The easiest crockpot pulled pork recipe on the internet is made with just a few minutes of prep time, plenty of seasoning, and apple juice! The pork shoulder goes in and slow-cooks until the fat renders extra flavor and the meat is fall-apart tender!
Everyone seems to love a tender, saucy pulled pork, which makes sense because I love all kinds of shredded meat. Everything from crockpot BBQ chicken to hot honey chicken sandwiches and all the easy recipes in between!
What makes this slow cooker pulled pork recipe even better is that it takes almost no effort to throw together. All you need is a pork shoulder, smoky seasoning, and a cup of apple juice to achieve the most flavorful, shreddable meat.
It slow-cooks all day until the pork falls apart. Then it’s ready for my pulled pork sandwiches or sliders topped with classic vinegar coleslaw, over nachos or baked potatoes, and sometimes I even use it for rice bowls, burritos, and salads!
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Easy to make. Just 10 minutes of prep time and a handful of ingredients is all it takes.
- No need for a smoker. The smoked paprika gives it that smoky flavor!
- Great year-round. No heating the kitchen in the summer and no backyard smoking in the winter.
- Endless serving options. A great make-ahead recipe for meal prepping different meals throughout the week.
Helpful Tools
- Slow Cooker
- Tongs
- Meat Claws for shredding the meat. Forks will also work but these do come in handy.
Ingredients
Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe, why you need them, and possible substitutions. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card with measurements.
Jump- Pork shoulder: Because this is generally a tougher cut of meat, it does really well with low and slow cooking. I used a pork shoulder (aka pork butt) just under 4 lbs.
- Seasoning: Seasoned salt, garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder, and smoked paprika.
- Apple juice: The acid helps tenderize the meat, but it’s the flavor that we want. Apples and pork are always a great pairing, so the tart, sweet aroma of apple juice really gives the meat that extra flavor.
How to make Crockpot Pulled Pork
This section shows you how to make this recipe, with process photos showing the steps to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
Jump- Step One: Place the pork shoulder into the basin of the crockpot with the fat side facing down. Sprinkle seasoning all over the top.
- Step Two: Flip the pork over so that the fat side is now facing up and use a sharp knife to score the fat cap. Do this by cutting shallow X’s into the layer of fat. Then, pour apple juice overtop.
- Step Three: Cover with the lid and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours. You can also speed things up a bit and use HIGH heat for 5-6 hours.
- Step Four: Once the meat is cooked through, skim the fat from the juices at the bottom of the crockpot, shred the meat, and enjoy as is or stir in 2 cups of BBQ sauce for BBQ pulled pork.
Every slow cooker runs differently. Times given are a general recommendation and should be tested in your own slow cooker and adjusted as needed.
How to serve Crockpot Pulled Pork
Serve this on your favorite buns, drenched in BBQ sauce and piled high with your choice of vinegar coleslaw or a creamy slaw. You can enjoy it on its own with side dishes like slow cooker corn on the cob, a piece of honey cornbread, and fried apples, over a baked potato, or serve it on Hawaiian rolls for snack-sized sliders.
- Cook with the fat side up so the fat falls downward, adding even more flavor to the meat. It also helps to prevent it from drying out.
- You can always remove the fat once it’s cooked, but keep it on during the cooking process.
- I love the flavor of the apple juice, but you can replace it with either water or broth, if you prefer.
- For an even smokier flavor, use a teaspoon of liquid smoke. A little goes a long way, so don’t add too much!
- If time permits, let the meat sit for about 10 minutes before shredding. It makes it even easier.
- Avoid adding any BBQ sauce until the end. That way, the sugars won’t burn.
Storage & Reheating
How to store leftovers
Keep leftovers stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezing Instructions
Once completely cooled, transfer the crockpot pulled pork to a freezer bag to freeze for up to 2 months. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, and lay flat to make room in the freezer. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating Instructions
Pulled pork can be reheated in the microwave, the slow cooker, on the stove, or in the oven. The oven works to get crispy bits! Add a splash of water or broth, if needed, to loosen it up.
Need more slow cooker recipes? Try these:
Slow Cooker Creamy Fiesta Chicken
Click here to view my entire collection of slow cooker recipes.
Crockpot Pulled Pork
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound pork shoulder
- 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup apple juice
Instructions
- Add the pork shoulder to the crockpot, fat side down, and sprinkle seasonings evenly over the top.3-4 pound pork shoulder, 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt, 1 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Flip the pork over so the fat side is up & score the fat cap by cutting shallow Xs.
- Pour the apple juice over the top.1 cup apple juice
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8-10 hours (recommended) or HIGH for 5-6 hours.
- Once cooked, skim the fat from the bottom of the crockpot, shred the meat with two forks, and serve.
Notes
- Serve on buns with BBQ sauce and coleslaw, as-is on a platter with sides, over a baked potato, or on Hawaiian rolls as sliders.
- Once shredded and excess fat removed, you can serve as-is or stir in two cups of BBQ sauce for BBQ pulled pork.
- Cooking fat side up and scoring the fat back allows the fat to drip downward while cooking which adds flavor and prevents the meat from drying out.
- Water or broth can be used in place of apple juice.
- A teaspoon of liquid smoke can be added for additional flavor.
- I used a 3.79 lb pork shoulder (aka pork butt) which was $12.09.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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