Crock Pot Pulled Pork
55 CommentsUpdated Jun 02, 2025
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Easy Crock Pot Pulled Pork is one of the most magical things you can make with your slow cooker! Only three ingredients, and you’ll have dinner cooking away.
I believe this recipe was the third recipe on my blog, first published in February 2013. Although it’s one of my oldest recipes, it has stood the test of time. One taste, and you’ll be making this bbq pulled pork every week!
If I have out-of-town guests coming at the last minute, I grab one of these roasts at the store, so I don’t have to worry about dinner.
What You’ll Need
Pork Shoulder Roast: This cut of meat is often called pork butt or Boston Butt.
Barbecue Sauce: We use Sweet Baby Ray’s though any will work great!
Water: This keeps the roast from drying out.
Variations
Spicy– Add a spicy bbq sauce or one minced jalapeno. Or add a 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
Peachy – Add one cup of peach preserves and one tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the recipe at the beginning of cooking.
Beer-Braised – Use beer instead of water for a beer-braised pork butt- be sure everyone on your guest list is okay with added beer. Add a teaspoon of garlic powder and tomato paste for a perfect match with the beer.
Other Additions – Liquid Smoke, diced white onion, brown sugar and a dry rub seasoning are great additions. Make the recipe your own.
Cook’s Notes
The longer pork shoulder cooks in the slow cooker, the better it gets! I’ve even had readers say they’ve cooked it for 12+ hours.
Pulled pork freezes great—just pack it into freezer zip-top bags and freeze for up to three months. Be sure to thaw it in the fridge the day before you need it.
You’ll know it’s done when the pork shreds easily with a fork. Still, let it cook the full time so it’s evenly tender throughout.
I don’t recommend using pork loin for this—it’s too lean and doesn’t make the best pulled pork sandwiches.
Serving ideas
Here are some of our favorite ways to serve BBQ pulled pork—perfect for dinner, leftovers, or your next gathering! 🍽️🔥
- Sandwiches -Make sandwiches out of the bbq pork. You can use hamburger buns or our favorite- sweet Hawaiian buns! They now sell them in large-sized buns. Add a heaping pile of coleslaw on top of each sandwich if desired.
- BBQ quesadilla – Use the pork to fill a quesadilla. Mozzarella cheese is the best with pork and barbecue sauce. Great for using up that leftover pork.
- Cornbread Topping – We LOVE adding pulled pork on top of cornbread, it’s such a comforting meal. Also add sour cream, onion and cilantro for even more flavor.
- Add Side Dishes – We love to fire up our extra crock pots and also make Crockpot Mac and Cheese, Crockpot Collard Greens and Crockpot Baked Beans.
Featured Comment
“It turned out absolutely fantastic, thanks so much!”
– reyas
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 lb. pork shoulder or butt, (or any size (smaller) will work with this recipe!)
- 1 cup Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce, (plus more for serving)
- 1 cup water
For serving (if making sandwiches):
- King's brand sweet Hawaiian buns or rolls, (regular buns work great too)
- coleslaw kit, (optional)
- barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Remove the pork from the wrapper and add to the slow cooker. Add the barbecue sauce over the pork.
- Add 1 cup water around the roast.
- Cook on low for 10 hours or on HIGH for 7-8 hours (you can get away with a little less time if your roast is very small)
- Remove the roast to a plate or a rimmed cookie sheet if it is very large. (Keep about a cup of juices from the roast in the slow cooker)
- Shred the pork with 2 forks, discard any fat. Add the shredded meat to the slow cooker with reserved juices.
- Serve the shredded pork on buns with additional barbecue sauce and coleslaw if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More Slow Cooker Pork Recipes
Crockpot Ribs are a classic, fall-off-the-bone favorite made easy with smoky seasoning and barbecue sauce.
Slow Cooker Kalua Pig brings tender, smoky island flavor with minimal ingredients, perfect for a no-fuss dinner.
For a sweet and tangy twist, try Root Beer Pulled Pork, Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork, or Beer Pulled Pork—each one brings its own bold flavor to the table.
If you’re looking for a creative way to serve pulled pork, Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are a hearty, flavorful option that’s anything but ordinary.
Great meal. Easy to make.
I will be trying this recipe today! I’m so excited! Thank you so much for posting simple & easy great tasting recipes!!!!
I don’t use any pork – can this be made using chicken breasts?
Yes, but do add some seasonings to it.
Outstanding Flavor ! A SURE KEEPER!
When do you add the 1 cup of bbq sauce?
At the beginning, thank you!
When do you add the barbecue sauce?
At the beginning, thank you. I added it.
When I click print, the instructions don’t include to add bbq sauce to pork roast in the beginning.
The pork juices are good, take out h pork and shred….add bbq sauce to the juices and drizzle over the pork before you put on the Cole slaw….you can defat the juices by freezing for a while ….skim the fat and add bbq sauce. I hat up the sauce until I get the right consistency…..delicious either way!
Lindy, thank you so much for posting this on your blog! I’m glad you liked it! 🙂
You can use any barbecue sauce for this recipe. I do it all the time. It’s one of m;y favorites.
Can you use Pork tenderloin? Or won’t they fall apart or shred??
It would work good and shred well. The tenderloin has less fat than the pork shoulder, so the flavor may be different.
I make this so often I have done it for over 57 years. What I do I add lots of onion sliced onion in it I use beef or chicken broth instead of water it gives it more flavor I also before I even put it in the slow cooker or in a pan for your oven I brown mine on the stove with a little bit of e d o o l in it and get it kind of crispy or instead of using that you can put it on the barbecue and see red on all sides yum. Then I put it in the Crock-Pot and I cook it all night long on low my house smells amazing. I get up and I take it out the pork roast and take out any fat then I put it back in and I shred it with my hands because it is so tender you don’t need to Forks it just feels right to shred it with my fingers so that I can make sure I feel all that fat that I don’t want in it then I add barbecue thoughts. It is absolutely delicious I tell you though if you want to take a little bit of pork out and get more than one meal out of it you can make carnitas with that pork before barbecue sauce and put hot sauce in it yummy the right good cooking everybody
They didn’t have crock pot 57yr ago. What is e d o o l? EVO? recipe looks good, already cooked my pork roast in the oven and now am shredding pork after pork roast dinner with roasted veg’s, then mashed potatoes and pork roast in gravy and today pulled pork and Cole slaw.
FYI—Crock pot was invented in 1938. My mother had one made by Rival in the 1960’s and used it all the time.
This looks so good. I really want to try this