Slow cooker pulled pork

This slow cooker pulled pork is a versatile dish that can be used for a variety of meals. Make it plain, drenched in sauce or spiced with your favourite flavours; the choice is yours.

Using a slow cooker makes the process super easy. Simply add a pork joint, set a timer and wait. Then, when the pork is perfectly tender and practically falls apart on its own, we remove it from the slow cooker and pull it using two forks.

Jump to:

• Why you should use your slow cooker
• What meat should you use for pulled pork?
• How to cook pulled pork in a slow cooker
• Sauces & seasoning
• What to eat pulled pork with
• The best tips for perfect slow cooker pulled pork
• Make pulled pork without pork
• Leftovers
• More meaty meals:
• Recipe

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Why you should use your slow cooker

Pulled pork has always been tricky. Make it in the oven, and you risk overbaking it and burning the outside fast. Boiled or on the stove top, and you face the same problems. Since I tried preparing it in the slow cooker, I have always stuck to this method simply because it's the best way of making it. Here are the reasons why:

• You can leave it for hours. Put your slow cooker on high, and the pulled pork can be done in 2 hours. On low you can leave it there for 4-12 hours. This is perfect if you're not quite sure when you'll be ready to eat. It's also great for busy weeknights, as you could put dinner on in the morning, and remove the cooked pork from the slow cooker when you feel like it in the afternoon.
• It's (almost) impossible to mess up! You don't have to worry about watching it in case it burns; just place the pork in the slow cooker and wait.
• Perfect fall-apart tender meat every time. As long as you use a decent quality pork joint, it will be tender and delicious and everything that's right in the world.

What meat should you use for pulled pork?

You want to use a pork joint to make pulled pork. Pork leg or pork shoulder joints are the most commonly used. When preparing the meat, we remove the majority of the fat along with the rind. It's therefore more practical to get a cut of meat that has no rind, or that has little fat.

How to cook pulled pork in a slow cooker

Prepare your pork joint first. Remove the rind (if any is present), along with any large chunks of fat, using a sharp knife. Work carefully! The rind and fat are white in colour, and the meat is the pink bits.

Pour a tiny bit of liquid at the bottom of your slow cooker. I typically just put about half a cup of water. The point is to cover the bottom so the pork joint won't stick and burn. Don't worry too much about the exact amount. Then, add the pork joint, place the lid on top and cook for 2-8 hours on high, or 4-12 hours on low setting.

Use a meat thermometer to make sure that the meat has cooked through. Pork is only safe to eat after it has reached an internal temperature of 70°C / 160°F. Remove the cooked pork from the slow cooker, and use two forks or pulled pork claws to shred the meat. Serve immediately, or use it in your recipe of choice. I prefer to add a sauce or some seasoning to the pulled pork, as unseasoned pork is quite bland and boring. See Sauces & seasoning for ideas on how to serve it.

Sauces & seasoning

Pulled pork is very plain by itself, and it's highly recommended that you add a sauce or seasoning to give it some flavour. This base recipe works with many flavour combinations. Here are some of my favourites:

• BBQ pulled pork: Add BBQ sauce to the slow cooker as you cook the pork. Remove the cooked pork, and pull it using forks as the recipe describes. Then, add more BBQ sauce to the pulled pork and make sure to coat it evenly. BBQ pulled pork is perfect for a potluck, or served in rolls or sandwiches.
• Taco pulled pork: After pulling the plain pork, add taco seasoning. Classic Mexican pork carnitas also requires a few extra steps. Serve taco pulled pork as traditional tacos, or use it in quesedillas.
• Honey glazed pulled pork: Cover the pork in honey while it cooks, and then add some more honey after shredding the meat. This will give the pork a lovely, sweet, glazed flavour. Use it in sandwiches, or serve it with picnic side dishes like coleslaw.
• Root beer pulled pork: Cook the pork covered in root beer. This will give the pulled pork a sweet hint of root beer. You could also add both root beer and BBQ sauce for a sweeter version of BBQ puleed pork.

What to eat pulled pork with

There are many ways to make pulled pork, and many uses for the meat. I like to add stir in some BBQ sauce and use it as a sandwich filling for a quick and easy meal. You can also make pulled pork tacos or a pulled pork casserole.

I like to add leftover pulled pork to wraps or salads for quick lunches. It's also great for adding to soups or chili.

The best tips for perfect slow cooker pulled pork

• Always add a little liquid at the bottom of the slow cooker. This will just prevent the pork joint from sticking and burning. Don't worry about covering the pork, as it will create a lot of moisture on its own.
• Pulled pork can be left in the slow cooker for a long time, but be sure not to overcook it. It typically gets more tender by the hour, but if it overcooks it becomes dry and unpleasant to eat.
• When cooking fat in the slow cooker, it becomes mushy and almost gelatinous. Try to remove as much of the fat as possible before placing the pork in the slow cooker to improve the consistency and flavour of the meat.
• Always add seasoning or sauces to the pulled pork, or it won't taste like much. See the Sauces & Seasoning section for ideas.
• Avoid opening the lid to look at your pork. This is the golden rule of slow cooking. Opening the lid means you let out a lot of the heat, and can set the cook time back by quite a lot.

Make pulled pork without pork

Pork is, as the name suggests, a pretty important part of pulled pork. However you can use the idea of pulling meat for any type of meat. You can pull chicken, beef or lamb as well, and use it in place of pulled pork in many recipes.

This is perfect if you're avoiding pork, or you simply happen to have a different type of meat at hand.

Leftovers

Leftover pulled pork can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days, or it can be frozen for up to 6 months. As pork joints can be quite large, freezing leftovers for meals later on can be a good idea to avoid food waste.

To use frozen leftovers, thaw it in the fridge overnight, then add it to your favourite dishes, or reheat it until piping hot before serving.

More meaty meals:

• Slow cooker gammon in coke
• Honey glazed roast chicken
• Crockpot bbq chicken
• Perfect pan seared pork loin steaks

Recipe