Tender & Juicy Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
Most traditional recipes require standing over a hot smoker for hours, but this easy Crock Pot pulled pork recipe takes just 15 minutes of hands-on prep to deliver incredibly tender, melt-in-your-mouth shredded meat. We skip the complicated rubs and heavy, sugary bottled sauces, opting instead for a traditional, vinegar-heavy soak that does all the tough tenderizing work while you sleep!
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Tender & Juicy Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
- Ready In: 735 minutes
- Serves: 8 Sandwiches
- Main Ingredients: Pork roast, Salt, Black pepper, Cider, Vinegar, Brown sugar, Hot sauce, Red pepper flakes
- Why You'll Love It: You’ll love this pork recipe because the slow cooker handles the hard work overnight in a simple, tangy vinegar bath, so you get perfectly tender, juicy pork that avoids the greasy, heavy feel of typical store-bought barbecue.
Pulled Pork That Isn’t Dry or Greasy
Today I’m going to show you how to make the juicy kind of pulled pork we get in barbecue places around my home, but instead of smoking it (because I can think of a few things I’d rather do than stand over a fire in this heat), we’re gonna cook it overnight in our slow cooker!
This crock pot pulled pork recipe, made Southern-style, is pretty much heaven on a bun as far as I’m concerned, and it seems every region has its own way of doing it. I also wouldn’t turn it down if a little bit of clear, mild vinegar sauce were added, or perhaps some of our sensational Alabama white barbecue sauce!
This is the best pulled pork sandwich recipe and the perfect dish to make in advance for a busy weekend, potluck, or game day (psst: if you’re vegetarian, or cooking for one, my smoky Jackfruit BBQ recipe is just as good!). Let it cook overnight, make the sauce, and then keep the pork in the slow cooker on warm until you’re ready to serve the main dish.
Now get out those crockpots and let’s make the best slow cooker pulled pork!
Ingredients You’ll Need For This Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
- Pork roast
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Cider vinegar
- Brown sugar
- Hot sauce
- Red pepper flakes
Expert Tips from My Kitchen
- Patience Is The Main Ingredient: I make this for my family all the time, and every single time, the step I prioritize is cooking it on the stove for a full 12 hours. Do not try to rush this process on high heat to save time. A slow cook is what allows the fat to render completely, giving you that juicy texture.
- Fat Side Up: When you place your pork roast into the bottom of the slow cooker, always position it with the thick fat cap facing up. As the meat cooks, that fat will melt downward, naturally basting the roast in its own juices and keeping it from drying out.
- The Skim and Save Trick: When you drain the extra liquid, let it sit in a glass measuring cup for a few minutes. The grease will float to the top so you can easily skim it off, leaving you with pure, flavorful pork broth to mix with your brown sugar and spices.
- Ditch the Pork Loin: If you see a pork loin on sale at the grocery store, save it for a slow-cooked pork roast. Lean cuts don’t have enough fat or connective tissue to survive a 12-hour cook cycle and will turn out incredibly dry. Stick to the traditional, most common cut, the shoulder.
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How to Make Crock Pot Pulled Pork
1. Season the Meat
Take your pork roast out of its packaging and pat it dry with a paper towel. Place it fat-side up directly into your slow cooker. Season the top and sides generously with your salt and black pepper.
2. The Long, Slow Simmer
Pour the apple cider vinegar around the sides of the pork roast (not right on top, so you don’t wash off your salt and pepper). Place the lid tightly on the crock pot and set it to low for 12 hours. I highly recommend letting it run overnight so you wake up to a house smelling like a backyard barbecue!
3. Shred and Separate
Once the timer is up, carefully lift the pork out of the cooker and place it onto a large baking sheet or cutting board. Using two forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Because it was cooked for so long, it will practically fall apart on its own.
4. Build the Glaze
Carefully pour all the remaining cooking liquids out of the slow cooker. Reserve 2 cups of that liquid and discard the rest. In a medium bowl, mix those 2 cups of liquid with the brown sugar, hot sauce, and crushed red pepper flakes, stirring well until the sugar completely dissolves.
5. Toss and Serve
Return your beautiful shredded pork to the empty slow cooker. Pour your spiced glaze evenly over the meat and toss it all together so every piece gets coated. Turn the pot to the “warm” setting until you’re ready to assemble your pork sandwiches on soft rolls or those extra cheeseburger slider buns!
