Make Super Easy, Delicious Pulled Pork In A Crock Pot

Pulled pork lovers, rejoice! I discovered a recipe for making tender, juicy, flavorful pulled pork in your crock pot. Super easy. Really delicious.

Our go-to pulled pork recipe to date delivers a smoky, delectable, plate of meat, but it takes some effort — applying a spice rub and letting it marinate overnight, tending to a charcoal grill for several hours, then a few more hours in the oven. So when I came across a recipe for making it in a crock pot, I had to give it a go. So easy. So good. And I have a lot of ideas for making it my own.

Thanks to 100 Days of Real Food for sharing this treasure.

Pulled Pork In A Crock Pot

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, peeled and halved
• 3 to 3-1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder, halved

Directions

1. Mix the first six ingredients in a medium mixing bowl with a fork.
2. Add the honey, vinegar, and olive oil, and stir to combine.
3. Place the onion halves in the bottom of your crock pot. Top them with the 2 pieces of pork, and pour the honey-spice mixture over the top and sides of the pork.
4. Cook on low for 7 to 8 hours. (I left mine in for 10 hours.)
5. Remove from the crock pot, and shred with two forks. Serve in tortillas or on buns with toppings like barbecue sauce, coleslaw, onions, jalapeños, and pickles.

Variations

Here are the variations I’m considering for my next crock pot pulled pork.

• Whip up your favorite herb and spice mix to use in place of the one in the recipe. Next time I make this, I plan to add some brown sugar and increase the amounts of black pepper, garlic powder, and thyme. I’ll likely also try our go-to dry rub which is a mix of 4 tablespoons sweet paprika, 2 tablespoons chili powder, 2 tablespoons ground cumin, 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons ground black pepper, and 1 to 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper.
• Give it a tomatoey twist by adding a can of chopped fire-roasted tomatoes and maybe some ketchup.
• Add a few shakes of liquid smoke to fake the taste and smell of a charcoal grill.

Do you have ideas for other ways to mix up the recipe? Let me know how your crock pot pulled pork turns out!

Image Credit: Crock Pot via Shutterstock