Slow Cooker Zesty Pulled Pork Recipe - pork shoulder slow-cooked all day in a mixture of garlic, onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar - our new go-to slow cooker pulled pork recipe! Serve this as a main dish on slider buns with creamy coleslaw and your favorite barbecue sauce. Leftover pork is great on nachos, tacos, and baked potatoes. This makes a lot of food. It is perfect for summer parties and game day! Give this a try ASAP!
Season all sides of pork shoulder with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook pork in hot oil until lightly brown on each side. Remove pork from skillet and place in 6-qt slow cooker. Add garlic, bay leaves and onion.
Whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar. Pour over pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
Turn off the slow cooker. Remove pork from the slow cooker and shred. Remove onion and bay leaves from slow cooker. Return shredded pork to slow cooker to keep pork warm while serving.
Serve pork on hamburger buns, if desired.
Notes:
What is that best cut of meat is best for pulled pork? I used a bone-in pork shoulder for this recipe. You may also see this cut of meat referred to as a pork butt, pork shoulder roast, or Boston butt.
You can use boneless pork roast in this recipe. A boneless pork shoulder will not take as long to cook as a bone-in roast. Check the pork roast at 6 hours to see if it is fall-apart tender.
Can substitute a pork loin of an equivalent amount of pork tenderloin.
Cook the pork shoulder until it reaches in an internal temperature of 195ºF to 200ºF. At that temperature, the connective tissue will have broken down and pork will be easy to pull apart.
I use white vinegar. You can substitute apple cider vinegar.
Add a little bit of liquid smoke to the slow cooker to give the pork a nice smoky flavor.
My favorite store-bought BBQ sauces are G. Hughes, Sweet Baby Rays, Stubbs, and Williamson Brothers.
Can pulled pork be reheated? Yes! You can make the pork ahead of and store it in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Reheat the pork on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Can pulled pork be frozen? Yes! Make the pork as directed and shred. Toss the pork with sauce, if desired. Let the pork cool completely and place in a freezer bag and freeze. When ready to serve, thaw the frozen pork and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.