Crock Pot Pulled Pork FAQs
While a lot of folks default to apple juice, chicken broth, or even a splash of dark beer, apple cider vinegar is the absolute best choice for a slow-cooked roast. The natural acidity does something magical over a twelve-hour cook cycle since it gently breaks down the tough fibers in the shoulder.
Save yourself the extra pan to wash! While searing raw pork in a large skillet is great for building a crust on a quick-cooking meal, a long, twelve-hour soak in the crock pot gives the meat all the time it needs to develop a rich, deep flavor on its own.
Simple sea salt and black pepper bring out the pork’s natural richness, but garlic powder and onion powder add much-welcomed savory depth. If you want a hint of backyard barbecue without a smoker, adding a little smoked paprika or chili powder to your spice blend will give the meat a wood-fired profile. These flavors are just as bold as the ones you’ll find in my baked beans with ground beef recipe.
Always cook it with the fat side facing up. As the roast heats up on the bottom of the slow cooker, that top layer of fat will slowly melt and render, dripping right back down through the meat. This acts as a natural basting machine, keeping the pork incredibly juicy and preventing the top from drying out during the long cooking process.
Similar Recipes
My favorite thing about this recipe is just how tender the pork is. If you’re dyin’ for more juicy recipes, you might also like this roasted pork tenderloin, or if you want a mini version of these sandwiches, check out my pulled pork sliders!
If you loved this tender crock pot pulled pork recipe, please leave a review, let me know in the comments how y’all fared!
Ingredients
- 1 pork roast 5 pounds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Put the pork roast in the slow cooker and add salt and pepper. Pour in the cider vinegar. Cover with lid and cook on low for 12 hours (I cook it overnight).
- Remove the pork roast from the crockpot and shred it with forks (this will be very easy).
- Drain juices from the slow cooker, reserving two cups of liquid. Return pulled pork to the slow cooker. To the reserved liquid add the brown sugar, hot sauce, and crushed pepper flakes. Stir well. Pour over shredded pork and place the lid back on the crockpot.
- Place on low or warm setting until ready to serve. Can be made ahead of time, refrigerated, and reheated in the microwave.
I made this last weekend and it was very well received by all who tried it (most had seconds). However, the vinegar smell in my house was so overwhelming it woke me up several times throughout the night. It might be the crock pot I’m using, but I definitely didn’t expect that.
Christy – What kind of pork roast do you suggest? I went to the store last night so excited to get this in the crock pot, but all they had was pork loin and a picnic which they labeled oven roast. I went ahead and bought the picnic but I am worried it won’t be as good.
Christy, since grilling out was just not an option with all the rain from T.S. Lee, we made this and it was a hit. My mom thought it was as good as Big Bob Gibson’s and Whitt’s. It was pretty tasty. Will definitely do this one again.
oops. Meant to say, grilling out for Labor Day.
Ok I HAVE to share this with you. Pork Tenderloin, 1 can of root beer. Pour in crock pot, cook for 5 hours. Drain. pour in bbq sauce cook for 1 hour. I’m not kidding it is SO good. and SO easy. Gates BBQ sauce is my fav here in Kansas!
I live in NC and I’m such a huge BBQ snob. I like it with a vinegar tang, I like it spicy and I’ve never found a place that makes it to suit my tastes (since my one and only favorite BBQ place closed down over 10 years ago).
However… I like you. I like your recipes. I’m gonna give this one a try :).
Christy, I made this for Labor Day. I put it all in the crock-pot on Sunday night. When my 2 kids (Maylin, 7 & Danny 5) got up on Monday morning, they immediately ran into the kitchen to see if the meat was done. It was! They went up and just sniffed the crock-pot. You would think they had never had anything to eat! They were so excited and wanted some now! I made a pan of bisquits and cut some slices off and that is what they had for breakfast. After that I shredded half of it, and then sliced the rest. They kept telling me how wonderful a cook I was, there was never a better “cooker” than me! It is so cute when they do that. Course when I make a peanut butter sandwich, I hear the same thing. But that’s part of my kids charm. They love everything. I am very lucky in that. Thank you for the recipe. I will definitely be making it again and again.
two suggestions. First sprinkle some flour over the pork and brown in a skillet or dutch oven to give the pork some “bark”. Then pour the vinegar in first, then season, otherwise the seasoning washes off the pork.