This easy crock pot shredded pork tenderloin recipe makes healthy BBQ pulled pork tenderloin. Trim a pork tenderloin, coat it with BBQ rub, and a bit of liquid smoke in your slow cooker for 2-3 hours. You don't need a marinade or braising fluid. We enjoy delicious, moist, smoky pull pork for dinner or sliders for a small party.
🐖Ingredients
Pork tenderloin
Liquid smoke—good quality, recommended but not required
BBQ dry rub—brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, black pepper
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐖Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Crockpot Shredded Pork Tenderloin —Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 🌡️When is pork tenderloin done and ready to shred?
- ✔️Tips and Variations
- 🥣Related Shredded and Pulled Pork Recipes
- 🍽️Serving
- ❄️How to store and reheat shredded pork tenderloin
- ❓FAQs
- 🐖About Pork Tenderloin
- 📖 Recipe
- Crock Pot Shredded Pork Tenderloin
Featured Comment by Sandi:
"I made this tonight, and it was just as described. It's super easy and very tasty. The meat was tender with a nice flavor. Everyone loved it, and it will be used again! Thank you!"
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
You will love this pulled pork for some great BBQ sandwiches. Moist and tender, this shredded pork tenderloin is seasoned with a dry rub and only takes a few hours in a crock pot.
I think of this recipe as pulled pork for two—there is no need to make large amounts with leftovers for weeks. But you can easily scale up the amount to meet your needs.
Pork tenderloin is lean, so low and slow cooking is not needed. And it will fit a healthy diet like a low-calorie or low-fat diet or even a low-carb keto diet.
👨🍳How to Make Crockpot Shredded Pork Tenderloin —Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Trim and cut pork tenderloin into 5-6 pieces.
2. Mix a dry rub of brown sugar, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper.
3. Coat the trimmed pork tenderloin with liquid smoke (optional) and the rub
4. Place in the bottom of a 2-quart or larger crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours until 155° and fork tender.
5. Shred the meat and mix it into the crock pot liquid.
6. Let it cook another 15-20 minutes on high before serving.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🌡️When is pork tenderloin done and ready to shred?
The minimum safe temperature for pork tenderloin is 145°. But shedding needs to be a bit higher, usually 155°+.
Test it with a fork for "fork tender," when a fork can go in the meat and back out with little resistance. That is when it will shred the easiest.
✔️Tips and Variations
The thickness of a mass of pork will affect the cooking time. We prefer not to pile the chunks on top of others, or if you do, the cooking time will be longer. Please try to keep it to a single layer to help with cooking time and even out the cooking.
The liquid smoke is optional, but I love the smokiness it adds. But only use good-quality ingredients that list only water and smoke. I always use Hickory Wright's Liquid Smoke®️.
This works in a 2-quart crock pot, but I like to use a 3-4 quart size to stay in a single layer. But a bigger slow cooker will also work.
If the pork has been frozen, it may contain less moisture than a fresh tenderloin. If you need to, please add a bit of chicken broth after shredding.
The dry rub provides the seasoning, but you can use any pork rub you like. Check out BBQ Dry Rub, Chipotle BBQ Dry Rub, or Memphis Dry Rub.
🥣Related Shredded and Pulled Pork Recipes
For shredded pork loin, see Shredded Pork Loin in the Oven or Pulled Pork Loin in the Crock Pot. Or for pork butt, try Smoked Pulled Pork Butt on a Gas Grill, Oven Pulled Pork Butt, or Crock Pot Pulled Boston Butt.
Check out some other crock pot BBQ recipes, like Crock Pot BBQ Chicken and Baby Back Ribs in the crock pot.
🍽️Serving
Serve as a pulled pork sandwich on a hamburger bun with the barbecue sauce you like. I love the original sauce from Gates of Kansas City but frequently use my homemade Memphis BBQ Sauce. American Test Kitchen likes Bull's-Eye®️ Original BBQ Sauce.
It can also be used as tacos, nachos, or quesadillas.
