This is some of the best pulled pork I’ve had in a long time (I’ve been working on perfecting this recipe for months!), and it also doesn’t include any highly processed ingredients like refined brown sugar, corn syrup, or ketchup.
My husband says it is so good that no BBQ sauce is necessary. Now, you know it’s good pulled pork when you don’t reach for your favorite BBQ sauce. He would like me to pass on that he does like to dip it into a little hot sauce, although I for sure prefer mine with nothing added. Try it both ways and decide for yourself. Either way this is a great dish for serving (and pleasing!) a crowd.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon thyme, dried
- ½ cup honey
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and cut in half
- 3 pounds pork shoulder, cut in half
Instructions
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In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the first six ingredients (all of the spices) with a fork.
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Pour in the honey, vinegar, and olive oil and stir to form a paste.
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Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top it with the 2 pieces of pork and then pour the honey paste over all sides of the pork pieces. It’s okay if some of it (or a lot of it) just drips down to the bottom.
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Turn the slow cooker on to low and cook for 7 to 8 hours or until the meat is tender enough to be easily shredded with a fork.
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Serve the shredded pork warm with fixings like homemade coleslaw and cornbread. My husband also likes his dipped in a little hot sauce. Refrigerate or freeze the leftovers.
Recipe Notes
I used a pork shoulder, but you could experiment with a pork roast or pork loin. Another serving option is whole-wheat hamburger buns - pulled pork sandwiches!
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Made this tonight and both husband and I were disappointed. Unlike other reviewers, we had no problem with it being too salty or spicy – it was completely flavorless. Cooked to perfection, falling off the bone, but it had no flavor whatsoever. I followed the recipe exactly and did not mix all the sauce in at the end – just added a couple large spoonfuls over shredded meat. Maybe that was the problem? Although other replies to questions about that said you didn’t need to mix any sauce in if you didn’t want to. Not sure what went wrong. We really wanted to love this, but it was a miss for us :(
I have never had a problem. it is my fav. pulled pork. it is suppose to cook in the juice, the you can easily use forks to shred it apart and leave it in the sauce.
Katie, I always pull the meat out to shred, spoon off some of the oil, transfer juices to a sauce pan and reduce the juices for awhile. It makes a delicious sauce!
Any chance your spices are old and have lost their punch? I’ve made this many times and it’s a no-fail recipe for me. When this recipe was originally posted it called for TWO tablespoons of salt, which is way too much. I don’t even use the full tablespoon that it calls for. I’m not a big fan of pork shoulder, so I always use a boneless pork roast that has a nice layer of fat on it. Makes for a moist and flavorful pulled pork.
This is our go-to pulled pork recipe, and has been for several years now! My husband and I both love it. We often add a little bit more cayenne pepper for a spicier flavor, but otherwise follow the recipe as written. :)
My family loves the pork, it’s out of this world! One question, didn’t you have a coleslaw recipe too?
Hi. Here ya go: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/recipe-asian-coleslaw-radish-ministicks/.
I love this has anyone tried it with beef? I’m wondering if it would be just as good?
Hi there. No, we’ve not tried it with beef. Let us know if you do. :)
Yes it isn’t very good with roast
I tried it but I didn’t have Cheyenne pepper so I used red pepper flakes it was a bit hot so I added a little brown sugar, it’s perfectly delicious! Thank you!
One of our favourites! Any ideas on how this could be adapted for the Instant Pot?
Hi. These should help: https://blog.platejoy.com/how-to-adapt-recipes-for-instant-pot/ and https://mycrazygoodlife.com/convert-recipes-instant-pot/.
We loved this recipe!! I followed all the directions but cooked it in my instant pot steaming for 65 minutes. It was fantastic! The boys liked it better that the bottled bbq sauce…Win for Real Food!!
Did you need to add any water/liquid? Thanks!
I did not add any extra liquid in addition to the recipe sauce. My piece of pork was fatty on one side. It turned so tasty!!
Nope, it makes plenty of its own.