Think of it as a smaller size crock pot version of pulled pork. Moist and tender, this shredded BBQ pork tenderloin is seasoned with a few spices and only takes a few hours in a crock pot. Super easy for even a beginner with these step by step photo instructions.
Introduction
You will love this pulled pork for some great BBQ sandwiches. With most cuts of pork, you will end up with too much for most smaller households.
A lot of time, I just experiment with food, kind of like chemistry lab but without the risk of explosion. But mostly it will be recipes like this that are simple and logical.
My plan was to trim the pork tenderloin, cut it into chunks about 1-inch thick, spiced it and then cooked it "dry". Shred and add it back into the liquid that came out during cooking.
So my logic for this was:
- A crock pot on high gets 200 plus degrees much faster than on low.
- Pork tenderloin is lean so low and slow is not needed. If you "overcook it" a bit in a moist environment it will shred easily.
- The amount of moisture in the tenderloin (usually a moist meat) would be about the right about to moisturizer it at the end of cooking.
It works great.
My Rating
A nice strong 4.
🐖Pork Tenderloin
A Pork Loin is NOT a pork tenderloin! The tenderloin refers to the psoas muscle along the lower back. It is chicken tenders in the chicken or beef tenderloin (filet mignon) in cattle.
The psoas muscle is generally the most tender cut since it is not used for movement.
Over the years on this blog, many commenters seem to get pork loin and tenderloin confused. It is obvious when they have a “4-pound pork tenderloin”. Please don't be that person.
A pork loin is much bigger and thicker than the 1 ½ pound tenderloin. They do not cook the same, and the problems most people are having seem to be the wrong cut of pork. If you have a loin, then please see https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/crock-pot-pulled-pork-loin/
♨️Crock Pot
The thickness of a mass of pork will affect the cooking time. You do not want to be piling the chunks on top of other chunks. Or if you do, cooking time will be longer. So try to keep it to a single layer to help the cooking time and even out the cooking.
So, the rule of thumb that a crock pot should be about 50% full doesn't apply here. If you produce a thick area of pork tenderloin in the crock pot, it will take longer to cook.
This works fine in a smaller crock pot. Bigger is OK.
If you do a double recipe, use a large crock pot.
✔️Tips
Spicing
The spicing is very nice for a BBQ pork sandwich. Feel free to change up the spice to your taste but be careful with salt. Remember the spicing in your sauce with any changes.
Storage
This is stores well refrigerated for 3-4 days. It will freeze will for 3-4 months.
Sauce
Use the sauce you love. I like Gate's of Kansas City. I also frequently use my homemade Memphis BBQ Sauce.
Do not add sauce until just before serving. The acid in the sauce will destroy the texture of the meat. So do not reheat or store shredded pork in sauce.
Trouble Shooting
Like all recipes, there is some variables. Here it would be the meat and the crock pot.
First lets address the meat. If the pork has been frozen, it may not contain as much moisture as a fresh tenderloin. Then add a bit of chicken broth at the start.
If the meat is cut thicker, not cut up at all, or piled up. You have a thicker mass to cook and it will take longer. You need to cook until you can shred the pork with forks easily.
The second variable is the crock pot. This is the biggest issue.
A modern, properly working, crock pot should not go over the boiling point (212°). The difference between high and low will be how fast it gets there.
Older crock pots may have been produced without a thermostat or the thermostat may not be working well. Then the temperature of the crock pot may go much higher.
📖Crock Pot BBQ Recipes
Crock Pot Pulled Pork from Butt the Right Way
🖼️Step-by-Step Instructions
Start with a pork tenderloin. Trim off extra fat and the silver-skin.
Cut into 5-6 about equal chunks.
Mix 2 teaspoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon each pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well.
Add the spices to the tenderloin in a bowl and stir well to coat. You can add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke if you want at this point.
Place the meat in the bottom of a small crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Check the pork at 2 hours to see if it will shred easily. You may need to cook up to 1 hour longer.
Shred the meat and mix back into the liquid in the crock pot. Let it cook another 15-20 minutes on high and you are good to go.
