Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

By Margaux Laskey

Updated November 20, 2024

  • A side image of three pulled-pork sandwiches on a cutting board. An open bottle of hot sauce sits in the background.
    Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
8 to 10 hours, plus refrigeration
Rating
4(4,208)
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

  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder

  • 1 tablespoon onion powder

  • 2 teaspoons hot or sweet smoked paprika

  • 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste

  • 3 to 4 pound boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, trimmed of most of its excess fat

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus additional for greasing

  • 1 yellow onion, chopped (optional)

  • 1 (12-ounce) can dark soda, like Dr Pepper, root beer, cola or birch beer

  • ½ to 1 ½ cups homemade or store-bought barbecue sauce

  • Hot sauce (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

19 grams carbs; 141 milligrams cholesterol; 593 calories; 18 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 13 grams saturated fat; 40 grams fat; 1 gram fiber; 693 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 12 grams sugar

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.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
4,208 user ratings
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Comments

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!

John

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

Bruce

I made this in my Instapot (on the slow cook setting), and it took a full 10 hours to render the fat sufficiently to allow the meat to pull apart. I did both the rub overnight and the sear as well. I used Kurobuta pork shoulder, and it did turn out well, but not as flavorful as I had hoped. I allowed the liquid to cool, and skimmed off all the congealed fat and then added back a cup of the liquid with a half cup of Stubbs BBQ sauce.

geteb

This is great! Refrigerated 3.5 lbs pork butt overnight w/ the rub, didn't grease the slow cooker crock, used an onion, cooked for 7 hrs. Used Whole Foods Brioche buns. Delicious!!

Marylou

Would diet soda work?

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