BBQ Pulled Pork (Slow Cooker) that’s wonderfully tender, sweet and smokey and couldn’t be any easier!
This Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork is perfect for large gatherings, busy weekdays or whenever you are craving the “Best” BBQ pulled pork! This BBQ Pulled Pork is made super easy in the crock pot so you can prep it and forget it and makes fabulous BBQ Pork Sandwiches!
If you are wondering why this post is lacking in my customary plethora of photos (sorry its my weakness, I can’t just post a couple photos – I just love food and photography too much – sorry if you hate it, thank you if you love it!), I am minutes away from walking out the door to our week long Mexican cruise and will just be getting back by the time you get this post (thank you auto scheduler). But I had to post this Best BBQ Pulled Pork recipe before I leave so you can sink your teeth into the sweet BBQ tender pork sooner rather than later. It’s that good.
Looking for more Pork Recipes?
- Slow Cooker Asian Caramel Pulled Pork
- Chipotle Sweet Pulled Pork
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas
- Sheet Pan Chili Dijon Pork Tenderloin with Green Beans and Potatoes
Patrick ‘s 50 minute work commutes has its perks (he is such a champ, never complains). He works within 10 minutes of his parent’s home which means special days like when he brought home the best BBQ pork I had ever devoured – made by his mom, spruced up by his dad. Patrick was telling me how “perfect” the pork was on his drive home and even though Patrick never exaggerates when it comes to food – he is my very honest food critic – I still couldn’t imagine just how good it was until I ate it for myself. No bun, no sandwich, no distractions, just straight up pork, because it was straight up ah-mazing. After I had devoured every last bite of BBQ pork, I knew I had to make it again – soon. Very soon. (and that’s when I made these adorable Easy, Cheesy, BBQ Pork Sliders with Bacon Broccoli Slaw )
I based my BBQ pork after my mother-in-laws version of slow cooking the pork in Cherry Coke with a splash of orange zest and liquid smoke. I added seasonings including ground ginger, smoked paprika and red pepper flakes and finished it off with green chilies. Once the pork is fall apart tender, you smother it with your favorite barbecue sauce for multi-dimensional flavorful pork that is so easy you can satisfy your cravings any day of the week. Or every day of the week.
I suggest you start tomorrow.
If you love slow cooker barbecue recipes, then be sure to check out my Slow Cooker Barbecue Ribs and Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken with the best homemade barbecue sauce.
| Prep Time | 2 minutes |
| Cook Time | 480 minutes |
| Servings |
- 2 pounds pork shoulder/butt trimmed of excess fat
- 2 4 oz. cans mild diced green chilies
- 1 12 oz. can Cherry Coke (1 1/2 cups)
- 1/3–1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 tsp EACH onion powder, salt
- 1/2 tsp EACH pepper, smoked paprika, ground ginger, red pepper flakes
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce, more or less to taste
Ingredients
| Rate this recipe! |
- Lightly spray slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray and add pork.
- In a medium bowl, whisk all of the remaining ingredients together except the barbecue sauce and pour over pork.
- Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 4-6 hours or until the pork is very tender then remove pork to a cutting board and shred. Drain slow cooker of any liquid if there is any.
- Return pork to slow cooker and stir in barbecue sauce until evenly coated, adding more or less as desired.
- Taste and add hot sauce/salt/pepper/brown sugar to taste.
- Amazing on sandwiches!
*If you are using a sweeter barbecue sauce, you might want to start with 1/3 cup brown sugar and add more to taste at the end of cooking.
Carlsbad Cravings original inspired by my mother-in-law, Marcia
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You might also like:
Slow Cooker Chipotle Sweet Pulled Pork
Sweet and Spicy Pineapple Salsa Chicken
Slow Cooker Shredded Mexican Chicken
Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Meatballs
Nicole says
I LOVE ALL YOUR RECIPES!!! I can’t wait to try this one!! What BBQ sauce(s) do you use or would you recommend?
Jen says
Hi Nicole! I am sorry for the delay in getting back to you as I was out of the country for over a week without internet and am still catching up! First of all, THANK YOU for letting me know you love my recipes, that makes me so happy! As far as BBQ Sauces I like KC Masterpiece and Sweet Baby Rays. I actually used half and half for this recipe. Hope you love this recipe as well!
