This slow cooker pulled pork is the ultimate “set it and forget” dinner that turns out fall-apart tender meat that’s incredibly flavorful every time!
Why You’ll Love This Pulled Pork
When I’m not making carnitas for taco night, this all-American pulled pork recipe is what gets my friends and family excited to come over for summer BBQs. It’s one of those dishes that makes you feel like a backyard pitmaster, yet it couldn’t be any easier in your Crockpot or slow cooker. The meat is juicy and fall-apart tender, and the spice rub hits all the right notes. If you’re after those same rave reviews I get every time I serve it, here’s why you’ll love making it:
- Prep takes just 5 minutes. The slow cooker handles the rest!
- The rub is spot on. Savory, spiced, and packed with flavor, it’s everything you want in classic pulled pork.
- It’s perfect for a variety of meals. Think pulled pork tacos, sliders, bowls, and more. I’ll share a few ideas below!
Pulled Pork Ingredients
- Pork shoulder: Boneless pork shoulder is what you need (also called pork butt or Boston butt). Look for one that’s well-marbled but not too fatty on the outside. You can always trim any excess fat off as well. Bone-in pork shoulder works too, but I prefer a boneless one for more meat-to-bone ratio in the slow cooker.
- Spice rub: My go-to blend is paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper. It’s flavorful-spicy (not heat-spicy) and totally addictive. If you’ve made my brisket rub before, this one’s similar, but a little bit more savory and less smoky-sweet.
- Aromatics: Diced yellow onion, fresh garlic, and a splash of orange juice to round everything out and add a subtle brightness to the final flavor.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Step 1: Mix the paprika, oregano, cumin, salt, and pepper together, then generously rub the spice blend all over the pork shoulder. Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker, then add the diced onion, garlic, and orange juice on top.
Step 2: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When it’s done, the pork should shred easily with two forks. Transfer it to a cutting board, shred, then return to the juices in the slow cooker to keep everything tender and flavorful.
What to Serve with Pulled Pork
- Go classic BBQ: Serve with sides like coleslaw, cucumber salad, potato salad, and baked beans for the ultimate summer cookout, especially as a 4th of July recipe, Memorial Day recipe, or Labor Day recipe.
- Add some sauce: Toss it with my homemade BBQ sauce for a saucier pulled pork that’s always a hit.
- Holiday centerpiece: Serve with mashed potatoes (or mashed sweet potatoes) and roasted veggies for a cozy, crowd-pleasing meal.
- Savory breakfast: Pair leftovers with a fried or poached egg for a protein-packed breakfast.
Storage Tips
If you don’t eat it all in one sitting (which is rare in my house), this pulled pork is a meal prep dream. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze portions for up to 3 months. Perfect for future taco nights or quick lunches!
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Birria: The spices and flavor in this are so good.
- Slow Cooker Pot Roast: The best all-in-one meal for fall and winter.
- Barbacoa: The best shredded Mexican beef.
- Slow Cooker Whole Chicken: A great way to cook a whole chicken with ease.
- Or give these other slow cooker recipes a try!
If you make this slow cooker pulled pork recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Description
Video
Equipment
- Slow Cooker My favorite slow cooker!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Make the spice rub. In a small bowl, mix the paprika, oregano, salt, pepper, and cumin together.
- Prep everything else. Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Add the diced onion, garlic, and orange juice on top.
- Slow cook. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When it’s done, the pork should shred easily with two forks. Transfer it to a cutting board, shred, then return to the juices in the slow cooker to keep everything tender and flavorful.
Lisa’s Tips
- Storage tip: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can also freeze portions for up to 3 months. Perfect for future taco nights or quick lunches!
- You can add some of the remaining liquid from the slow cooker to the pulled pork for extra moisture.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally posted May 2015, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
So many pulled pork recipes include b.b.q sauce which can be very rich and sometimes overpowering.
This recipe was a delicious and refreshing change, loved the orange and definitely a keeper!
So happy you enjoyed it, Lisa!
can i refrigerate leftover juice from cooking and use when warming up the pork?
Yes, no problem.
Amazing!! So simple. My family loved this recipe 😍.
Happy to hear the whole family enjoyed this slow cooker pulled pork!
Hi Lisa, can I make this with the InstaPot? if so, how would you adjust the timing?
Hi Ella – unfortunately, I don’t have an InstantPot, so I’m not sure of the cooking time for it.
