Great melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork butt is now an easy and economical BBQ dinner recipe. Cooked all day low and slow in your crock pot, pork butt becomes pull-apart tender for the best barbecue pulled pork sandwiches.
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 to melt the connective tissue. And, it should be cooked dry, not braised in liquids. Let's do it the right way like the smokers—low and slow in and not floating in fluid or fat.
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 is impossible.
👨🍳What is "The Right Way" to make crock pot pulled pork?
The four easy secrets to the best-pulled pork in a crock pot the "right way."
- 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.
- It is cooked dry with an appropriate rub. Not braised in cola, broth, or other liquids. Suggested rub included.
- 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.)
- Cooked to an internal temperature where it can shred correctly and the connective tissue melts. If you need a knife, it is wrong. (Long cooking time and check the temperature at the end.)
My Rating
A very nice 5. Almost equal to my oven and grill versions.
🐖About Pork Butt?
Pork butt, also called Boston butt, is the best cut of pork to make great pulled pork in your slow cooker. This low and slow method is not for leaner cuts of pork.
Like many cuts of meat, there are multiple names about the same or similar things. Pork butt and Boston butt are the same.
The pork shoulder is the thinner area of this cut but is commonly cooked and used the same as the butt. It has less marbling and less fat and is frequently not separated from the butt and sold as a pork 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.
👨🍳How to Cook Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Choose a large crock pot. Oval shape is better since pork butts are generally oblong.
- Use a 3-4 pound pork butt, with or without bone. With bone many take a bit longer to cook. You will get 3-4 servings per pound. Large butts will take longer to cook but if it fits without touching the sides, it will work. Smaller pork butts are will cook a bit faster.
- Wet the pork with some liquid smoke (optional) and then apply a pork rub of your choice—a suggested rub is in the recipe card if you don't have one.
- Place 6 crumpled up balls of alunimum foil in the bottom of the crock pot to elevate the pork out of the drainge that will occure.
- Place pork butt on the foil balls—fat pad up or down does not matter.
- Cook on low for 8 to 9 hours until you reach 195°+ (200°-205° preferred.)
- Wrap tightly in heavy foil for 15 minutes or more before shredding.
FAQs for Crock Pot Pulled Pork
No, but a good quality liquid smoke enhances the results. You could also coat with mustard if you want. Or use the dry rub alone.
If you 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.
No, it is unnecessary and will change the texture of the "bark" you are getting with the dry rub.
There needs to be some time for the fluid and melted connective tissue to reabsorb back into the meat cells.
Wrap with foil then a couple of towels then let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes, but one hour is better.
To help in timing, you can delay shedding time by 2-3 hours by wrapping the foil sealed butt in multiple towels and a small cooler if you have one.
Not a good idea—it will not shred well. Better to shred correctly while hot.
Some crock pots just won't do it. Do not try to shred pork butt that did not reach at least 185°, the connective tissue is not melted, and it just will not be good. I wouldn't stop under 195°.
You can move the pork butt to a 250°-300° oven on a tray and finish cooking in the oven.
🍽️How to Serve Crock Pot Pulled Pork
The most common serving method is pulled pork sandwiches with buns or slices of bread. But a pile of pork with some sauce on my plate works fine. Other options are casseroles, pork tacos, or pork enchiladas. But serve your pulled pork any way you want.
Side dishes: The usual coleslaw, potato chips, and potato salad are the standards. Hot sides like potato casseroles, French fries, mac & cheese, or baked beans work well as a side dish.
What BBQ sauce is best for pulled pork?
Barbecue sauce is a lot about personal taste. I like sweeter BBQ sauce like Kansas City or Memphis sauce. There are also Carolina vinegar-based sauces and the many types of Texas sauces.
I suggest my homemade Memphis Barbecue Sauce. This sauce always disappears, and others are left untouched at parties. But use any sauce you love.
I commonly use Gate's of Kansas City sauce and Cooks Illustrated like Bull's-eye Original or Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce.
One quick reminder, do not reheat in BBQ sauce. The acid in it will destroy the texture of the meat. Always add any sauce at the time of serving.
♨️How to Store and Reheat Pulled Pork
How to store pulled pork.
Pulled pork is good refrigerated for 3-4 days, but I prefer two days since the texture suffers.
Sealed airtight in the freezer, leftovers will freeze well for 3-4 months. Many will freeze the pork in reheatable sealed bags; then, they will reheat those in boiling water.
How to reheat pulled pork.
