Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

By Margaux Laskey

Updated Nov. 21, 2024

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
8 to 10 hours, plus refrigeration
Rating
4(3,588)
Comments
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If you’ve spent any time on Pinterest or food blogs, you’ve likely come across a recipe for three-ingredient barbecue pulled pork that can be made in the slow cooker. Methods and ingredients vary, but the recipe almost always calls for boneless pork shoulder, some sort of dark cola (usually Dr Pepper or root beer) and barbecue sauce. Dubious? We were too, so we asked the members of our NYT Cooking Community Facebook page if anyone had ever made it and if they liked it. We received more than 150 very opinionated responses. Many readers have come up with their own clever twists, like using coffee or beer in place of cola, adding onions or chipotles, rubbing the meat with a spice blend and searing the meat before cooking. We tried cooking it a few different ways and found we liked this adaptation best. It calls for a few more ingredients and an extra step or two, but it’s got layers of flavor and it’s still mostly fuss-free. (You can find the pressure-cooker version of this recipe here.)

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 1tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1tablespoon onion powder
  • 2teaspoons hot or sweet smoked paprika
  • 2teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
  • 1teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 3 to 4pound boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, trimmed of most of its excess fat
  • 2tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for greasing
  • 1yellow onion, chopped (optional)
  • 1(12-ounce) can dark soda, like Dr Pepper, root beer, cola or birch beer
  • ½ to 1½cups homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce
  • Hot sauce (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

593 calories; 40 grams fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 18 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 35 grams protein; 693 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small bowl, combine the garlic and onion powders, smoked paprika, salt and black pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork. If you have time, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight. If you don’t, no worries; proceed to Step 2.

  2. Step 2

    Lightly grease the crock of a slow cooker. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear the pork until golden brown on all sides, about 2 minutes each side. Add onion, if using, to the slow cooker. Add the pork on top of the onion. Pour soda over the pork and set the slow cooker to low for 6 to 8 hours, until the meat has collapsed and shreds easily.

  3. Step 3

    Drain most of the liquid from the slow cooker and shred the meat directly in the pot. Add about ½ cup of the barbecue sauce and stir to combine. (At this point, if you like crisp bits in your pulled pork, you can spread the shredded pork on a sheet pan and place under a broiler for a couple minutes then return to the slow cooker.) Taste and add more barbecue sauce, hot sauce, salt or pepper, if desired. Serve with soft rolls and extra sauce on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
3,588 user ratings
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Comments

John

Can you use a Dutch oven for this? And if so, how long and at what tempature would you cook it at?

Madeline

I slow-cook my pork shoulder 8-10 hours on low with no searing and no rub--just the pork shoulder and water. The reason I am writing though, is to say that I freeze the pulled cooked pork in portions in zip-lok bags. Then when I need a quick meal, I grab a bag from the freezer, heat it up in some chicken broth, put the pork on a bun, and add some BBQ sauce. Instant meal and so good. Tastes like I just pulled it out of the slow cooker.

marianna

I used a Dutch oven for this and cooked it for 6 hours at 250. It was absolutely delicious. The only change I made was to add a Tablespoon of liquid smoke while it was cooking because I love a smoky flavor. If you think you will reheat during the week I would suggest not putting the full amount of BBQ sauce and saving a little of the left over liquids to use for reheating. This is a keeper recipe! Can’t wait to make again!

NANCY KLEPACKI HARDING

LOVE This! Truly gratified to find a delicious pulled BBQ recipe with minimal effort. We used Dr Pepper for slow cooking. We prefer a sweeter, darker sauce and use KC Masterpiece or Sweet Baby Rays. Fans of North Carolina “Q” might want to go with a vinegar based sauce. We go somewhere between “sloppy” wet and the drier, vinegar-dry consistency. We want a good wet sauce but not so wet and soaked that the bun falls apart. Sweet, finely-chopped slaw with red cabbage, carrots and onion in a white mayo base (Duke’s fans, here). We served this with white sweet corn, Bush’s Applewood Bacon BBQ beans and Cheerwine on ice.

NANCY KLEPACKI HARDING

We are considering a mix next time of half pork and half boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a pork shoulder or loin - or Boston Butt and boneless, skinless chicken breast for a moist but not dry BBQ.

joe

There is only one way to make barbecue pork - smoking. Whether using a device specifically made for smoking (pellet, electric, gas) or a charcoal grill, the ingredients of external heat and smoking wood (hickory or oak) are what make it BBQ. Period. All else is imitation.

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