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📖 Recipe
Easy Crock Pot Shredded Pork Tenderloin
Tap to leave a Rating
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound pork tenderloin - one whole
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke - Wrights preferred - optional
Instructions
- Start with a pork tenderloin. Trim off extra fat and the silver-skin. Cut into 5-6 about equal chunks.
- Mix 2 teaspoon brown sugar, 2 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon each pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder. Mix well.
- Add the spices to the tenderloin in a bowl and stir well to coat. You can add 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke if you want at this point.
- Place the meat in the bottom of a small crock pot. Single layer if possible. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Check the pork at 2 hours to see if it will shred easily. You may need to cook up to 1 hour longer.
- Shred the meat and mix back into the liquid in the crock pot. Let it cook another 15-20 minutes on high and you are good to go.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Be sure you use pork tenderloin and not pork loin for this recipe.
- You don’t have to cut the pork tenderloin into chunks but it will take longer to cook and you will end up with very long stands of pork after shredding.
- Bad liquid smoke is worse than no liquid smoke. Use Wright's or skip this ingredient.
- Try to keep the pork in a single layer to help faster, more even cooking.
- This fits nicely in a 3-4 quart crock pot. I suggest a large crock pot for a double batch.
- Add the BBQ sauce you like at serving but do not store or reheat the shredded pork in sauce. It will affect the texture.
- Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 days.
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
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Editors Note: Originally Published July 13, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Lyndsey Colvin
Really grateful for your method- it was extremely hard to find a crock-pot shredded pork tenderloin recipe for just *one* tenderloin. We are two people, and we don't want to be forced to cook for 6+.
I was making this for a tropical/asian fusion taco concept, and it turned out wonderfully. I did type it up as a .txt to remember details and make notes of what I'd tweak. The tenderloin I've usually marinated 6-8 days, oven-roasted and sliced, but this was sooo much better. Since you don't appear to mind long posts, I'll copy-paste it below.
DrDan NOTE: To the readers, please see my concerns in my reply about food safety and the length of this marinade before following that part of this otherwise wonderful looking recipe.
For the marinade, I base it off of The Woks of Life's recipe, using brown sugar instead of honey and no food coloring. Sometimes more soy sauce. Taste it and make it to your liking. Then, I seriously put it in a freezer bag with the tenderloin and forget about it for a week or more. You end up with flavor throughout instead of just surface.
https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-bbq-pork-cha-siu/#wprm-recipe-container-25865
-Fusion Pork Tacos for two-
-1 tenderloin, 6-8 day marinated asian, cut into 4 chunks
-2 mangos (one for with leftovers)
-kimchi
-shredded cabbage (I get a basic bag meant for coleslaw), could do carrot
-cilantro, rinsed well, stems removed and discarded, and chopped
-flour/corn taco tortillas
-taco shells optional
-1tbsp oil of your choice, used olive
-red wine to deglaze
-ah-so sauce
-refried beans if making double-decker tacos
Slow-cooker:
about 2" chicken or beef broth
1. Pan sear all sides of tenderloin chunks on medium-high until nicely brown. When each are done, place them in the slow-cooker.
2. Turn heat on stove down, deglaze with a glug of red wine. Stir with a rubber spatula to dislodge brown bits. I added a swirl of ahso sauce to this and stirred to mix.
3. Pour contents of pan into the slow-cooker, dodging the meat the best you can. Gently stir if you like, but do turn meat chunks to coat.
4. Cover slow-cooker and set to High for 2-3 hours. I needed close to 3, but not all of the 3rd hour. Check after 2. If they don't shred with forks, put them back in for 30-40.
5. Turn off slow-cooker. Remove pieces from slow-cooker liquid and shred with two forks. Once you're done, add it back to the liquid and stir. Cover.
6. Peel/chop your mango into slices, chop your cilantro, and set up your bowls for serving. Warm plates if necessary in the microwave.
7. The shredded meat has now soaked in the sauce, so you can use a slotted spoon to place it in a storable container to serve. Discard remaining liquid/sauce.
