Crock Pot Pulled Pork the Right Way

Great melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork is now an easy economical dinner recipe. Cooked all day low and slow in your crock pot, pork butt becomes pull-apart tender for the family or a crowd.

Table of Contents

• 👨‍🍳What is "The Right Way"
• 🐖The Meat
• 📋 The Rub
• ⏰How long to cook?
• ♨️How to Reheat?
• 🖊️Other Notes
• 📖BBQ Recipes
• 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
• 📖Recipe

Introduction

I love pulled pork, but most of us do. I can fake it with other cuts of pork, but pork butt (AKA pork shoulder) is the "right" cut.

Cooking it low and slow is also the right way. And lastly, it should be cooked dry, not braised in liquids which is also wrong. Let's do it the right way.

There are many slow cooker recipes with condensed soup, packets of onion soup mix, broth, and many other things that should never touch a pork butt. Plus the suggestion that it is "done" in 4-6 hours on low... not possible.

I'm starting with my usual great homemade rub (but feel free to use your favorite). Wet with liquid smoke, apply the rub and cook low and slow in a crock pot. Now the secret ingredient., aluminum foil, but don't wrap it, elevate it to keep it out of the fat.

My Rating

A very nice 5. Almost equal to my oven and grill versions.

👨‍🍳What is "The Right Way"

The four easy secrets to the best pulled pork in a crock pot the "right way".

1. Use pork butt or pork shoulder only. No other meats qualify for this recipe. Recipes for other meats listed below and in the Pulled Pork Recipe Roundup.
2. It is cooked dry with an appropriate rub. Not braised in cola, broth, or other liquids.  That is just wrong. (Suggested rub included.)
3. It is not cooked in the drained liquid/fat. It drains away in the smoker, so it will here also. (Elevated with balls of foils.)
4. Cooked to an internal temperature where it can shred correctly and the connective tissue melts. (Long cooking time and check the temperature at the end.)

🐖The Meat

What is Pork Butt?

Like many cuts of meat, there are multiple names about the same thing. Pork butt and Boston butt are the same.

Pork shoulder is the thinner area of this cut but is commonly cooked and used the same as the butt. It has a bit less marbling and less fat and is usually not separated from the butt.

If you are wondering, butt means thick, so that is why the term "butt" is used. Lastly, the picnic ham and picnic shoulder are not the same as this cut.

A bit more about the meat:

1. I designed this for about a 4-pound pork butt. You can do bigger. Generally, if it fits in the crock pot without touching the sides, it will work. BUT the time will be longer but not in direct proportion to weight. So an 8 pounder is not double a 4 pounder. It is more in proportion to thickness.
2. Bone-in or boneless does not matter. But with bone takes a bit longer.
3. Fat pad up or down does not matter. But I tend to do fat pad down or side.

📋 The Rub

I provided a suggested rub, but any rub you want will be fine. The suggest rub has an average amount of salt for a rub. Some find that too much. We are now decreasing our own salt intake so I usually decrease it by 50% and can't tell the difference.

Frequently, I put the rub on and cooked right away. That works quite well but if you plan ahead, then apply the rub the night before and wrap in plastic wrap.

⏰How long to cook?

I want a recipe that can be put on in the morning before you leave for work and be ready in 9-10 hours when you get home with most crock pots but there may be some variation.

I like to take my pork butt to 195+ range. And prefer 200-205, but some crock pots just won't get there in most crockpots. So settle for 185 only if you must, but 195 or even 200 is really good.

♨️How to Reheat?

I like to reheat on a sheet pan, I sprinkle with a little water on my hand (don’t overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250-300 until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer to a crock pot on low to keep warm. (usually 45 minutes or so in the oven for me). I know that is not very exact but you get the idea.

Never reheat with sauce applied, the acid will destroy the texture.

🖊️Other Notes

Liquid Smoke

I like the liquid smoke, but some people object out of principle.  Well, you're lucky it doesn't have onion soup mix. But leaving out will be fine and only a minor change in the final results.

If you do use the liquid smoke, please only use one with water and smoke listed as ingredients and nothing else. Cheap liquid some will ruin this. I use Wright's.

Storage

Good refrigerated for 3-4 days but I prefer 2 days since the texture seems to suffer. It will freeze well for 3-4 months.

Sauce Suggestions

I suggest my homemade Memphis Barbecue Sauce; A Wonderful Thing. This sauce always disappears and others are left untouched at parties. But use any sauce you love.

One quick reminder, do not reheat with BBQ sauce. The acid in it will destroy the texture of the meat.