Hi Lisa! Thanks for the recipes, you are an inspiration for my meal planning. May I ask for how long and what temperature would you cook it in the oven at? I haven’t got a slow cooker but want to try it in the oven, sort of like a baked brined pulled pork
Loved this version of pulled pork! Great alternative to pork with BBQ sauce. We had it on some super yummy rolls with a slice of provolone cheese and some homemade coleslaw on the side. Delicious! On another note, I gave a copy of Lisa’s book to my newly married friend and she and her husband are “obsessed” with the recipes. Another Downshifter in the making!
Wow, your pulled pork sliders sound so delicious, Becky! Thanks for sharing such a great way to serve this recipe. Also, happy to hear your friend and her husband are loving their new book!
It’s very rare that I bother to leave a review on things unless they are very very good . This was beautiful!! Definitely up there with some of the best pulled pork I have ever had!
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, David! I’m thrilled to hear that you loved this pulled pork recipe. Enjoy!
Do you think it would be okay to add liquid smoke?
Hi Tracy – You could certainly add liquid smoke to this recipe. You could also try my slow cooker kalua pork recipe that already has liquid smoke – it’s super delicious!
This recipe is fabulous and what a time saver! I like my pork a bit juicy, so I add some broth to it. I make a large portion and freeze half so it’s ready when we have a craving for it. Thanks for your wonderful recipes, Lisa.
Hi Mimi – I’m sure the broth made it taste even better! Glad you’re enjoying this pulled pork recipe.
This was so good and so easy, thank you!!!
Hi Annie – Happy to hear you loved this pulled pork recipe!
This pulled pork is wonderful. It is a truly tasty and simple recipe. I use dried garlic and onion powders and add way more cumin than most like. Plus I use 1/2 cup bottled orange juice. It still is a versatile recipe. First dinner is with baked spud and cauliflower. Leftovers are salsa verde enchiladas. Both are so good. Thank you for this recipe!
Love how you’re using this pulled pork for so many delicious meals, enjoy!
Delicious and easy.
We had no oranges so used fresh lime juice and it was great.
Hi Megs – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this pulled pork recipe.
This was really good. I used my instant pot. I cut my pork into 4 equal pieces, browned the meat and then browned the onions. I did around 65 mins high pressure for a 4.5 boneless cut with natural release. I added some homemade bbq sauce to our meat and it was perfect.
So happy you loved the recipe, Jeanette!
What’s the best way to prepare the ingredients for a freezer meal prep to be cooked later?
Hi Dawn – I would make the pulled pork as is and you can freeze any leftovers.
Great recipe, thanks from New Zealand
Kia ora, Lori! I’m glad you enjoyed it. :)
With the new crockpots out there, it only takes like 2-3 hours on low to cook. It’s crazy! The meat comes out tough. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to do about this?
It’s because you have to cook it for a lot longer. When I cook mine, it’s cooked through way before it starts falling apart. So even though it may be “done” after 3 hours, you shouldn’t try shredding it until at least 6 but maybe even more than that
I have a 5.34 lb pork shoulder how much do I adjust the seasoning and orange juice
Best pulled pork ever! My husband bought a hog from an auction, so we have a lot of pork. In addition to the pork shoulder, The butcher cut the pork into steaks, so I’ve been using the many steaks we have with this pulled pork recipe. It works great and helps us to use up a lot of the pork we have.
Yay, so happy you love this pulled pork, Sandi! Make sure to check out all of the other pork recipes on my website for inspiration – you can sort by protein on the “browse recipes” page.
We make this all the time! My family can’t get enough of it :) We love using it for pulled pork sandwiches the first day and enchiladas the next day!
Hi Sarah – Thrilled to hear the whole family loves this pulled pork recipe! It truly is such a versatile ingredient.
It smells delicious. Mine is almost twice as big, but I adjusted. I probably won’t hear back from you in time, but want to ask.. what internal temperature am I going for? I’ll let you know later how it turns out.
Hi Sally – you’ll cook it to about 200F, though I go more by how easily it shreds than temperature. Hope you enjoy it!
Do you take all the skin and fat off before cooking?
I trim some of the fat if there’s excess, but I do like to keep some on as well.
My FIL hates onions. Can I skip them in this recipe? Should I up the juice or add chicken broth or anything to make up for the juices from the onions? Thanks so much!
Triple the onions
I would suggest using minced onion seasoning as a substitute, that’s what I do because my son hates the texture of onions.
