Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Okay real talk as a Kansas City mom: dinner needs to be delicious and actually doable on a weeknight. This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork has become a total staple in our house. Fall-apart tender slow cooker pulled pork with a tangy Carolina-style BBQ sauce. And honestly it is so much better than anything I could order out.

Why You’ll Love This

• Ready in 8 hrs with mostly pantry staples
• The whole family devours it every single time
• Great for meal prep and leftovers taste amazing the next day
• Simple enough for a Tuesday but special enough for company

Ingredients

• Pork shoulder
• Apple cider vinegar
• Brown sugar
• Paprika
• Garlic powder
• Onion

How to Make It

Gather all your ingredients and prep your workspace. I always do a quick mise en place because it makes everything smoother. Follow the recipe card below for the full step-by-step instructions with exact measurements and timing.

What You’ll Need

A few tools make this so much easier: slow cooker liner bags. These are my actual go-tos in my KC kitchen.

This is one of those recipes I come back to again and again. If you make it let me know in the comments how it turned out!

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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pork shoulder rubbed with paprika and brown sugar and left alone in the slow cooker all day until it falls apart with a fork. Feeds a crowd for very little effort.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 hours hrs

Total Time 8 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 10 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: BBQ

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 lbs pork shoulder boneless
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup chicken broth

Method

 

1. Mix the paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper and rub it all over the pork shoulder.
2. Spread the onion slices across the bottom of the slow cooker and set the pork on top.
3. Pour the apple cider vinegar and chicken broth around the sides.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, until the meat gives no resistance to a fork.
5. Lift the pork out and shred it with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat.
6. Skim the fat from the cooking liquid, then moisten the shredded pork with a cup or so of it before serving.

Notes

Skim the fat off the cooking liquid, then pour some of it back over the shredded meat so it stays juicy. Freezes beautifully in portions.