Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

Just serve these spice-rubbed Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with a delicious sweet honey chipotle sauce and a simple coleslaw. Add a toasted bun with a side of this Corn Salad for the ultimate summer meal!

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

There’s nothing that compares to a good smoked pork butt, but if you don’t have a smoker or you just don’t want to babysit it for the greater part of 15-20 hours, this is your recipe!

You’ll still get succulent, tender pork, worthy of any summer barbecue, and in a fraction of the time with minimal effort. The entire pork butt fits nicely into a crockpot* and slow cooks all day requiring no extra effort as it cooks (like spritzing pork in a smoker every few hours or wrapping and unwrapping it in butcher paper). It also makes your home smell incredible while allowing you to stay in the air conditioning all day long!

(*Crock-Pot is the trademarked brand of slow cooker made by  Sunbeam Products, but it’s often used generically in the English-speaking world when referring to any slow cooker appliance.) 

And just as the pork is simple to make, the sauce is equally easy. While you can skip a step and grab some store-bought BBQ sauce, this homemade chipotle barbecue sauce is one of our favorites! It’s so flavorful, sweet, a little smoky, and a bit spicy. And before you stray away from the spicy aspect of this BBQ sauce, it can easily be tailored to your personal spice tolerance. So, let’s talk about the sauce first!

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sauce

• Ketchup: I recommend Heinz® ketchup — it’s our favorite in this sauce (not sponsored).
• Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar work great; we typically use light brown sugar.
• Honey: Between the honey and brown sugar — these two ingredients really sweeten the sauce– the sweetness is offset a bit with the chipotles, but the sauce is intended to be a bit sweet. If you’d prefer to have it more on the spicy side, either increase the chipotles (see below) or decrease the amount of honey and/or brown sugar.
• Chipotle chilies in adobo: These chilies are what give the sauce its spice. Since we’re only using a bit of the can, be sure to read this chicken tinga tacos post for how to save and store leftover chipotles. Also, make sure to check out the quick tip below on adjusting spice levels.
• Apple cider vinegar: The vinegar helps to balance the sweet and spicy blend of this sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce: We use this ingredient to add to the depth of flavor.
• Garlic: Either pre-minced garlic or a coarsely chopped clove work well.
• Salt and pepper: Add to personal preference, remembering that the pork can be fairly salty!

QUICK TIP

Taste and adjust the sauce to personal preference; the chipotles are important to balancing the sauce (so it isn’t too sweet), but add slowly and taste as you go, so you don’t end up with an overly spicy sauce. Remember also that the bun and coleslaw tame the spiciness of the sauce.

How much chipotle?

• Little to no spice: Use 1-2 tablespoons of the sauce surrounding the canned chipotle peppers.
• Light spice: Use 2 tablespoons of the chipotle sauce and 1 tablespoon peppers.
• Medium spicy: Use 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce and 2 tablespoon peppers.
• Spicy: Use 2 tablespoons chipotle sauce and 3 tablespoons peppers.

Note that if you do make this sauce in advance (and put it in the fridge), it gets spicier as it sits. I love making the sauce in the morning, along with starting the pork in the crockpot, because come dinner time, there is literally nothing to do but assemble the sandwich (unless you’re also making coleslaw).

Let’s talk pork

I’ve tried all kinds of pork and all different weights in my slow cooker. I’ve gotten the best results from using a 5 to 5.5-pound bone-in pork shoulder or butt roast. Some of the different labels you might see: butt roast, Boston butt, shoulder roast, picnic shoulder, or a pork shoulder butt blade roast. (There is a difference between butt and shoulder pork roasts, but sometimes the names are confused or misleadingly named; check out the differences here). My personal favorite is a Boston Butt, but without going to a butcher, I usually can only find a pork shoulder butt roast in regular grocery stores. And just in case you were wondering, butt refers to the butt end of the shoulder roast, not the location on the pig!

A few notes on the pork:

• I recommend bone-in: The bone adds loads of flavor and once cooked, it pulls out easily. Bones add flavor and juiciness to the Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork. 
• Fat cap: A fat cap is the white layer of fat on the top of the meat. Most pork butts will have this fat cap; don’t cut it off! Instead, put it facing upwards in the slow cooker. As the pork cooks, this fat will render and drip down making the pork more flavorful and more tender. Also, once the pork is cooked, it pulls off super easily and can then be discarded.
• Cook the pork on low heat. I don’t recommend cooking the pork on high; it tends to dry it out and won’t end up as tender or juicy and does not shred as easily.
• Don’t over-work the pork when shredding: There are few things worse than mushy meat after spending money and time on it! Use two forks to gently pull the meat apart. Don’t throw it in a food processor or stand mixers; that will disintegrate or make it mushy.

Brioche buns

Our absolute favorite way to serve this Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork is on toasted brioche buns. (Here’s how to toast buns — on a grill, in a pan, or in the oven). Before toasting the buns, I recommend buttering both of the insides (use softened butter or butter in a tub).

Coleslaw

Toasted brioche buns, succulent BBQ pulled pork, and finally some coleslaw! The coleslaw adds the perfect contrasting crunchy texture to the tender pork and toasted buns; it’s no wonder they’re paired together so often!