Add coleslaw if you wish, then a side salad, potato salad, Homemade French Fries, Grilled Mixed Vegetables, Stove Top Mac and Cheese, or Microwave Corn on the Cob.
❄️How to store and reheat shredded pork tenderloin
Store leftovers in an airtight container. Store in the refrigerator for 4 days. Or in a freezer for 3 months.
To reheat, cover in the oven with a few sprinkles of water until hot. Do not reheat in or cover with BBQ sauce. The meat will become mushy due to the acid in the BBQ sauce.
❓FAQs
BBQ sauce should be added at serving but not during cooking or reheating.
BBQ sauce has acid due to the vinegar base. This will deteriorate the texture of pulled pork from a tenderloin or pork butt, especially when heated.
Use a large crock pot and make a double or triple recipe. If you need more than one layer of pork, it will take longer to cook.
No. This recipe is for pork tenderloin. For butt and loin recipes, please see the Related Recipes section above.
🐖About Pork Tenderloin
The tenderloin refers to the psoas muscle along the lower back. It is chicken tenders in the chicken or beef tenderloin (filet mignon) in cattle. The psoas muscle is generally the most tender cut since it is not used for movement.
A pork tenderloin is not a pork loin. Shredding a pork loin requires a braising technique.
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Shredded Pork Tenderloin
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ pound pork tenderloin - one whole
- 2 tablespoons dry rub of your choice
- 1 teaspoon liquid Smoke—optional but recommended - Wrights preferred
Use my BBQ dry rub or season of your choice
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Start with pork tenderloin. Trim off extra fat and the silver skin and cut into 5-6 pieces of about equal size.
- If using the included dry rub, mix 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon each black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- In a larger bowl, coat the pork with liquid smoke (optional) and coat the pieces with the dry rub.
- Place the meat in the bottom of a 2 quart or larger crock pot. Cook on high for 2-3 hours. Check the pork at 2 hours to see if it will shred easily—it should be over 155° and fork tender. You may need to cook up to 1 hour longer.
- Shred the meat and mix it into the crock pot liquid. Let it cook another 15-20 minutes on high before serving.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Be sure you use pork tenderloin and not pork loin for this recipe.
- You don’t have to cut the pork tenderloin into chunks, but it will take longer to cook and result in very long pork stands after shredding.
- Bad liquid smoke is worse than no liquid smoke. Use Wright's or skip this ingredient.
- Keep the pork in a single layer to help faster and even cooking.
- This fits in a 2-quart crock pot but will be a single layer in a 3-4 quart crock pot. I suggest a large crock pot for a double batch.
- Add the BBQ sauce you like at serving, but do not store or reheat the shredded pork in the sauce. It will affect the texture.
- Good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and frozen for 3-4 days.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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This recipe is featured in Pulled Pork Recipes without a Smoker and Smaller Crock Pot Recipe Roundup
Editors Note: Originally Published July 13, 2014. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Kristina says
Dan, thanks for the quick reply, I won't use what I have. What flavor smoke do you prefer that Wright's sells? Hickory or Apple wood?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Either, but I usually get hickory but everybody has their own favorites.
Dan
Kristina says
Hi, I plan on making this tomorrow but I don't have Wright's liquid smoke, I have Colgin Liquid Smoke, Mesquite Original Recipe, Walmart was out of the hickory, should I use this or skip it? Thank you.
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Kristina,
Welcome to the blog.
The answer is really up to your taste. But I feel liquid smoke should only have water and smoke, and Colgin has other ingredients, so I would not use it. Just skip it.
Dan
Thai says
1/4 pound with what? The recipe calls for 1.5 lbs though
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Thai,
I guess we aren't communicating well. A 1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin makes 6 servings of 1/4 pound each, and that 1/4 pound, when shredded, will be about 3/4 cup and will make a large sandwich.
Let me know if that is now what you need.
Dan
Thai says
How much is a serving?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
1/4 pound with will be about 3/4 cup shredded pork.