8. Layer your tacos and eat: we did kimchi-meat-cabbage-mango-cilantro.
Notes:
-This was very hard to gauge for doneness via scent as it was very fragrant.
-Heat tortillas however you prefer. Greg fried in peanut oil, I wrapped in wet paper towels and mic'd for 20 seconds. I did bake some leftover taco shells and double-deckered it with taco sauce. Would be better with refried beans as a taco glue.
-A lime to slice and serve with would be nice, last little detail of an acid.
Best!
-Lyndsey
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Lyndsey,
Welcome to the blog and thanks so much for the note and recipe. It looks great. But I always have my doctor hat on and the length of the marinade bothers me.
Generally, marinades are limit to 24 hours (not a safety thing but a meat texture thing). At 48 hours your start getting food safety concerns with potential bacterial growth even when properly refrigerated. And raw meat (pork tenderloin here) should probably be tossed at 5 days (a food safety thing). So please shorten that up some and I have added a suggestion to your comment to suggest to readers to see this.
The marinade looks great and I agree that the food coloring is just odd to me too.
Again, thanks for the note and thoughtful recipe. But please consider my safety concerns.
Dan
Kristin Wrobel
I wanted to make pulled pork tacos and found your recipe to learn about how long to cook it in a crock pot. I cooked a 1.5lb tenderloin on high for 2.5 hours, but found it to be VERY hard to shred. I did more research online and read pork goes from raw to cooked to tender. I don’t believe 2.5 hours is the best time to create tender, easily shredded pork. Perhaps 4 hours? The pork tasted delicious though and was easy to bite into, but it created much larger chucks than desired. But perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing for tacos.
Cheryl
Hi,
I make a recipe very similar to yours frequently; it’s actually my 20 year old sons favorite! He is home from college (for spring break) and I’m going to make it for him; but I am wondering if you could give me times for making this in the Instant Pot?🙏🏼 I thought I’d brown the tenderloins (sauté function) and then add my liquid, but I’m worried about how long to cook. Thanks so much, glad I found you, you’ve got some great recipes!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm not a big pressure cooker user and have not done this. But it should be in the same range as shredded chicken, so my guess is about 10 minutes under pressure. But again, I have not done this.
Dan
Victoria Ashton
Hello, I'm following this recipe (first time using a slow cooker) but I have a question - should you brown the meat first?
Thanks!
Victoria
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Victoria,
Browning is not needed.
Dan
Sandi
I made this tonight and it was just as described. It's super easy and very tasty. The meat was tender with a nice flavor. Everyone loved it and it will be used again! Thank you!
Kayla Evans
Im in the process of using this recipe and im wondering if i add water or chicken broth to my crock pot ir do i just put the tenderloin in and let it cook. I have already added my spices just curious about liquid?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Kayla,
Welcome to the blog.
Some liquid will come out of the meat. No need to add any.
Dan
Rachel
Made it with pork tenderloin and was so easy and tasty that I tried it with chicken too.
Thanks so much!
Mary
Thanks for this recipe. It's a keeper!
I'm confused about crock pots and your answer to the Wrong Temp post. If the only difference between high and low settings is the warm up speed, then why does mine have the option to switch to low after 2 hours on high? Did I misread something?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Mary,
Welcome to the blog.
I think I said exactly what I wanted to say.
I only have a couple of reasons your pot could have that setting. First, they aren't using a thermostat (really a bad thing). Most do but some still don't. Many old ones didn't either. Without a thermostat to control it, they worked by applying different amperage to the heating element for low vs high. These are the type of pots that run horribly hot at times even on low since they are applying the same amperage and the temperature just keeps climbing.
The other possibility is that the marketing/design people have no idea of what their product actually does. But I suspect the first.
So the old "know your pot" applies. If it boils much, it is too hot. And buy a different brand next time. KitchenAid seems to win the testing at Cooks Illustrated a lot but they very by model. My All Clads seem very good also. And my Cuisinart 3.5 qt is stellar.
Thanks for the note, question and rating. I love to ramble on.
