Make tender, smoky BBQ pulled pork with this easy slow cooker recipe. Cooking the pork low and slow all day is the way to go, trust me. This recipe uses a pork butt roast that practically melts in your mouth once it’s done. Top with our sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce.
For more delicious BBQ flavor, try our easy BBQ Deviled Eggs.
Why Our Recipe
- One of the easiest ways to make pulled pork.
- Serve as sliders, quesadillas, burritos, and more!
- Complete with a recipe for our easy, homemade barbecue sauce.
With just a few basic ingredients, you can whip up a tender and juicy pulled pork that’s perfect as a sandwich, in a taco or burrito, or even a salad. We love this recipe because it’s the perfect dump and go dinner that you can throw together in just 10 minutes before work and then come home and it’s ready to go. It’s also great for the warmer, summer months because you’re not standing over a hot stove all day. We guarantee that your friends and family will be coming back for seconds—and thirds!
Ingredient Notes
- Pork Butt Roast: Bone-in or boneless pork butts work best for this recipe. You can also use a picnic or shoulder roast.
- Hickory Liquid Smoke: This is what mimics the traditional pit-smoked method used in Hawaiian cooking. Non-negotiable.
- Ketchup: Gives a great base flavor to the barbecue sauce.
- Brown Sugar: Either light or dark brown sugar will work here, but dark brown sugar will give a deeper, more caramelized flavor.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a lot of flavor. You can substitute with soy sauce and just a touch of vinegar.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a little heat to the sweet and tangy sauce.
Liquid Smoke
In most grocery stores, you’ll find liquid smoke in the condiment aisle, typically near the BBQ sauces. There are commonly two types available: hickory and mesquite. Hickory liquid smoke has a strong robust smokiness, while mesquite offers a slightly sweeter and more subtle smoky flavor. Both can be used in this recipe depending on your taste preference, but we recommend hickory for its strong flavor.
Turn Your Pork into More Meals
Quesadillas: Use the shredded pork as the filling for quesadillas. Add cheese, onions, and peppers for extra flavor. Serve with salsa and sour cream for dipping.
Pork Salad: Make a restaurant-style shredded pork salad with mixed greens, shredded cheese, and some tortilla chips (or strips) for a little crunch. Top with our cilantro-lime ranch dressing.
Pulled Pork Sliders: Serve on Hawaiian rolls with coleslaw and a drizzle of BBQ sauce.
Breakfast Burritos: Wrap in a flour tortilla with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, and diced potatoes.
Pork Fried Rice: Sauté leftover pork with rice, peas, carrots, onions, and eggs for a quick and easy fried rice dish.
Loaded Baked Potatoes: Bake some potatoes or sweet potatoes, then stuff them with the shredded pork. Top with green onion, a sprinkle of cheese, and broil until the cheese melts.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freeze leftover pork in airtight containers or plastic freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheat in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat, adding a few tablespoons of water to help add some moisture back in. Stir occasionally until heated through.
Microwave on high heat in 30-second increments until heated through. Cover with a damp paper towel and stir in between to ensure even heating.
More delicious pulled pork …
I used the instant pot directions and it turned out great! The whole family loved it, and it was easier than many of the pulled pork recipes I have tried in the past. I liked that the barbecue is not applied to the whole pot, so each person can add what they want, although the seasoning is good even without BBQ. It is a keeper!
– Duane
OMG, our family loved this!!! Thank you for sharing. Perfect for family get together, gets me out of the kitchen and allows me to visit with our family.
The family loves it, made it again, still delicious.
I made this again and my family claims it was better than last time. I just reduced the spices from last time. They are enjoying the left overs from yesterday. It’s a keeper, so easy and so inexpensive. I also used a pork loin this time as it was on sale, and was perfect.
I made this tonight for dinner and it was great. It was the easiest meal to prepare. I think I may lighten up on the spices next time. I love it, but my grandsons thought it was spicy. So next time I’ll lighten up on the spices. I didn’t have liquid smoke so I used Smoked Paprika. I searched and it said use 1/2 tbls for each tbls of liquid smoke. I’m going to make it again and freeze for meals later. It’s a keeper. 10/23/2024
This is a delicious recipe and is going in my rotation file. I used a very lean pork loin instead of a butt, so I should have added some water to the crockpot. The little bit of juice that was created burned. The pork was still excellent!
I used the instant pot directions and it turned out great! The whole family loved it, and it was easier than many of the pulled pork recipes I have tried in the past. I liked that the barbecue is not applied to the whole pot, so each person can add what they want, although the seasoning is good even without BBQ. It is a keeper!