I recently shared this Coleslaw recipe, so you can use that recipe to top this crockpot BBQ pulled pork. That said, if you’re wanting a quicker prep time, grab a bag of coleslaw mix and some fresh (refrigerated) coleslaw dressing (I like Marie’s® best; not sponsored) and toss the two together until the coleslaw mix is sufficiently mixed.

Add a generous scoop of coleslaw right on the Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork, top with a bun, and dig in!

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork side dish suggestions

• Potato Salad with hard-boiled eggs
• Creamy Fruit Salad with a yogurt-based dressing
• Pasta Salad with a two-ingredient dressing

More delicious summer recipes

• BBQ Chicken Sandwich with a quick guac and coleslaw
• Flank Steak with Corn Salsa delicious steak rub
• Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches with au jus 
• Chicken Tinga Tacos with quick pickled red onions
• Cilantro Lime Chicken with a mango salsa

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Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

5 from 5 votes

- Review this recipe

Spice-rubbed Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with a delicious sweet honey-chipotle sauce and a simple coleslaw.

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Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

5 from 5 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Spice-rubbed Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with a delicious sweet honey-chipotle sauce and a simple coleslaw.

Course Dinner, Main Course, Sandwich

Cuisine American

Keyword crockpot BBQ pulled pork

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 9 hours

Total Time 9 hours 30 minutes

Servings 10 -12 sandwiches

Calories 357kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $11.12

Ingredients

Pork in the crockpot

• ▢ 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• ▢ 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ▢ 1 cup 100% apple juice (or chicken broth works)
• ▢ 4.5-6.5 pounds bone-in pork butt shoulder roast (or Boston butt) (See Note 1)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tightly packed light brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: chili powder, paprika (sweet), garlic powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons EACH: onion powder, dry mustard powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ salt and pepper

Chipotle Honey Sauce

• ▢ 1 cup ketchup
• ▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ 1 and 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• ▢ 1-2 tablespoons canned chipotle chilies and surrounding adobo sauce (+ 2 tablespoons sauce surrounding chipotles) (See Note 2)
• ▢ salt and pepper

For Serving

• ▢ brioche buns and softened butter
• ▢ coleslaw for serving, (See Note 3)

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

Into the Slow Cooker

• Coat a large 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with the thinly sliced onions (2 medium or 1 very large). Pour in the apple juice and minced garlic.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper (I add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 heaping teaspoon cracked pepper). Remove pork from packaging and dab all over with a paper towel. Rub the spices into the pork -- all sides.
• Place the pork on top of the onions; if there is a white layer of fat, place that facing up (the fat will render down and make the pork more tender).
• Cover, and cook for 8-11 hours on low setting (a 5.5 pound pork is always done around 9 hours for me); I don't recommend cooking on high.
• Once the meat is completely cooked through and shreds easily, drain the liquid. Pull off the layer of fat on top (it should easily pull off), and pull out the bone and discard both (or save the bone and the drained liquid to make homemade stock!)
• Using two forks, shred the pork.

Sauce

• In a blender, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste).
• Add in 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce surrounding the chipotle chilis and then 1 tablespoon of an actual chipotle chili (cut chili if needed). If concerned about heat, add chilies and sauce gradually tasting after additions. (Add VERY slowly because it's always easy to increase if you want more heat. If you are very sensitive to heat just add the sauce around the chilies in small quantities.) Blend sauce until smooth.
• Pour the sauce over the pork (you may not use it all if using a smaller pork roast) and gently mix until pork is well coated and saucy.

Coleslaw And Buns

• Spread butter on the insides of the buns. Add to a skillet or griddle and lightly brown the buns over medium heat.
• Top the bottom bun with a generous amount of the BBQ pulled pork and a big spoonful of coleslaw (See Note 2). Add top bun and serve right away.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Pork: I've tried all kinds of pork and all different weights in my slow cooker. I've gotten the best results from using a 5-5.5 pound bone-in pork shoulder or butt roast. Some of the different labels you might see: butt roast, Boston butt, shoulder roast, picnic shoulder, or a pork shoulder butt blade roast. (There is a difference between butt and shoulder pork roasts, but sometimes the names are confused or misleadingly named; check out the differences here). My personal favorite is a Boston Butt, but without going to a butcher, I typically can only find a pork shoulder butt roast in regular grocery stores.

Note 2: Chipotles: Chipotle peppers can vary, but below is generally what I'd add to the BBQ sauce depending on how spicy (or not spicy) I'd like it to be. If not adding a lot of spice, you'll want to reduce the honey.

• Little to no spice: Use 1-2 tablespoons  adobo sauce surrounding the chipotle peppers.
• Light spice: Use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce  and 1 tablespoon peppers.
• Medium spicy: Use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce and 2 tablespoon peppers.
• Spicy: Use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce and 3 tablespoons peppers.

Note 3: Coleslaw: Here's a homemade coleslaw recipe. For a quicker coleslaw, grab a bag of coleslaw mix and some fresh (refrigerated) coleslaw dressing (I like Marie’s® best) and toss the two together until the coleslaw mix is sufficiently mixed.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 573IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

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