American
Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pork Shoulder
Pork shoulder braises in apple cider, onion, and mustard until shreddable. The sweet-savory juices make a simple pan sauce for mashed potatoes or rolls.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 8 hr
- Total
- 8 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
Photo: Chuck.falzone (CC BY). Source
Why you’ll love it
- Cider tenderizes and lightly sweetens the meat.
- Shoulder stays juicy through a long cook.
- Shreds easily for sandwiches or bowls.
- Mustard keeps the sauce from tasting one-note sweet.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
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Instructions
- 1
Season pork all over with salt, pepper, and thyme.
- 2
Place onion and garlic in the slow cooker and set pork on top.
- 3
Whisk apple cider, Dijon, and vinegar, then pour around the pork.
- 4
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until pork shreds easily with forks.
- 5
Transfer pork to a board and shred, discarding large fat pieces.
- 6
Skim fat from juices, whisk cornstarch with cold water, stir into juices, and cook on high 10 minutes to thicken.
- 7
Return shredded pork to the sauce and toss to coat.
Pro tips
- Use fresh apple cider, not hard cider or vinegar-heavy juice.
- Trim only the thickest exterior fat so the meat stays moist.
- Leftover meat freezes well in its sauce.
Easy substitutions
- pork shoulder
- pork butt of the same weight
- apple cider
- unsweetened apple juice plus 1 tsp vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- whole-grain mustard
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 2 months.
Reheating
Warm covered on the stove or in a 325°F oven with a splash of cider.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 380
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Moderate · Slow Cooker · High Protein
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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