Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
I had actually never done anything with a pork shoulder before doing this recipe.

Pork shoulders are not very inspiring but they are cheap (in the UK anyway), and this recipe is a terrific way of getting the best out of them. :)

I can quite honestly say that pulling the meat off a properly cooked shoulder is a genuinely pleasant thing! (You get to snaffle some as you go....) Oops, did I say that out loud? :rolleyes:

Snaffling is a pork pulling requirement.
 
I had actually never done anything with a pork shoulder before doing this recipe.

Pork shoulders are not very inspiring but they are cheap (in the UK anyway), and this recipe is a terrific way of getting the best out of them. :)

I can quite honestly say that pulling the meat off a properly cooked shoulder is a genuinely pleasant thing! (You get to snaffle some as you go....) Oops, did I say that out loud? :rolleyes:

For that very reason I plan a different meal for the day I make pulled pork. By the time I am finished, I have no room left for dinner.:pig:
 
gg, this looks great! :chef: i'm gonna have to try it.

it's very similar to my crock pot pulled pork recipe. very few differences: i don't use cumin or chili powder, add red pepper flakes, and mustard.


it's amazing how well vinegar braises a pork shoulder, huh?


btw, you now have the garlic listed twice. :sleep:

and i don't cut mine in half, which brings to mind: does the recipe call for a boneless shoulder roast?

i was thinking that most pork shoulders that i see are bone in, either picnic (upper portion, more skin and bone, ham-ier taste, aka california picnic), or butt (more meat, less bone, no skin but maybe a fat cap, aka boston butt).

what do you use?
 
thanks.

and yes. 2x wouldn't probably be a bad thing.

unless you are henrietta hornblower from hampshire here on holiday!!!
 
Last edited:
I use the butt. I'll get either boneless or bone-in, whichever is on sale. And yes, I am a vinegar fiend. Love the stuff and what it does to food.

Thanks, PF.
 
Last edited:
First time using your recipe GG, and I have questions. Have you ever made this using a boneless pork loin? I'm just not a fan of fat (I could never do the Keto diet!) because I get a greasy feeling in my mouth. It took me over an hour to carefully separate the meat from the fat as I shredded it. Of course I'll completely understand if switching cuts messes up the entire taste profile, so then I'll continue to pick-pick-pick whenever I make it. Also wonder if you have ever subbed 1/4 to 1/2 of the vinegar with either beer or Boubon.

I'm not a fan of cumin, and I was almost out of chili powder, so I subbed in bucky's suggested red pepper flakes (a scant tsp) and Colman's mustard (a generous tsp). My white pepper smelled like horse manure (that can't be right) so I used ground chipotle for extra smokiness.

In the end, it still turned out good. As in "Himself ate soo much he was overfull" good. Shame on him. :LOL:
 
First time using your recipe GG, and I have questions. Have you ever made this using a boneless pork loin? I'm just not a fan of fat (I could never do the Keto diet!) because I get a greasy feeling in my mouth. It took me over an hour to carefully separate the meat from the fat as I shredded it. Of course I'll completely understand if switching cuts messes up the entire taste profile, so then I'll continue to pick-pick-pick whenever I make it.

I've used pork shoulder, pork loin, and pork tenderloin to do crock pot pulled pork and all with success.

My hubby's favorite seasoning for it is a bottle of beer and a seasoning we get from Penzey's called BBQ 3000.

I'll also throw in some fresh roasted whole garlic cloves and caramelized onion to really give some flavor.

If you have access to Bolillo (sp?) rolls, try toasting those up and loading with the pulled pork, some of the garlic & onion, and a dollop (or 2) of your favorite BBQ sauce or hot sauce. I've even been known to use a horseradish/mayo blend on mine instead of other sauces depending on my mood.

So many wonderful & delicious ways to eat pulled pork -even pull a piece out of the crock pot when nobody's looking... :ohmy:

Enjoy!
 
Ooooh, Maelinde....I haven't noticed the Penzey's BBQ 3000. I'll have to add that to my Penzey's list. :)

I love pulled pork too, and often slow cook or roast a nice pork shoulder. When it's done, I get my forks and bowls and sit and shred it while a movie's on :LOL:, then portion it up and vacuum seal.

I'm out now, I just used the last little vacuum sealed pack for tacos. I like having lightly seasoned pulled pork in the freezer - there are so many ways to use it - I can grab whatever I need and season it up for whatever meal I'm making. I'm with ya on the horseradish and mayo blend, that's a really nice change from BBQ sauce.
 
First time using your recipe GG, and I have questions. Have you ever made this using a boneless pork loin? I'm just not a fan of fat (I could never do the Keto diet!) because I get a greasy feeling in my mouth. It took me over an hour to carefully separate the meat from the fat as I shredded it. Of course I'll completely understand if switching cuts messes up the entire taste profile, so then I'll continue to pick-pick-pick whenever I make it. Also wonder if you have ever subbed 1/4 to 1/2 of the vinegar with either beer or Boubon.