Made this today. My pork butt was still a bit frozen in the middle. I needed an onion and some orange juice. So, while waiting for the store to open, i went ahead and rubbed with the spices, put the garlic in the crock, placed the roast in as well. In the 2 hours waiting for the store to open, the roast thawed enough to cut it in half. I added the onion and 6 ounces of oj. Cooked on low for 8 hours. The end result is amazing! I shredded the meat and added 3 ladles of the juices to it. I then added Sweet Baby Ray’s honey bbq sauce. The end resut is to die for!! Thank you so much. Hubby said, “don’t lose this recipe!”
So thrilled you and the hubby both loved this recipe, Michelle!
My pork is frozen. Can I just put in crockpot frozen or do I need to thaw it first? If so will I need to extend the cook time?
Hi Joanne – I would let it thaw first.
Wondering if I want to prep this the day before, the best way to reheat? Should I leave everything in the pot once cooled and reheat the next day on low for a couple hours or pull out and reheat in a pan? Thank you!
Yes, you can reheat this in the slow cooker!
This is a good recipe. I used 3.66lbs pork butt. Added a little more or the spices, and used half smoked paprika and half sweet paprika. But, after tearing the meat apart, and adding a little of the leftover juice, the meat was very flavorful. Will use again! Thank you so much for sharing it!
So happy you loved it!
I am absolutely blown away with this recipe! If you are looking for a pulled pork recipe, this is the one to go ! It is deliciously tasty 🤤 Can’t get enough of it! Thank you Lisa for sharing so many savoury recipes ❤️
Hi Marisa – Happy to hear you love this pulled pork recipe!
A great easy and quick to prepare recipe and let the slow cooker do the work. I used a 1.6kg joint and it needed the full 8 hours. Once cooked, it fell apart into juicy shreds of meat, I added some juice from the slow cooker (Yes there is plenty of juice) which added to the juiciness of the meat. However, still a bit bland tasting IMO. This was soon rectified by adding BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s). Served this in a Brioche bun with Apple Sauce and Coleslaw alongside some Animal-Style Fries (another recipe), man this was a great hit with all the family :-)
Thrilled to hear this pulled pork was a success, Chris! Sounds great with all the different sides you served it with.
I made this 8/03/2024 ….i added only one thing —-> 1 sm habanero pepper, crushed & seeds removed. It added a nice deep flavor complimenting the cumin & paprika. It doesn’t add much heat at all. I just love the habanero pepper! I found this recipe to be easy, delicious and so aromatic! Thank You!! It’s my very first time making pulled pork and your recipe made it easy & flavorful……Thank You so much!
Hi Kimberly – I’m so glad it worked out for your first time making pulled pork :)
Hi, do you have to remove the skin/fat off the shoulder of pork before cooking?
Hi Sarah – I do trim it a bit.
This was very delish! I have a family of 3 boys and they all loved it. We had a larger roast, so I made another bowl of the spice mix and added that to the shredded pork. This helped to incorporate all those flavors throughout the meat. Before I did that, the inside pieces were more bland and the edges were flavorful. This will be in our rotation, for sure!
So happy the whole family loved it! Thanks, Pamela!
I don’t have a slow cooker. Can I do this in my Staub either in the oven or on the stovetop?
I made it in my Dutch oven in a 325F oven for 5.5 hours. I tripled the orange juice, but probably only needed to double it. I kept all other ingredients and measurements the same. Like Lisa, I just threw everything into the pot, closed the lid, put it in the oven at 325F and walked away.
Have you ever tried this in an Instant Pot?
Yes, all the time. 45 min on high, 30 min natural release.
I want to use orange juice, how much? Also, that is more than a four pound butt!
One orange worth of juice is typically about 4 tablespoons (2 ounces)
Another excellent recipe. So very good and easy to prepare. Thank you!!
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Vicky!
In my home, my mom is the cook….I can do small things but am very intimidated by cooking larger meals. Currently my mom is going through some medical hardships, so I’m trying out more things and this recipe seemed easy enough that even I could pull it off.
I’m happy to report that dinner was a big hit tonight and we have plenty for leftovers tomorrow! The only change I made was using pineapple juice instead of an orange (we didn’t have any oranges available). The meat was tender, very flavorful, and shredded easily.
Thank you for posting this recipe! I will definitely be saving it for future meals.
Hi Robin – I’m so glad this pulled pork recipe worked out perfectly (and with ease!). I wish your mom a speedy recovery as well.
Our family are not pulled pork fans but this one hit it out of the ball park. Had a gathering of 21 people and was thinking of something easy to make. Everyone loved it and I would recommend this recipe with out question.
Hi Margaret – Happy to hear this pulled pork recipe ended up being a dinner everyone loved! Perfect for a crowd too.