I suggest reheating on a sheet pan in an oven. Sprinkle with a bit of water, apple juice, or chicken broth (don’t overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and into the oven at 250° to 300° until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray—usually about 45 minutes in the oven for me.
You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer it to a crock pot on low to keep warm. I know that is not very exact, but you get the idea.
Never reheat pulled pork in or with sauce applied—the acid in the sauce will destroy the texture.
📖BBQ Recipes
Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill – Not That Hard
Oven Pulled Pork from Pork Butt
Easiest Crock Pot Shredded Pork Tenderloin
This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.
🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
Start with a 3-4 pounds pork butt. And a rub of your choice. I have provided a suggested dry rub if you don't have a favorite.
Prep a large crock pot with six balls of aluminum foil. Make about 2 inch balls of foil, 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 make the suggested rub. ½ cup dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir together in a small bowl.
Pat dry the pork roast and then coat with about two tablespoons of good quality liquid smoke (Optional).
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°+ about 9-10 hours, but will vary some with the thickness of the meat and the crock pot. If you can reach 195°-205°, the results will be better. 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.
Serve as Pulled Pork Sandwiches or any way you wish, like tacos or nachos.
📖Recipe
Crock Pot Pulled Pork the Right Way
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds Pork Butt - aka Pork Shoulder
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke - good quality
- 1 cup dry rub
My Rub if you don't have one
- ½ cup dark brown sugar - light will do
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt - I tend to decrease this some
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Start with a 3-4 pounds pork butt. And a rub of your choice. I have provided a suggested dry rub if you don't have a favorite
- Prep a large crock pot with six balls of aluminum foil. Make about 2 inch balls of foil, 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 make the suggested rub. ½ cup dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir together in a small bowl.
- Pat dry the pork butt and then coat with about two tablespoons of good quality liquid smoke (Optional).
- 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.
- Done is really 200°-205° but some crock pots just can't get there. Don't settle for under 185°. But please try for at least 195° plus, and you will be happier. 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.
- Serve as Pulled Pork Sandwiches or any way you wish like tacos or nachos.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Notes:
- This is an all day recipe.
- I designed this for about a 3-4 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.
- Bone-in or boneless does not matter. And fat pad up or down does not matter.
- I suggest a good quality liquid smoke, but skip if you want.
- Use a rub of your choice. I provided a suggested rub. You may decrease the salt if you want.
- Done is really 200°-205° but some crock pots just can't get there. Don't settle for under 185°. But please try for at least 195° plus, and you will be happier.
- If your crock pot can not get to the correct temperature, move to a 250° oven on a tray with sides to finish.
- Do not shred immediately. Wrap with foil and let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes but one hour is better.
- You can delay shedding time by 2-3 hours by wrapping the foil sealed butt in multiple towels and a small cooler if you have one.
- Good refrigerated for 3-4 days but I prefer 2 days since the texture seems to suffer. Will freeze well for 3-4 months.
- 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.
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
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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.
Nic
Can I do this with a 9.8 pound piece of bone-in pork shoulder?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Nic,
Welcome to the blog.
Yes, just think of the crock pot as a small oven. If it fits it will work. But let's qualify that a bit. I would prefer the meat not touching the sides and it will take a LONG time. You are cooking to a final internal temperature, not by time here.
The oven recipe may be better for a large shoulder. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-pulled-pork-from-pork-butt/
Dan
D
All I have to say is WOW. I used a boneless pork butt, used some maple syrup, liquid smoke and spices as my rub, and just WOW. This is not only a great crock pot pulled pork, but a fantastic pulled pork over all! Thank you!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi D,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
It is surprising how good this is for a crock pot recipe but all the credit goes to the meat, pork butt is just a great thing as long as you apply heat in a long and slow manner. Something that a crock pot is great at.
Thanks so much for the note.
Dan
Jessica
I have made this recipe 3 weeks in a row— my husband keeps requesting it! He’s from the south and said this is the best crock pot pulled pork he’s ever had due to its juicy tenderness and simple-yet-satisfying flavor. We use boneless pork shoulder from WinCo, and season with Trader Joe’s BBQ Coffee Rub. We have not added liquid smoke, but will be trying that soon. We sometimes top with BBQ sauce, but the pork is so great on its own that we often eat it as-is straight out of the crock pot. Thank you for the delicious and easy recipe! Highly recommend to all my friends!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jessica,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed reply.
I do love good pulled pork butt. It is still amazing to me that a crock pot can do this so well. I just did the oven version yesterday.