Dan
Lisa says
If I am using a frozen tenderloin, other than obviously not being able to cut the meat into chunks, how would that change the process/cooking time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Lisa,
Welcome to the blog.
Not a good idea. There are two potential issues. Frozen meat can literally break the ceramic inserts commonly used in crock pots due to temperature differential and expansion between the heating element and frozen meat. Not a common thing but obviously a dangerous situation.
The second is food safety with the food staying outside of the safe temperature zone for too long.
So, please thaw first. If you need to get it done, please follow the water thawing method discussed in this turkey recipe. A pork tenderloin should thaw quickly. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/how-to-roast-a-turkey-breast-the-easy-way/
Dan
Merzi says
Hi Dan,
Thanks for your recipe! I used you spices mostly as is…I used garlic salt for my salt, I didn’t cut up the tenderloin and cooked it on high for 6 hours….after shredding I mixed some of the pork with Stubb’s Original BBQ sauce and the rest as is…it was delicious! I think your recipe was great and will use this going forward!
Kristin Wrobel says
I wanted to make pulled pork tacos and found your recipe to learn about how long to cook it in a crock pot. I cooked a 1.5lb tenderloin on high for 2.5 hours, but found it to be VERY hard to shred. I did more research online and read pork goes from raw to cooked to tender. I don’t believe 2.5 hours is the best time to create tender, easily shredded pork. Perhaps 4 hours? The pork tasted delicious though and was easy to bite into, but it created much larger chucks than desired. But perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing for tacos.
Cheryl says
Hi,
I make a recipe very similar to yours frequently; it’s actually my 20 year old sons favorite! He is home from college (for spring break) and I’m going to make it for him; but I am wondering if you could give me times for making this in the Instant Pot?🙏🏼 I thought I’d brown the tenderloins (sauté function) and then add my liquid, but I’m worried about how long to cook. Thanks so much, glad I found you, you’ve got some great recipes!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Cheryl,
Welcome to the blog.
I'm not a big pressure cooker user and have not done this. But it should be in the same range as shredded chicken, so my guess is about 10 minutes under pressure. But again, I have not done this.
Dan
Victoria Ashton says
Hello, I'm following this recipe (first time using a slow cooker) but I have a question - should you brown the meat first?
Thanks!
Victoria
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Victoria,
Browning is not needed.
Dan
Sandi says
I made this tonight and it was just as described. It's super easy and very tasty. The meat was tender with a nice flavor. Everyone loved it and it will be used again! Thank you!
Kayla Evans says
Im in the process of using this recipe and im wondering if i add water or chicken broth to my crock pot ir do i just put the tenderloin in and let it cook. I have already added my spices just curious about liquid?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Kayla,
Welcome to the blog.
Some liquid will come out of the meat. No need to add any.
Dan
Rachel says
Made it with pork tenderloin and was so easy and tasty that I tried it with chicken too.
Thanks so much!
Mary says
Thanks for this recipe. It's a keeper!
I'm confused about crock pots and your answer to the Wrong Temp post. If the only difference between high and low settings is the warm up speed, then why does mine have the option to switch to low after 2 hours on high? Did I misread something?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Mary,
Welcome to the blog.
I think I said exactly what I wanted to say.
I only have a couple of reasons your pot could have that setting. First, they aren't using a thermostat (really a bad thing). Most do but some still don't. Many old ones didn't either. Without a thermostat to control it, they worked by applying different amperage to the heating element for low vs high. These are the type of pots that run horribly hot at times even on low since they are applying the same amperage and the temperature just keeps climbing.
The other possibility is that the marketing/design people have no idea of what their product actually does. But I suspect the first.
So the old "know your pot" applies. If it boils much, it is too hot. And buy a different brand next time. KitchenAid seems to win the testing at Cooks Illustrated a lot but they very by model. My All Clads seem very good also. And my Cuisinart 3.5 qt is stellar.
Thanks for the note, question and rating. I love to ramble on.
Dan