Dan
Terese
Excellent way to cook that doesn't take 6 hours and it turned out great thank you
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Terese,
Welcome to the blog and sorry for the delayed response.
I do like this recipe. It is tender like all tenderloin and doesn't make so much I need to freeze things.
Glad it worked well for you.
Thanks so much for the note and rating.
Dan
Mari
Hi! This looks amazing. I have a question... I roasted pork tenderloin last night and it's dry! I don't want to toss it, so I wanted to make this, how would you recommend I do it? Add a bit of water with the spices and maybe some BBQ sauce?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Mari,
Welcome to the blog.
You will definitely need to add some moisture. This recipe depends on the moisture already in the meat for the cooking.
If the meat is already cooked and dry, there may not be much rescuing it. Maybe shred and just add a few oz of chicken broth and the spices, then low for an hour and see if it comes back or if you just want to trash it. BBQ sauce just at the end.
That may or may not help.
Dan
Trish
Tried it. Add my own spices to it as well. Very moist and tender. Turned out fantastic!
DrDan
Hi Trish,
Welcome to the blog.
Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Jeanette
My sister makes this recipe all the time. It is a great recipe. I have a question though. I am making this pulled pork for 20-25 guests. There will be lots of other dishes. I will be using 6 pork tenderloins. Any idea on how long to cook?
DrDan
Hi Jeanette,
Welcome to the blog.
I don't think this is the recipe for you really. You would need about 10 pounds for that many people, so 6-8 tenderloins.
I would suggest https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/oven-pulled-pork-from-pork-butt/. It will be real pulled pork (not "fake" like this one) and is great. Use two 4-5 pound pork butts and separate on the pan in the oven. About 10 hours plus or minus.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Marian Manzo
I had a one and a half pound pork tenderloin in my freezer didn't know what to do with it. Then I thought, I loved pulled pork let me see if I can do it with the pork tenderloin in the Crock-Pot.. I looked at several recipes on-line then I chose yours. It is absolutely perfect. I followed it exactly, except I did use a large crock pot but it did not change the cook time. The seasoning is absolutely perfect I will never make pulled. pork any other way! Thank you so much!!
Wrong Temp Setting
Your first assumption for your experiment is incorrect though, so the entire experiment is flawed. Crock pots or slow cookers are 200 on Low and 300 on High, or even higher if they have actual temp settings. Google it, and you get multiple results that all say Low is 200, High is 300, with some small variation of course depending on manufacturer, etc. Your recipe should be for cooking on LOW at 200 not HIGH which will overcook a tenderloin after 2 hours.
Most Crock-Pots and other slow cookers have a low setting which is usually 200 degrees F; the high setting is generally 300 degrees F.
DrDan
Your assumptions about slow cookers is both wrong and in some ways right.
Modern slow cookers should not boil on either low nor high. They should have a thermostat that keeps them under 212. It is just the time to reach a stable temperature that should be the difference. (6-8 hrs for low and 3-4 hours for high). The manufacturers will state that and independent testing (Cooks Illustrated for example) will confirm it except for a rare one without a thermostat.
Having said that, I have three crock pots of various brands (I use crock pot to equal slow cooker). Each has boiled at times (on high not low) and they shouldn’t. I have used at least 10 different pots in my life and they all do.
So why? Some of it has to do with the location of the heating elements which varies. Probable cheap or malfuctioning thermostats. And almost all old (I will arbitrarily say 20 yrs with no proof) lack thermostats and just depended on voltage adjustments. CrockPot brand mainly back then.
Since most crock pot recipes involve lots of liquid (think water) you will not “catch them” over 212.
You and I “know” we see boiling on high all the time.
I read articles (engineering articles) stating that 15-20 yrs ago when I started to get more serious about cooking . But none in recent years and I don't have academic library access anymore. When measured with things other than water, back then most believe high is more like up to 250 on most pots. But a rare one have been seen at 300 given enough time. That is mostly the old CrockPots and ones without thermostats.
