Crock Pot Pulled Pork
I know there are plenty of folks out there who don't have the time/equipment to spend a day smoking pork butts and while I prefer smoked pork, the purpose of BBQ is to make good food. Pulled pork in a crock pot is pretty easy and basically foolproof. It also reheats very well so can be made a few days ahead of time. I'll make it on the weekend for dinner and then use leftovers for a quick meal during the week.
I prefer to use a Boston butt, you can also use picnic pork. I also prefer bone in, it's a little more work, but not much and the bone adds flavor and helps with even cooking. One other note, a big piece of meat will need a long resting time. When I'm smoking meat I wrap it in foil and rest it for 2 hours before pulling the meat. Plan for an hour minimum resting time before serving.
Ingredients:
- 1 pork butt, get whatever size will fit in your crock pot comfortably. I don't usually see them smaller than 5 pounds
- Dirty Apron All Purpose Rub
- 2 tsp liquid smoke or to taste (optional, if you're using Sweet and Smoky Sauce you won't need this)
- Dirty Apron Original BBQ Sauce (any of our sauces will work, this one's my favorite)
Instructions:
- Coat your pork butt with the All Purpose Rub, I tend to go pretty heavy on a pork butt since there's not much surface area for the amount of meat.
- Cook on low for about 8 hours. It's hard to say how long it will take because there are a lot of variables between the piece of meat and your crock pot. Cook it until it reaches and internal temperature of 190-200 degrees.
- Rest your meat, ideally outside of the crock pot. I generally wrap it in foil and put it on a sheet pan in the oven for 2 hours. While it's resting you can take the liquid from the crock pot and skim the fat off, or pour it into a smaller container and put it in the fridge. As it cools the fat will rise to the top and firm up, making it much easier to separate. Reserve the liquid to add back to the pork once you've pulled it.
- After resting shred the meat, removing the bone and any big pieces of fat or gristle. I'll usually put it back in the crock pot. If you're using liquid smoke mix it with the reserved juices and toss it with the pork.
- I let people add their own sauce or toppings after serving depending on their taste. Carolina style (on a bun topped with cole slaw), cuban style (ham, mustard and pickle), carnitas (on a tortilla with lime, cilantro and queso fresco). Pretty much every cuisine has a pork shoulder variation. You can get a little crazy with it too and choose something from the Bizarre-B-Q section too.