Glad it is working for you and thanks so much for the note and rating.
Dan
Lauren
Made this and it turned out great! However, lesson of the day is to know your Crockpot. I cooked a 6 pounder and was fully expecting at least 9-10 hours based on your time for 3 pounds. It was done in 7 (cooked on low) so here I am at 6 am with fully done pork! My crockpot seems to run hot and most recipes only need 4-5 hours on low when they call for 7-8. Or it could be that newer crockpots are just more efficient (mine is from 2016). Next time I may alter between low and warm just to keep things slow, but today I guess I will have extremely rested pork for our family lunch!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Lauren,
Welcome to the blog.
Yep, knowing your crock pot can be very important. I have had good luck wrapping the pork with several layers of foil and multiple towels and then into a cooler. It has stayed hot for 4-5 hours.
A 2016 crock pot should usually be good. I suspect your thermostat is broken. Most of the trouble with very hot pots were produced 10+ yrs ago.
Those old crock pots were an adventure in cooking. Most did not have any sort of internal thermostat and just got hotter the longer they were plugged in. They could reach over 300 degrees.
Current crock pots should not get over 212 degrees on either high or low. High and low has more to do with timing to get to the top temp. At least that is how they should work but many don’t. But still better than the old timers.
Enjoy your pork,
Dan
Andrea K. Chellberg
I used a 7 pound butt ;) and cut the bone out, did the rub as suggested without the liquid smoke and refrigerated it overnight. It's been in the Crock-Pot with the foil balls on high for almost three hours. Soon I'll put it on low for a few hours and wrap it in foil as suggested for 15 min to an hour. Because of the chili powder it's smelling like a taco filling to me so that is how I will be serving it tonight. I'm excited to try this as both tacos and bbq sandwiches another night.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Andrea,
Welcome to the blog.
Please be sure to get the internal temperature to at least 185 but 190 plus is better.
Dan
Susan
Smoked butt is generally a 16-hour project in our smoker, so we thought we'd give this easy method a try. I started with a 4.5 pound bone-in butt and followed your instructions, sprinkling on a generous layer of out standard Memphis Dust rub after coating the meat with liquid smoke. After a night in the fridge, I added a bit more rub as some had come off on the plastic wrap. Then into the slow cooker on the foil balls. After eight hours on "low," the meat temperature was 185, and two additional hours only resulted in a two degree increase. We were using an instant read Thermapen through the hole for a probe so never opened the lid. We decided to raise the temperature to "high," and an hour later the meat had achieved the perfect internal temperature of 205. After an hour wrapped in foil, the butt shredded easily. We degreased the liquid in the crockpot and added just a little liquid smoke since the meat was great but didn't have a smoky flavor. We will do this again!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Susan,
Welcome to the blog.
I always look at this recipe and I'm still surprised how well it works. I do the oven version a little more but they are both just so wasy for the results you get.
Glad it works well for you.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Denise
We are on a very low sodium diet....I want to try this and eliminate the salt. What are your thoughts???
Rosie Y.
Hello!
First of all, LOVED this recipe, and I found a new love of liquid smoke in my cooking because of it.
I plan on making this for a birthday dinner in two months, and I had a question on if anyone has attempted this in an oven quite yet. My crock pot unfortunately died, which, we were expecting, considering it was from the eighties.
I worry about burning the edges of it if it's too high, cooking it too long so it's rubbery, or, whether or not I would still have it sit on the foil balls. Any thoughts?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Rosie,
Welcome to the blog.
This is just a modification of my oven recipe (the one I use most of the time) Which was a modification of my grill recipe. I should have linked them in the test but didn't. I just fixed that.
https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-pulled-pork-from-pork-butt/
You should be almost happy your old crock pot died. The old ones were basically uncontrollable temperature due to poor thermostats. You will love a new one.
Thansk for the note.
Dan
Will
Crack pot pulled pork from butt sounds like a crime report. Still I’making this tonight but with big a 6 lbs. butt, twice your’s size. I will let you know if it cooks
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Will,
Welcome to the blog.
I already turned myself in to the pork butt cops. I swore I would never do this but I kept being ask how and all the suggestions were just so wrong (as in "a crime" wrong).
You will feel better if you think of the crock pot as a small oven, then you can sleep again.
Thanks for the note and it will be fine.
