saturday when you have lots of errands to run. It’s great for no special reason at all…just because you want some pulled pork :-)
3-4 lb. pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt)
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
¼ cup water
1 cup barbecue sauce
You’ll want a three to four pound pork shoulder (or Boston Butt) roast for this. The bottom side of the roast will have a cap of fat all over it – don’t remove that, it gives the pork some great flavor and keeps it from drying out while you cook it. Put the pork roast into the slow cooker with the fatty side up then as it cooks the fat will drip down basting the roast all during the cooking.
Sprinkle the roast liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add just 1/4 cup of water around the roast. Cover and cook for 7 hours.
Remove the roast from the cooker and discard the visible pieces of fat.
Pour the cooking juices into a fat separator cup and set it aside while you pull the pork.
Using two forks, “pull” the pork into shreds.
Return the pulled meat to the cooker along with the de-fatted cooking juices and barbecue sauce. Cook for an additional hour.
Serve on toasted buns and enjoy!
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 3-4 lb. pork shoulder roast (Boston Butt)
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- ¼ cup water
- 1 cup barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Put the pork roast into the slow cooker with the fatty side up.
- Sprinkle the roast liberally with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Add just 1/4 cup of water around the roast. Cover and cook for 7 hours.
- Remove the roast from the cooker and discard the visible pieces of fat.
- Pour the cooking juices into a fat separator cup and set it aside while you pull the pork.
- Using two forks, “pull” the pork into shreds.
- Return the pulled meat to the cooker along with the de-fatted cooking juices and barbecue sauce. Cook for an additional hour.
- Serve on toasted buns.
Notes
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Other Pulled Pork recipes you might enjoy from around the Internet:
- Perfect Pulled Pork from Kevin and Amanda
- An explanation of Pulled Pork from About.com
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on Baking Bites
- Carolina Style Pulled Pork from use real butter
Happier Than A Pig in Mud says
atLooks great! That’s how I like it too, maybe just a splash of vinegar-dinner is served:@)
Lana says
atWhat’s great about this kind of recipe is that you can add spices and seasonings to suit your personal tastes. Add a little vinegar, use a different sauce…whatever you like!
Cheri says
atThanx for this recipe … Got my shoulder roast in the crock pot as we speak.
Lana Stuart says
atI really hope you enjoy it, Cheri!
carrie says
atit doesnt say cook on high or cook on low? any one?
Lana Stuart says
atIt depends somewhat on your brand of slow cooker, but I cook it on low for 7 hours with one additional hour in the slow cooker after pulling.
Cookin' Canuck says
atThere is nothing better than knowing that there is a pork roast cooking in the crockpot, ready to full apart and eat by dinner time. Perfect recipe for these cold evenings.
Lana says
atIsn’t it nice to come home to something ready in the slow cooker after a long, cold day?
HoneyB says
atThis looks delish! I will have to make something similar (Grumpy has stopped eating pork!) I love your recipe!
Lana says
atThanks, Shelby! You could also use this same recipe with boneless, skinless chicken to make pulled bbq chicken.
Barbara @ Modern Comfort Food says
atPulled pork is one of my all-time favorite main courses, but I’m embarrassed to say I’ve never actually cooked it. Rather, I always buy it as take-out from my favorite local smokehouse. You’ve really inspired me here to get with the program, finally buy a crock pot, and make it myself. Many thanks for this excellent recipe, Lana!
Lana says
atYou’re quite welcome, Barbara. Hope you’ll give it a try!
Liz @ Blog is the New Black says
atLove the simplicity of this recipe. This is a favorite in my household- need to make it soon!
Lana says
atHi Liz – Hope you will make it and your family enjoys it as much as ours!
Big Boys Oven says
atlovely and awesome, I love the way the pork being pulled gorgeous! :)
Drick says
atpulled pork is a southern tradition and anyone with a drawl in their gabble ought to have a handful of great recipes just like this one….
Lana says
atWell, well. Proof that great minds really do think alike :-) Had no idea you’d just posted pulled pork yesterday! Love your combination of spices.
Chris says
atlooks pretty darn tasty! I would loke to sink my teeth into some of that right this instant. Can you make that happen, please?
Lana says
atMeet you halfway between here and there with a couple of sandwiches :-)
Jennifer @ Jane Deere says
atThis looks delicious…and so simple! I love slow cooker recipes!