My wife is allergic to Orange (Migraine Headaches),but is a slow cooker boss! What can i use as a substitute for the Orange?
Hi Peter – how about a little pineapple juice?
I’m also allergic to oranges. Did the pineapple juice work out well?
Well I am 85 yrs old, raised in the mid-west and have eaten plenty of pulled pork and like to try new recipes but I have never heard of a recipe with ORANGE JUICE! So I am giving it a try for Father’s Day with our children. Hope it works!!💜
Hi Sandra – How did this turn out for Father’s Day?
The meat was cooked perfectly with very little juice in it. But my family preferred my bar-b-a recipe, so I had to make and add it the 2nd time around! Sorry. I have to go with. The flow!!💜
Hi Sandra – No worries, I’m glad this turned out great though!
What do you do with the onion and garlic at the end? Mix them with the shredded pork, strain the liquid and use them as a topping, or are those only for adding flavor during the cooking process?
Hi David – Those are meant to add flavor during the cooking process. But you can add them on top before serving as well.
How much is one serving ?
Recipe is very easy and pork comes out very soft, but also very very bland….
Hi Anna – if you’d like a stronger punch of flavor, give my carnitas recipe a try!
Just finished making it with a 6.67 lb, pork butt. I followed the directions and added one and one half orange juice. I cooked it in crockpot for 8 hours on low and it is perfect and tasty. I have lots of juice and am wondering how I’ll use it. I love that this recipe is no sugar and low in sodium. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it, Pat!
Another idea, other than barbecue sauce, is gravy. Buy the jars of turkey gravy, mix that into finished pulle pork. Great sansandwiches!
Sounds great, thanks for sharing Pamela!
Trying this for the first time and just realized my husband bought a bone in center cut roast. I have followed all the other instructions. Do you think cook time will be the same? Anything different I need to do now that it’s in the crock pot?
Hello, how many hrs in the slow cooker for an 8lb roast?
Thank you
I cook over night on low for 10 hours. Cut in half before cooking, season each piece
I got myself into trouble because I used an 8lb piece of meat and when you toggle to double the recipe it still says to only cook 8 hours. I’ll let it go for a couple more hours and maybe we can have tomorrow.
Easy and delicious . Great recipe, I used pork tenderloin and turned out soft and juicy.
Thanks for all your recipes that make my life easier!!
Hi Katty – I’m so glad you love this pulled pork recipe!
Should the roast be turned over halfway thru cooking?
Hi Lyn – no, there’s no need to do that. Enjoy!
Can you use pork sirloin rost
I’ve made this several times now and it always turns out great! I was skeptical about the lack of liquid the first time because I’ve read other recipes that nearly submerge the meat in liquid (like coke or Pepsi, which I prefer to avoid), but it’s clearly not necessary! Which is great because it’s less wasteful and healthier anyway. I just mix some of the juices into the finished pulled meat and it’s perfect. Thank you!
So happy you love this pulled pork, Laura! And yes, there’s definitely no need for added liquid. It gets plenty juicy all on it’s own. :) Enjoy!
My family loved it! Using leftovers for pulled pork sandwiches and burritos. A+
Great recipe!
How long and what temp would you cook this in the oven? i have a big pan i’ve used for turkey and such, and my crock pot is broken
Hi Abby – I haven’t tested this in the oven yet. When I do, I will add those notes!
I just did this in the oven today using a 15lb roast, It came in 2 large pieces so I cooked them in 2x 9×13 foil pans (4x Recipe) cooked this at 325F covered in foil for approx 8.5 hrs, made sure it was over 200F internal temp as that means it will pull nicely. Worked out fine! I added a little Apple Cider vinegar to the mix as well. It creates plenty of juice so make sure you put the foil pans on a sheet tray to catch any overflow.
Why is there no liquid in this recipe?
Am I missing something?
Hi there – No liquid is needed as the pork will naturally produce lots of juice as it cooks.
Trying this for the first time. I have Pork Loin, not Pork Shoulder, does that make a difference?
Thank you
Hi Nicholas – Yep, that’s fine!
So glad I found this recipe for crockpot pork! I seasoned according to the recipe even though I was worried about the addition orange juice. Final product pulled apart easily with a couple of forks. I had no reason to worry, the taste was MMM. I was very pleased with the outcome and so were my family & friends.
I offered BBQ sauces for anyone that wanted to add to the flavor. Most people chose to eat it as it was.
I saved this recipe and will make it again!
Hi Sheila – Happy to hear your pulled pork turned out perfectly with this recipe!