Dan
James E Files
We just put a 8 lb pork butt in the crock pot and plan to let it cook over night. We doubled the rub ingredients (minus 1 T. salt) and did not have liquid smoke. My wife said, "Hey let's use some smokey paprika to give it the smoke flavor." So we used 1 T. chili powder and 1 T. smokey paprika in the rub mix. I will be testing the final product because she doesn't eat pork. We'll let you know how it turns out.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi James,
Welcome to the blog.
That is a lot of pork for one. Hope it came out well. How long did it take to get to temperature?
Dan
Sanjit
Making this right now - it’s been 6 hours 🤤🤤
Debra
I have only prepared this in my crockpot
on low and I cooked a 7# bone in butt for 12 - 14 hours after coating and wrapping overnight using your recipe and it has always been perfect! I’ve cooked this three times and won’t change a thing AND yes I made the foil balls!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Debra,
Welcome to the blog.
Thanks so much for the time estimate on a bigger butt. I'm sure it will help somebody
Also, thanks for the rating.
Dan
Jasmine
I tried your recipe and my family and I loved it. While I omitted the liquid smoke out of personal preference, my pulled pork still had a wonderful flavor. My kids chose to use Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce on their sandwiches, but I loved it without. WE will make this again and I loved the fact that this was a healthier recipe than others I have used. If you have not tried this recipe, please do. You will not be disappointed.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Jasmine,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad you and your family enjoy the recipe. I do love pulled pork and elevating it out of the muck helps.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Mary Thomasma
I just put my pork butt in the crock pot at 11 am. It won't be done until 8 or 9 pm. Could I possibly cook it on high?
DrDan
Hi Mary,
Welcome to the blog.
You caught me online... I have never done that but I think you might knock a few hours off the time. Some of the older (more than 10 yrs) crockpots will crank up the heat a lot. Probably not what you want. But the newer ones just get to about 210-215 faster on high than low due to thermostats. That is fine.
Use a meat thermometer to determine the end point of cooking. Try to get to at least 185-190 but you really want 200+ if you can.
Good luck and please report back. I would love to hear what happens on high.
Dan
Mary Thomasma
Hi Dan,
I ended up cooking on high from 11am-2:30pm. Then I turned it to low. At 5:30 I pulled the pork out to rest in foil for about 1/2 hour. It turned out GREAT, so it can be done. Thanks for the recipe. I used your rub, and my husband said it had great flavor. This is saying a lot because he's a huge critic.
Mary
DrDan
Excellent, thanks for the update.
Dan
Anna
This is EXACTLY what I’ve been looking for for an hour! Thank you for attempting this and then actually posting your results! I did the exact same thing and was beginning to plan an alternate meal for this evening. Thank you thank you thank you!
Also OP, this rub is lovely, I’ve always wanted to use liquid smoke in the slow cooker for pork but wasn’t sure how.
Laura
Hey Dr. Dan,
I was just looking over your nutrition facts label & I don’t see a serving size. This is the 2nd time I’m making this & just would like to know how many ounces you’d say a serving size should be.
DrDan
Hi Laura,
The pork loses about 20% of weight during cooking. So I get 10-12 "servings" out of a 4 pounder. That is about 1/3 pound per serving after cooking. That is more than I can get to stay in a bun. That is how I count servings. If I did it differently, I would only get to eat cold food.
Dan
Heather D
OMG! I have never commented on a recipe before. Nor have I ever cooked pork butt before. This turned out delicious. I was so happy. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks for this great recipe. I will be making it often.
DrDan
Hi Heather,
Welcome to the blog.
I love easy cooking like this. Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Donna
This was my 1st attempt at making pork butt. OMG!! Your recipe will forever be used in this house. Just melts in your mouth! We already can’t wait to have it again. The only thing I didn’t use was liquid smoke as it tends to trigger a migraine, but I don’t think it took away from the flavor.
Laura
Hey Dan,
I have never left a comment on a recipe I have done before, but... OH. MY. LANTA!!!! This was sooooo amazing. I had never really done anything “special” to my butts, lol, but it was SEC Championship playoffs & I wanted to do something special. I have never used liquid smoke before so when my husband went to buy it, the cashier told him, “a little goes along way so don’t over do it”. I followed your recipe to the T, paprika & all, & it was AUH-MAZING!!!! I will never make another butt any other way. I give it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ all day long!!! On a funny note, I always thought paprika was just used for garnish on deviled eggs. I am starting to do my own seasonings instead of packaged & I’m finding it everywhere. The smoked paprika also does something to a recipe I would’ve never have imagined. Thanks again!!!!