Nicole says
Thanks so much!! (And don’t worry about the delay-it’s no problem at all!!). My fiancé and I literally have the same taste buds as you because we are IN LOVE with all of the recipes that we’ve tried of yours and I make a different one (or two) of yours a week! So thank you for all of your recipes! I feel like we are your biggest fans! Haha! 🙂
I do have another question though… I tried making your breadsticks twice. The first time I don’t think the water was warm enough for the yeast so it didn’t work. But I ended up using the seasoning on crescent rolls and it was amazing! But the second time I ran into a similar problem as the first, that the dough was so sticky I couldn’t work with it at all and couldn’t roll it into breadsticks. I ended up making them anyways and they looked like blobs… But they were delicious blobs lol!! I would love to keep making them but Do you know what I’m doing wrong? I don’t have a stand mixer so I was doing it by hand… Maybe that’s the problem? Or do I need more flour? I greased my hands and that didn’t help either. I do live in AZ so maybe it’s the weather and water 🙁
(Sorry for the long comment/question)
Jen says
Hi Nicole, so nice to meet my biggest fans!!! 🙂 As far as my breadsticks go, I am sorry you are having problems. If you are kneading by hand, it will require a good 6+ minutes of kneading.
At first the dough will be really sticky and difficult to gather but as you work with it and incorporate the flour, it should become less sticky. If the dough doesn’t seem to be losing its stickiness, sprinkle more flour over the top and work it into the dough. As soon as your dough is smooth and it bounces back when you press a finger into it, you’ve added enough. Thats all I can think to tell you – just keep adding flour. I hope you can get them to turn out!
Nicole says
Thanks for the tips!!! I’m determined to make these work because they were so good!
I’m not giving up!! And I’m hoping to be able to get a stand mixer because I’ve always wanted one! Then I can make these amazing recipes with a little more ease! 🙂
Bill says
Sweet baby rays
Dwayne says
Made this for dinner last Sunday. It was great I like how the green chili’s add a little kick. All of your recipes look and sound great. Can’t wait to try more! I am taking my nieces and nephews on vacation soon and am thinking they might like to wake up to your angle food cake French toast for breakfast one morning. I will let you know how it goes.
Jen says
Hi Dwayne, so happy you enjoyed the pork and excited for you to try more recipes – thank you! I love a sweet and spicy kick – kind of my favorite flavor combo ever 🙂 Your nieces and nephews would love you forever if you make the angel food cake French toast for breakfast! – so fun! Thanks for taking time to comment and welcome to Carlsbad Cravings!
Amy @ Chew Out Loud says
Jen, thanks for that BBQ glory right now! Where I’m at, it’s gloomy April rain and (gasp) maybe snow (please no)… I am SO ready for some BBQ! Love all your slow cooker inspiration right along with it. Good timing. And I’m officially growling in the tummy 🙂
Jen says
Hi Amy! I hope it brightens up soon where you are! Thank you so much for reaching out so I could discover your blog – your photos are stunning and I am loving your recipes! Can’t wait to try that carnita bowl! I am now following you everywhere 🙂
Victor J. says
Wow that BBQ chicken chile looks insane. I came here to find a pulled pork recipe, but thanks to you, I’ve got some new ideas that I wouldn’t have otherwise thought of. Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Victor, welcome to Carlsbad Cravings! I am so glad you are finding more recipes to try! I hope you love them!
Lynne says
I made this yesterday, and it was very good, but my pork was not “pull apart” done after 8 hours on low. I had to cut it. Unfortunately, this is one of the draw backs of slow-cooker recipes. I am at work and couldn’t check to see if the low temp was doing it. If it had been turned up to high for the last 1-2 hours, I’m sure it would have been fine. (used fresh picnic half, BTW). I may try the high for 4 hours another time – the only thing is that I’m away from the house for 10.5 hours, so I have to put it on a timer. I used Open Pit bourbon and brown sugar BBQ sauce, but only 1/2c – I wanted the pork flavors to come through, and it was perfect.
Jen says
Hi Lynne, I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe but sorry it wasn’t fall apart tender after 8 hours – that is the draw back of slow cookers – every slow cooker cooks a little differently. Hope it turns out perfectly next time!
Cat says
I’m not much of a pop drinker …. not actually sure we have cherry coke here – can I use regular coke? Or Dr. Pepper? I’m also wondering if you could use something else other than pop, too. I take it Diet Drinks don’t work? Why not?
Thanks!
Jen says
Hi Cat, you can certainly use regular Coke or Dr. Pepper but you are right Diet doesn’t work because the artificial sweeteners break down with the heat into something not very appetizing… Best of luck!
Diane says
Oh my goodness this is sooooo good!!! I made it with boneless chicken breasts and thighs instead of the pork and everyone loved it!!! Thank you for a great recipe! It’s definitely a keeper!
Jen says
Hi Diane, I am thrilled you loved it and that it was so delish with chicken – I am going to have to try that soon! Thanks so much!
Robin says
Hi! I made the BBQ pulled pork recipe but had to use a beef roast instead. I already had it thawed out. I really like the flavor, but the men folk did not. They thought the orange zest and overall sweetness was too much. Just wondering if this might work without the orange zest and cherry cola? They prefer a real BBQ smoked meat flavor. Has anyone altered this recipe? How did it turn out?
