Easy Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

Smoky, saucy pulled pork in the slow cooker with just 10 minutes of prep time? You heard that right. This easy recipe results in tender shredded meat with huge flavor and it couldn’t be simpler to pull together. Unlike other recipes, though, you won’t find any barbecue sauce here. Instead, we lean on smoky chipotles in adobo, plus minced onion, bay leaves, and canned tomatoes. It all gets tossed together with a boneless pork shoulder, then the slow cooker does the rest of the work. Pile this saucy pulled pork on buns with pickles and coleslaw, or use it to top baked potatoes, pair it with macaroni and cheese, or work it into a batch of nachos. Simple and so delicious, this low-effort, high-reward recipe is definitely worth a try.

Why Make Pulled Pork in a Slow Cooker?

There's no shortage of ways to make pulled pork, and while you can use your stovetop, oven, or even a smoker for the task, we love the extra gentle, even treatment a slow cooker provides. Plus, it's one of the safest ways to cook since it's plugged into the wall and can be left unattended for hours.

Once you've shredded your pork, return it to the slow cooker and stir it into the smoky, savory sauce. Not ready to serve quite yet? Set it to warm and keep your pulled pork piping hot until it's dinnertime. And if you're bringing this recipe to a tailgate or potluck, you can bring the slow cooker with you and plug it in when you arrive to rewarm the pork for serving.

Key Ingredients for Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

Pork shoulder: Pork shoulder is a tough, sturdy cut with plenty of fat and connective tissue. It comes from the area above the front legs of the pig and is best suited to roasting, smoking, or braising. You can also use pork butt here, which has more marbling and intramuscular fat than pork shoulder, with equally good results.

Chipotles in adobo: This flavor-boosting ingredient is made from jalapeños that are first smoked and dried, then canned in a spicy, tomato-based sauce. They contribute a deep, smoky flavor and peppery kick to the braising liquid in this recipe but can also be added to salsas, soups, stews, taco fillings, and so much more. Refrigerate the remaining chiles and sauce for up to one week or freeze for up to six months.

Canned tomatoes: A combination of canned crushed tomatoes and whole peeled tomatoes makes up the base of the sauce. There's no need to crush or chop the whole peeled tomatoes before adding them to the slow-cooker—they'll break down on their own as the sauce simmers.

Onion: A finely chopped yellow onion is our allium of choice for this recipe. You can swap in a white or red onion instead if that's all you have on hand.

Bay leaf: Dried bay leaves lend a subtle earthiness to the sauce. They're best used in long-cooked recipes, like this one, where their flavor can slowly infuse the liquid they're simmered in. If you don't have any on hand, though, don't sweat it; they can be left out.

Oregano: Like bay leaves, dried oregano brings an herby note to the braising liquid and is a delicious complement to the smoky chipotles.

How to Make Pulled Pork Ahead

You can make this pulled pork recipe up to 3 days before you plan to serve it. Shred it according to the recipe, then refrigerate in an airtight container. Reheat it, covered, on the stovetop or in the slow cooker on low until the sauce is simmering and the meat is moist and tender.