I'm not a fan of cumin, and I was almost out of chili powder, so I subbed in bucky's suggested red pepper flakes (a scant tsp) and Colman's mustard (a generous tsp). My white pepper smelled like horse manure (that can't be right) so I used ground chipotle for extra smokiness.

In the end, it still turned out good. As in "Himself ate soo much he was overfull" good. Shame on him. :LOL:

For me, the key ingredient for pulled pork sandwich is slow barbequed pork shoulder. The fat is what keeps it juicy during the slow cooking, basically it's self basting. Real smoker fanatics buy a shoulder with a fat cap for that reason.

I've done one in the oven and it's passable, but just not the same. 4-6 hours at about 230°-250°, in a smoker or a carefully tended grill, with plenty of smoke for the first hour or two. I've never done one in a crock pot, and probably won't, but that's just my personal prejudice showing up.

I have a nice bone in shoulder thawing in the fridge right now, set for Monday when the temps will be in the mid 60's here - great day for Q-ing. Got some good apple wood for the smoke, and will be doing it for the first time on my new grill.
 
Maelinde, I'm glad to know it has worked out for you will all those cuts of meat. Not sure I'd use the pork tenderloin since it's usually pricey around by me. Often, though, a store near me will be selling the whole, boneless loin for under $2.00 a pound. ~ Love me some Penzeys! That is one of the blends I don't have. I usually mix my own spices to order for whatever I'm making. Most of the Penzeys mixes I have were freebies. ~ I googled "Bolillo" because I had never heard of those kind of rolls. It said they were similar to French baguettes, which are readily available here. In fact, Himself used a leftover piece of baguette when he had his pulled pork the other night.

BTW, welcome to DC. It sounds like you will have a lot of hints and tips to share, so be sure to keep coming around. ;)


RP, I've only made pulled pork in a crock pot - easy-peasy. Since we're both happy with the results I think I'll stay with it. Especially since we have two of them, and no smoker. Besides, I can make this anytime, including now when we have five feet of snow surrounding the grill...and a lot still piled on top. And the reason I asked about using a pork loin is because fat, good as it is as a natural baster, seems to make most foods too greasy for me. It seemed to take forever to shred the last shoulder because I was carefully separating the fat from the meat.
 
Maelinde, I'm glad to know it has worked out for you will all those cuts of meat. Not sure I'd use the pork tenderloin since it's usually pricey around by me. Often, though, a store near me will be selling the whole, boneless loin for under $2.00 a pound. ~ Love me some Penzeys! That is one of the blends I don't have. I usually mix my own spices to order for whatever I'm making. Most of the Penzeys mixes I have were freebies. ~ I googled "Bolillo" because I had never heard of those kind of rolls. It said they were similar to French baguettes, which are readily available here. In fact, Himself used a leftover piece of baguette when he had his pulled pork the other night.

BTW, welcome to DC. It sounds like you will have a lot of hints and tips to share, so be sure to keep coming around. ;)


I don't normally use the higher cost tenderloins unless I've had it in the freezer for awhile and hubby really loves the tenderloin done as pulled pork. I like to put the tenderloins on the griddle or saute pan and make lovely pork tenderloin sandwiches on those bolillo rolls. They are similar to bagettes, just a little chewier and a slightly different shape. They toast extremely well and do work well with any pork meat intended for sandwiches, truth be told.

Get to Penzey's for the BBQ 3000! I need to get in there or order more. I got the 4.0 oz bag 3 months ago and it is nearly gone. For those interested here is a link to Penzey's BBQ 3000
https://www.penzeys.com/online-catalog/bbq-3000/c-24/p-327/pd-s

We always put it in our crockpot pulled pork, as well as other BBQ foods we cook in/on any cooking device. :cool:
 
LOL! You will find we are a big bunch of Penzey's Lovers.

And I'm so lucky to live within 15 minutes of a Penzey's retail shop. LOL

You just can't beat the quality or the prices!

I'll be making crock pot pulled pork again when my younger brother comes out to visit us next month. He hasn't gotten married yet because no girl can come close to my cooking. I've always told him I can teach her. <sigh>
 
Well, The Pirate was in the grocery store and saw a small piece of pork that was perfect for two as a roast. So I am going to treat it like I would a steak. Season both sides, wrap it well and let it sit until tonight when I put it in the oven. I am going to make seasoned rice and petite peas with it.

I went to Winthrop today for blood work, and I lost three pounds. Nobody is happy with me. :angel:
 
Maelinde, teach your brother to cook.

I seriously plan on it, Taxi! We'll have him for 2 weeks at the end of April, and we're planning on eating in as much as possible. Randy prefers my cooking to going out, and my bro is looking forward to having lots of good food.

I'm considering getting him a crock pot for his birthday in November and showing him all the ways he can use it while here.

He's lucky enough to be gifted with lots of fresh butchered meat from some Amish people he helps out on occasion, so he will want to learn how to use his oven, stove and crock pot instead of heating up Hungry Man dinners... :ohmy:
 
Back
Top Bottom