Jen says
Hi Robin, I haven’t tried it without, but you can certainly omit the orange zest and use root beer instead. Hope this helps!
Jen says
Hi there! So excited to try this! Do you know if Cherry Pepsi will work instead of Cherry coke? My husband bought the wrong one!
Jen says
Hi Jen, I haven’t tried it with Cherry Pepsi but I am sure it will still taste great! Let me know how it turns out – enjoy!
Kara says
This pork is AWESOME! I used a four pound roast (it’s what I had)…doubled the other ingredients and cooked on low for 8 hours. It was perfect! Thanks so much for another scrumptious recipe!!!! 5+ Stars!!!
Jen says
5+ stars – wahoo! Thank you so much Kara and thanks for sharing that it works so well doubling the recipe! Love your comments!
Raya says
I’m a college student and just received my first slow cooker for Christmas this year. I think this will have to be the first recipe I try, because it looks amazing!
Jen says
That is so nice of you Raya! I am excited for you and your new slow cooker – they are so easy and deliver such delicious food! Hope you love this recipe!
Mr_Mojo_Risin says
Fantastic Flavor!!! I’ve used this recipe 3 times now. Dr. Pepper is my favorite drink and is the best substitute for Cherry Coke. It’s tough to try and top this pulled pork recipe, especially when using Kings Hawaiian rolls.
Jen says
Thank you so much, I am thrilled you love this so much and have made it so many times! Thanks also for the tip on using Dr. Pepper as a substitute!
roxy says
is there anything else i can use besides coke
Jen says
Hi Roxy, you can use Root Beer of Pepsi 🙂
Sara says
I love it!! I’ve cooked it so many times and everyone loves it. I love the taste and how easy it is to cook for a biggish group of people. I always use the leftovers on homemade pizza!
Jen says
Thank you so much Sara! And the leftovers on homemade pizza sounds absolutely divine!
Simona says
Hi, there. I can’t find any canned chillies here in Italy. Only diced chillies in a jar, but they are immersed in a liquid (a mixture of water and vinegar). Will they do? Or do I need to adjust the recipe somehow?
Btw: finding a cherry cola was tough, too… yet I made it. It’s an expensive imported “exotic item” here, so I guess next time I’ll go for a regular coke.
Jen says
Hi Simona, I think the diced chilies in the jar should be just fine as long as they are hatch chilies – I would just be sure to drain them off the liquid first. And I am so sorry about the Cherry Cola! I agree, regular Coke will work next time! I hope you enjoy this recipe all the way from Italy!
Simona says
This recipe is awesome. Reading the ingredient list I was quite skeptical, but the outcome was sooooo good. I had to prepare it two times in a week, to satisfy my friends’ requests. Pulled pork has always been a favourite, I’m so glad I can cook it on my own now. THANK YOU.
Jen says
You are so welcome Simona, I’m thrilled you love this recipe!
Rachel says
Delicious! I added some of the sauce from the slow cooker to the shredded pork before the bbq sauce. And I didn’t think it needed much more than half a cup of bbq sauce, either. I wish I had known about not using pop with artificial sweeteners before I cooked this though. I used Cherry Coke Zero, which uses aspartame, so now I’m wondering if it could have turned out even better!
Jen says
Hi Rachel, I’m so glad you loved it! And I’ll add a note about the artificial sweeteners in the recipe. It’s not something I’ve personally tried but have researched. Glad it was still a hit!
Renate says
I just got a slow cooker and this sound like a great recipe to start with. However what is liquid smoke?
Jen says
Hi Renate, I am excited for your new slow cooker adventures! Liquid smoke adds a wonderfully smokey flavor and can be found by the barbecue sauces at your grocery store.
Simona from Italy says
Dear Jen,
I need to cook a slightly larger chunk of meat, of course within the available volume inside the slow cooker (I have a 6 quart one, so I think it should handle it fine). Say, up to three pounds of pork. Do I need to proportionally increase the other ingredients? Will 10 hours on low still be OK, in your opinion?
Jen says
Hi Simona, I would just do “heaping” amounts of the ingredients but otherwise I on’t think you need to increase the ingredients. I also think 10 hours should still be fine. If it’s missing a little something after it’s cooked then you can add dashes of seasoning. I hope this helps!
Simona from Italy says
Thank you, Jen. You confirm my hypothesis, as I do think that the liquid part with seasonings does not need to proportionally increase. In the closed environment of the cooker, vapours and flavours should work just fine if they reach the proper level around the meat.
I’ll just try. I have to cook two batches, in order to feed 18 hungry colleagues, and I’m sure they’ll love your recipe as I do.
Jen says
I hope it is a huge hit Simona! You are so great to cook for your coworkers!