This easy smokey BBQ pulled pork recipe will leave your mouth watering. Serve up with some salad, in a toasty bun or wrap! Prep before work and come home to a delicious, home cooked meal!
What you’ll need
- 2 kg (4.4lb) pork shoulder
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 diced onion
EQUIPMENT
- Slow cooker
- Kitchen scales
Pork shoulder is undeniably the best cut of pork for pulled pork as the fat ratio is ideal for a tender, juicy end result. Pork shoulder is also pretty impossible to overcook in the slow cooker, making it a great meat choice to set and forget. You can easily prep in the morning and return to a house smelling like smokey BBQ bliss, ready to serve! Boneless is ideal as it’s easiest to work with. The key is to cook the pork long and slow. You know your pork is ready to serve when it falls apart at the slightest touch of a fork.
This recipe is best served on wraps or white burger buns along with some cheddar cheese, fresh salads, and a spoonful of BBQ sauce straight from the slow cooker!
Tips
- Pork should be effortless to pull apart. If you’re finding yourself pulling at the meat with any amount of effort – leave it cook for another 30 – 60 mins. I’ve made this mistake before. The pork should pull away easily, it’s a no brainer. If it’s not falling apart, it’s not ready.
- Keep the extra juices in the freezer for stock or gravy. When you drain out the extra juices from the slow cooker, store them in a container for another day. You can store juices in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
The rundown
- Scatter onions into slow cooker, creating a blanket of onions for your pork to rest on while cooking
- Mix together brown sugar and paprika. Rub mixture onto pork shoulder, leaving a coating all over pork
- Place pork directly onto onion blanket. Add water to slow cooker, just enough to half cover onions- we don’t want the pork to be floating around
- Place lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The slower the better! You’ll know when pork is cooked because the meat will easily fall away from itself when poked with a fork
- Use two forks to pull pork apart, this should be effortless- if meat feels tough, cook for 30min increments until easy to shred
- Once completely shredded, remove excess juice from slow cooker (I usually remove around half)
- Add bbq sauce and mix through. Return lid and continue to cook for an additional 10 mins
- Ready to serve
Easy slow cooker pulled pork recipe
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Kitchen scales
Ingredients
- 2 kg (4.4lb) pork shoulder
- 1 cup bbq sauce
- 4 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 diced onion
Instructions
- mix together brown sugar and paprika. Rub mixture onto pork shoulder, leaving a coating all over pork
- scatter onions into slow cooker, creating a blanket of onions for your pork to rest on while cooking
- place pork directly onto onion blanket. Add water to slow cooker, just enough to half cover onions- we don't want the pork to be floating around
- put lid on slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The slower the better! You'll know when pork is cooked because the meat will easily fall away from itself when poked with a fork
- use two forks to pull pork apart, this should be effortless- if meat feels tough, cook for 30min increments until easy to shred
- once completely shredded, remove excess juice from slow cooker (I usually remove around half) (keep the extra juices in the freezer for stock or gravy!)
- add bbq sauce and mix through. Return lid and continue to cook for an additional 10 mins
- ready to serve
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