I'm not finding those references showing the higher (250-300) temperatures on crock pots other then unreferenced statements. But I believe those older articles have created this myth that goes on and on. I will even make some statements in recipe post where I don't really think high is appropriate.
Here is a test study by Cooks Illustrate. https://www.cooksillustrated.com/articles/370-searching-out-the-best-slow-cooker showing how modern slow cookers should and do run.
To end with a story. As I was reading my way through Google results (your suggestion) the last of the 15-20 was a blogger (we all know you should trust bloggers... right) She was going on and on doing the "comprehensive" guide to crock pots (no references) and was telling how to test your pot. Fill with water and do low and high each for 8 hours and then check the water temperatures and low should be about 200 (ok...) And high should be 300. Apparently there is no boiling point on her planet or she sleep through all science classes.
So thanks for your comment. The recipe stands but your comment stays for people to see your feelings. (I'm violating my no anonymous comment rule). I feel it is the temperature curve that matters. Also, most recipes with whole pork tenderloins in crock pots are 4 hours low and 2 hours high.
Dan
Ann
My crockpot is 6qt. My pork is 2.77lbs. Keep with 2 hour cook time?
Thank you
DrDan
Hi Ann,
Welcome to the blog.
First be sure we are talking pork tenderloin and not pork loin. I have never seen a pork tenderloin that big. This will not work with pork loin.
Assuming you are using two tenderloins. Yep, use the bigger crock pot and double the spices. Cooking time will be about the same 2 hours on high.
Dan
Shannon Zamora
Your recipe says high for temp. My crock pot has temp settings and the highest setting is 400. Will that be too high for 2 hours?
DrDan
Hi Shannon,
I have never seen a crockpot like that. You may have a roaster instead. They tend to be bigger and use degrees not settings. But whatever,
On low most crock pots are about 200 degrees or at least under boiling. On high crock pots should run the same max temperature but just get there faster leading to faster cooking time.
For you, pick 225 and see what happens.
Dan
Lisa Kane
So glad I found this! I tried it last night and it turned out great :) The meat is tender and juicy and nicely flavored. We all like a different sauce in my house, one likes no sauce at all, so this is really perfect. We just finish on the bun with sauce if desired!
I used a larger crockpot for 2 tenderloins. I think it's important to cut it into chunks and have enough room in the crock so they aren't crowded. I mixed the seasonings in a bowl and rolled each piece of meat in them until they were all covered. Also, my crock has a "dual" setting, so it cooked on high for an hour or so then switched to low for the last few hours. I started it at about noon and didn't get home until 4, it was perfect.
Deena
The nutritional facts, is that for the whole pot or what is an actual serving size?
Deena
Nevermind! found it.
Joanne
Left meat in for 2 hours still tough, so set for additional hour. Hope this works. Any advice?
DrDan
How big is the pork tenderloin and how big is the crock pot?
Lindsay
If I wanted to double the recipe in this size crockpot what would you suggest cooking time wise? Thanks great recipe!
DrDan
Hi Lindsay,
I violate the 2/3 full rule for crock pots here. I like this recipe to be mostly if not all in contact with the bottom of the pot. So I would use a 6-7 qt. pot for double.
Dan
Brianna
Do i need any liquids in to crock pot? Will it burn without liquids?
DrDan
No additional liquid needed. The liquid from the meat is enough.
DrDan
Stephanie
I'm wondering if the crockpot size is really important. I tried this in a bigger crockpot and the pork was far from shreddable after two hours
DrDan
I think the size is somewhat important probably due to heating the air faster. Cook it longer probably 30 to 60 minutes longer. Check it a few times. There is probably also some issues with variability between crock pots.
DrDan
Lindsey
Love this one as well. its a regular on our meal rotation
DrDan
Thanks for the note and rating. It does make a great sandwich.
DrDan
Laura R
This works great! One day a while back I accidentally discovered that pork tenderloin shreds nice after a sit in the crock pot. I like the spices you used, will definitely try that over my previous dumping of a bottled BBQ sauce. I bet the leftover meat would make great nachos!
Pat
This recipe looks yummy. Thanks!