American
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder and a homemade ketchup barbecue sauce cook until the meat shreds. The sauce is on the pork from the start, and you leave the lid closed so the cooker can stay hot.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 8 hr
- Total
- 8 hr 15 min
- Servings
- 8
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Shoulder is the cut that shreds.
- The sauce is ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar, so you can see what is in it.
- Low for the day, or high if you started late.
- It feeds eight from one roast.
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.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $14–$20 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Cut the pork into 4 chunks so it fits and heats evenly. Season with the salt, pepper, and paprika.
- 2
Scatter the onion in the slow cooker. Set the pork on top.
- 3
Stir the ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, and garlic powder. Pour that over the pork.
- 4
Cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. Leave the lid on. Opening it adds time.
- 5
The pork should shred with a fork and the thickest chunk should be at least 195°F so the collagen has softened. If it resists the fork, cook 45 minutes more.
- 6
Shred in the pot and stir the pork through the sauce. If the sauce is thin, cook uncovered on high for 20 minutes.
Pro tips
- 195°F and a easy shred matter more than the clock. A dense shoulder can need the extra 45 minutes.
- Trim only the huge fat caps. Some fat keeps it moist.
- This sauce has no Worcestershire, so it stays gluten-free as written.
Easy substitutions
- Brown sugar
- Honey, same amount
- Ketchup
- Tomato paste mixed with 1/2 cup water, and add salt
- Pork shoulder
- Pork butt, same method
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.
Reheating
Warm covered on low in the slow cooker for about 1 hour, or in a covered skillet with a splash of water until hot.
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
- 0 g
Budget friendly · Slow Cooker · Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Lower-Carb, 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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