Suzanne says
atMy favorite BBQ meal is pulled pork. This looks delicious! And I love the ease and peace of mind using my slow cooker. Excellent!!
Mary at Deep South Dish says
atOne of my favorites too for sure!
Lana says
atIt’s a favorite at our house, too! Thanks for stopping by, Mary.
SMITH BITES says
atit’s not lunchtime yet Lana but boy howdy, do i want one of those!!!
Lana says
atWish I could wrap one up and transport it right over to you, Debra! Did you want chips and a pickle with that?
Tien says
atHi,
Do you have a favorite BBQ sauce? The sandwich looks delicious. :) -Tien
Lana says
atHi Tien. I use only my homemade barbecue sauce. Most of the commercial ones are just too sweet for me.
Miss P says
atOkay, here’s a hint, I need one of those fat separator cups for Christmas. Of course, if you could manage a way to separate fat from my thighs, that would be better…….
Miss P
Lana says
atIf I could work out how to keep the fat off our thighs, I’d be a wealthy woman.
Amanda says
atSounds marvelous! I make mine in the slow cooker too :)
Doula says
atThis really looks fabulous! I’m gonna see if I can adapt it for the pressure cooker as my Doula work can be pretty irregular and it can be a quick fix for a healthy and delicious meal! :)
Azgrannie3 says
atWonderful, Fast, and Easy recipe!!!
I just bought the new 1 1/2 qt slow cooker from Proctor Silex and had to try this recipe. I live alone so the mini slow cooker is perfect for me and this new one is wonderful. It has 3 heat selections and has everything the large 6 qt cooker has. Actually, it’s better than my large cooker. Anyway, I had a pork roast in the freezer that I had cut in half before I froze it and wanted to try this recipe so I thawed a piece of the pork roast and seasoned it (without the garlic) and put it in the cooker with the 1/4 c. water. Checked it after about 5 hrs and the thermometer said was Med/Rare so I left it in about 4 more hours. It was wonderful. It tasted so good I didn’t add the BBQ sauce to the shredded pork. I did add it to the meat that I made the sandwich with. I cooked it on low the whole time. I love this recipe, it is so easy to make. Most recipes have 42 ingredients and forever on prep time. The only time spent here was waiting for the roast to thaw. I didn’t do the fat separator thing either, but my roast was so small it hardly had any fat on it.
christine says
atHi. Looks yummy! Do you cook it on low or high for 7 hours? Thanks!
Lana says
atChristine – it really depends on your slow cooker. Some have lots of settings and some just have high and low. The cooking temps really vary from brand to brand. I’d start it out on high and check after about three hours or so. If you feel it’s cooking too quickly, turn it on down some. It’s just one of those things you have to use your own judgment and knowledge of your slow cooker.
christine says
atThanks!
Jeanne says
atMeat is sitting on the counter ready to pot in the crock pot before I go to bed…Going to try just a low setting…Can hardly wait but will try to refrain until dinner, ok maybe lunch…..I love that I don’t have to add lots of ingredients….Thanks, will let you know tomorrow how it turned out…
Lana says
atPlease do! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.
Rock says
atHi Lana. I did a pulled pork thing a couple years ago for the Fire Dept – got rave reviews. Well, Sunday we have last part of a 27 hour training program and I never miss a chance to cook for my guys (and gals) so I had to find a quick and easy recipe. This looks like it! We have our final written test, then a lot of practicals testing on ladder training, so I’m guessing all will have worked up an appetite. We’re in the worst winter in years, and this is NY ski country, so that says a lot, but hot food will mix well with hungry firefighters and the minus double digits in the forecasts. Thanks for the help. Rock at EOFD
Lana Stuart says
atHi Rock! It sounds like the firefighters have a hard day of training coming and they’ll need a good meal after that! This one will definitely fill them up and warm them, too, after all that work. I do hope you and they enjoy it.
Ginger says
atThis is the best pulled pork recipe out there! I took it to work an everyone loved it!
Lana Stuart says
atI’m so glad you liked it! It’s our favorite, too.
Tammt says
atSimply delicious!! And super easy!!! Loved it.
Karra T says
atSo excited !! Today is my fiances bday, and he LOVES pulled pork. My but roast is in slow cooker now :) cant wait until dinner time . thank you for this awesome recipe, my fiance will LOVE it :)
Lana Stuart says
atYou’re welcome, Karra! I hope you both enjoy it.