I know exactly what all you barbecue purists out there want to tell me: real pulled pork is cooked slow and low over smoking embers and requires lots of tending and tinkering. Know what requires almost zero effort? Learning how to make pulled pork in a slow cooker. And once you master the technique, you can make pulled pork all summer long with any kind of flavoring and sauce that you like, and turn it into lots of different kinds of meals. All without breaking a sweat or even needing to be awake or anywhere near your kitchen. And all without a recipe.
I actually use my slow cooker more in the summer than any other time of year—it solves that problem of not wanting to heat up the kitchen by turning on the stove, and it's great for feeding crowds, which I tend to do more often in the summer. Even if I'm not feeding a crowd, a big batch of pulled pork is never a bad thing to have: I can freeze some of it, and turn the rest into tacos, sandwiches, salads, hash, and more for a few days worth of meals.
This pulled pork was cooked in beer with chipotles in adobo, orange juice, garlic, and a cinnamon stick. I reduced that liquid into a nice sauce and stirred in some more fresh orange juice at the end to brighten it up. It made excellent tacos.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
Here's how to make pulled pork in a crock pot:
1. Procure Your Pork
Pulled pork is best made from the shoulder of the pig. It's a muscular area, but when cooked low and slow all the sinew and tendons melt and the meat falls apart in juicy shards. You can use any part of the shoulder—I like to try and get a cut with bones in it for added flavor and nutrition, but it's not essential. Shoulder roasts are often labeled "pork butt" or "Boston butt," but they're not actually from the pig's rear end. A bonier cut of the lower shoulder is the "picnic ham," which also works great for pulled pork.
How much pork you start with depends on how many people you're feeding, but also on the size of your slow cooker. If you're using a bone-in piece of pork you should plan for about 3/4 pound per person, or about 1/2 pound per person for a boneless piece. It also can't be bigger than your slow cooker. That might seem obvious, but, keep the size of your crock pot in mind when you pick out your roast.
Transfer everything to a large slow cooker and add a splash of liquid — water is great, but so is broth, apple juice, or beer if you have them handy. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily.
After achieving a beautiful, deep brown sear, lower the heat to 325 to allow the pork to become tender. The shoulder will cook in its own juices, creating deeply savory and succulent meat. Covering the meat keeps the moisture internal, resulting in the perfect bite.
Pour 1 1/2 cups liquid, such as low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth, tomato juice, light or amber beer, white or red wine, orange juice, or a mix of several liquids (and optional liquid smoke) over the pork. The pork should be only partially submerged, with some of the pork remaining above the surface of the liquid.
Additionally, spray chicken broth or apple juice on the meat to prevent it from losing more moisture in the crockpot. To add a strong flavor during the process, white wine can also be sprayed.
The acid from the apple cider and apple cider vinegar help to tenderize the meat while also keeping it juicy and flavorful. The low and slow cooking method makes it fall apart as soon as your fork touches it and shreds beautifully.
Yes you can cook a pork shoulder in a slow cooker without adding liquid, the pork shoulder has plenty of fat to melt and you will end up with liquid in the pan, I usually cook a pork shoulder directly on the rack of my smoker then transfer it to an aluminum foil pan.
Set the cooker to low; the high setting will boil the meat instead of braise it, so it's only a quicker trip to an undesirable outcome. Pork shoulder self-bastes and stays moist, and is nearly impossible to overcook.
So, you will need to leave room for this. Yes. Pork gets dry very easily and almost all methods of cooking it require you to ether have a water source below it, baste it, or cover it in broth or sauce.
Introduction: My name is Annamae Dooley, I am a witty, quaint, lovely, clever, rich, sparkling, powerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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