📖BBQ Recipes

Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill – Not That Hard

Oven Pulled Pork from Pork Butt

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

Easiest Crock Pot Shredded Pork Tenderloin

Crock Pot Pulled Pork Loin

Crock Pot Baby Back Ribs

🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

Start with a pork butt AKA pork shoulder 3-4 pounds. And a rub of your choice.

Prep a large crock pot with six balls of aluminum foil. Make about 2 inch balls but then squish down to 1 inch high and arrange in the bottom.

You may use the rub of your choice, or mine is ½ cup dark brown sugar, three tablespoons kosher salt, one tablespoon chili powder, one teaspoon garlic powder, one teaspoon onion powder and one teaspoon pepper.

Pat dry the pork and the coat with about two tablespoons good quality liquid smoke.

Generously apply the rub. You could wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight at this point or cook right away.

Place on the foil balls and cook on low undisturbed for 9-10 hours.

Bake until internal temp of 190 plus. About 9-10 hours, but will vary some with the thickness of the meat and the crock pot. Remove from crock pot onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil.

Wrap tight with the foil then wrap with several towels. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes but 2-3 hours is fine if wrapped well. Shred with forks. It will fall apart.

📖Recipe

Crock Pot Pulled Pork the Right Way

From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan

Great melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork is now an easy economical dinner recipe. Cooked all day low and slow in your crock pot, pork butt becomes pull-apart tender for the family or a crowd.

Tap to leave a Rating

4.39 from 203 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 hours

Total Time: 10 hours 10 minutes

Servings #/Adjust if desired 10

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Ingredients

US Customary - Convert to Metric

• ▢ 4 pounds Pork Butt - aka Pork Shoulder
• ▢ 2 tablespoons liquid smoke - good quality

My Rub

• ▢ ½ cup dark brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons kosher salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Start with a pork butt AKA pork shoulder 3-4 pounds.
• Prep a large crock pot with 6 balls of aluminum foil. Make about 2 inch balls but then squish down to 1 inch high and arrange in the bottom of the crock pot.
• You may use the rub of your choice, or mine is ½ cup dark brown sugar, three tablespoons kosher salt, one tablespoon chili powder, one teaspoon garlic powder, one teaspoon onion powder and one teaspoon pepper.
• Pat dry the pork and the coat with about two tablespoons good quality liquid smoke.
• Generously apply the rub. You could wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight at this point or cook right away.
• Place on the foil balls and cook on low undisturbed for 9-10 hours.
• Bake until internal temp of 190 plus. About 9-10 hours may vary some with the thickness of the meat and the crock pot.
• Remove from crock pot onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil. Wrap tight with the foil then wrap with several towels. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes but 2-3 hours is fine if wrapped well.
• Shred with forks. It will fall apart.

See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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Recipe Notes

Pro Notes:

1. This is an all day recipe.
2. I designed this for about a 4 pound pork butt. You can do bigger. Generally, if it fits in the crock pot without touching the sides, it will work. BUT the time will be longer.
3. Bone-in or boneless does not matter. And fat pad up or down does not matter.
4. I suggest a good quality liquid smoke but skip if you want.
5. Use a rub of your choice. I provided a suggested rub. You may decrease the salt if you want.
6. Done is really 200-205. Don't settle for under 185. But please try for 195 plus, and you will be happier.
7. Do not shred immediately. Wrap with foil and let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes but one hour is better.
8. You can delay shedding time by 2-3 hours with wrapping the foil sealed butt in multiple towels and a small cooler if you have one.
9. Good refrigerated for 3-4 days but I prefer 2 days since the texture seems to suffer. Will freeze well for 3-4 months.
10. I like to reheat on a sheet pan, I sprinkle with a little water on my hand (don’t overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250-300 until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray. You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer to a crock pot on low to keep warm. (usually 45 minutes or so in the oven for me). I know that is not very exact but you get the idea.
11. Never reheat with sauce applied, the acid will destroy the texture.

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 548 kcal (27%) | Carbohydrates : 13 g (4%) | Protein : 50 g (100%) | Fat : 31 g (48%) | Saturated Fat : 11 g (55%) | Polyunsaturated Fat : 3 g | Monounsaturated Fat : 14 g | Cholesterol : 157 mg (52%) | Sodium : 2491 mg (104%) | Potassium : 680 mg (19%) | Fiber : 1 g (4%) | Sugar : 12 g (13%) | Vitamin A : 450 IU (9%) | Vitamin C : 1.7 mg (2%) | Calcium : 10 mg (1%) | Iron : 2.5 mg (14%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

Course : Main Course

Cuisine : American

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Editor's Note: Originally Published April 9, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.