RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
July Pick: Crockpot Meals

BBQ Pulled Pork

Spice-rubbed pork shoulder slow-cooked until it falls apart, tossed in a tangy tomato and cider vinegar barbecue sauce, and piled into lettuce cups.

Why you'll love BBQ Pulled Pork

Pulled pork is the centerpiece of a Fourth of July cookout, and this one cooks itself while you are at the pool. A boneless pork shoulder is rubbed with sweet paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and cayenne, set over sliced onions in the slow cooker, and braised for hours in a barbecue sauce of tomato paste, cider vinegar, Dijon, and coconut aminos, with a spoonful of allulose for the sweet edge barbecue sauce is known for.

Shoulder is the right cut because it is full of collagen and marbled fat. It passes 145°F (63°C), the safe temperature for pork, early in the cook, but it needs hours near 200°F (93°C) for that collagen to melt into gelatin, and that is when the meat turns silky and pulls apart with a fork. Half the sauce goes into the slow cooker to braise the pork, and the other half simmers down with the skimmed cooking juices at the end into a thick, glossy sauce that coats every strand.

Serve it in butter lettuce with quick-pickled cucumbers and onions, whose sharp crunch cuts the richness. It feeds a crowd, and leftovers freeze beautifully.

Quick overview: This BBQ Pulled Pork takes 25 min of hands-on time and about 8 hr 40 min in all and makes 8 servings, each about 3/4 cup pork in 3 lettuce cups. You'll need a slow cooker and a saucepan.

Jump to recipe

BBQ pulled pork in butter lettuce cups with pickled cucumbers
Prep 25 minCook 8 hr 15 minTotal 8 hr 40 minServes 8Serving about 3/4 cup pork in 3 lettuce cupsYou'll need Slow cooker, Saucepan

Ingredients

  • 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (pork butt), excess fat trimmed, cut into 3 or 4 large chunks
  • 2 tbsp sweet paprika
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp garlic powder (label: garlic, and nothing else) Label: garlic, and nothing else
  • 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne
  • 1 tbsp plus 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, divided
  • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste Label: tomatoes, and salt if any
  • 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar, divided
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard Label: mustard seed, vinegar, water, and salt
  • 2 tbsp coconut aminos Label: coconut sap and salt
  • 2 tbsp allulose Label: allulose, and nothing else
  • 2 Persian cucumbers or 1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced
  • 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced, for the pickles
  • 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
  • 2 heads butter lettuce, leaves separated

Instructions

  1. Rub the pork: Stir the paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, cayenne, and 1 tablespoon of the salt together. Pat the pork dry and rub the mixture all over each chunk, pressing it into every crevice.
  2. Mix the barbecue sauce: Whisk the tomato paste, 1/2 cup of the vinegar, the water, Dijon, coconut aminos, and allulose until smooth. Set aside half of it in a covered container in the refrigerator for finishing.
  3. Load the slow cooker: Spread the onion and smashed garlic over the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, set the pork on top in a single layer, and pour the other half of the sauce over it. The onions lift the pork off the bottom and melt into the braising liquid.
  4. Slow-cook: Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 5 to 6 hours, without lifting the lid, until the pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork, around 200°F (93°C) inside. Every time the lid comes off, the cooker loses heat it takes a long while to regain.
  5. Pickle the cucumbers: About 30 minutes before the pork is done, toss the cucumbers and red onion with the remaining 1/4 cup of vinegar, the dill, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Refrigerate until serving. The salt and vinegar soften the slices slightly and keep them crisp and sharp.
  6. Shred the pork: Lift the pork onto a cutting board and pull it into shreds with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat. Let the liquid in the slow cooker settle for 5 minutes, then spoon off the fat that rises to the top.
  7. Reduce the sauce: Ladle 1 1/2 cups of the skimmed cooking liquid, with some of the soft onions, into a saucepan, add the reserved barbecue sauce, and simmer over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon. Reducing concentrates the tomato and vinegar into a sauce that clings to the meat.
  8. Sauce and serve: Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, pour the reduced sauce over it, and toss until every strand is coated. Keep it on the warm setting and serve it in butter lettuce leaves topped with the pickled cucumbers.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate the pork in its sauce in a sealed container within 2 hours of cooking, for up to 4 days. The pickled cucumbers keep for up to 5 days in their vinegar.

Freeze the sauced pork in portions for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and reheat it in a covered saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water until it is steaming hot all the way through, 165°F (74°C).

Variations

  • Carolina vinegar style: Skip the tomato in the finishing sauce and toss the shredded pork with the reduced cooking liquid, an extra 1/4 cup of cider vinegar, and red pepper flakes.
  • Mustard barbecue: Use 1/3 cup Dijon in place of half the tomato paste in the finishing sauce, in the style of South Carolina's mustard sauces.
  • With slaw: Serve it over shredded cabbage tossed with cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt instead of in lettuce cups.
  • Pulled chicken: Use 3 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, until they shred easily and reach 165°F (74°C).

Notes and tips

  • Choose shoulder: Pork shoulder, also sold as pork butt or Boston butt, has the fat and collagen this needs. Loin and tenderloin dry out over a long cook.
  • Thaw first: Always start with fully thawed pork. Frozen meat warms too slowly in a slow cooker and spends too long between 40°F and 140°F (4°C and 60°C), where bacteria multiply fastest.
  • Check the labels: Tomato paste should read tomatoes, and salt if any; coconut aminos, coconut sap and salt; Dijon, mustard seed, vinegar, water, and salt.
  • Fill it right: A slow cooker works best between half and two-thirds full. A 4-pound shoulder fits a 6-quart cooker.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Pork shoulder brings protein, thiamin, selenium, and zinc, and its collagen turns to gelatin over the long cook, which is what makes the meat silky.
  • Tomato paste is concentrated tomato, full of lycopene, and vinegar gives the sauce its tang.
  • Crisp lettuce and pickled cucumbers add crunch, water, and a sharp contrast to the rich meat.
  • Paprika, chili powder, cumin, and garlic build deep barbecue flavor from the spice drawer.
  • As you eat, notice the tangy sauce, the tender pork, and the cold crunch of the pickles, and check in later: a plate of this should carry you comfortably for at least 4 hours, through the fireworks.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this BBQ Pulled Pork? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Should I sear the pork first?

It is optional. Browning the chunks in a skillet before they go in adds a little depth, but the spice rub and the reduced sauce bring plenty of flavor without it.

Why save half the sauce?

Sauce cooked for 8 hours with the pork loses its brightness. Simmering fresh sauce with the cooking juices at the end gives a sauce that is both deep and tangy.

Can I make it in an Instant Pot?

Yes. Pressure-cook the rubbed pork with the onions, garlic, half the sauce, and 1/2 cup of water at high pressure for 75 minutes, let the pressure release naturally, and finish the sauce on the Sauté setting.

How many does it feed?

Eight generously. A 4-pound shoulder gives about 2 pounds of cooked meat.

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Tags: July Pick, Crockpot Meals, American (Southern), Dairy-Free