This incredibly easy Crock Pot Pulled Pork recipe is made with pork butt (a.k.a. Boston butt). My method uses no liquid or searing—just a pork butt and a simple BBQ dry rub—add some liquid smoke if you want. A few minutes of prep time, then cook low and slow in your slow cooker for wonderfully moist and tender pulled pork.
🐖Ingredients
Pork butt—raka Boston butt
Liquid smoke—optional but suggested
BBQ dry rub—your own OR mine: brown sugar, kosher salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🐖Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Cook Crock Pot Pulled Pork from Pork Butt (aka Boston Butt)—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 👍Make it right every time
- 📋Related recipes you will love
- 🍽️Serving Pulled Pork
- ❓What BBQ sauce is best for pulled pork?
- ❄️How to store pulled pork.
- ♨️How to reheat pulled pork
- ❓FAQs
- 🐖What are Boston butt, pork butt, and pork shoulder
- 📖 Recipe
- Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Featured Comment by LK:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"This is the best recipe I have ever used for pork in the crock-pot and I have tried many through the years adding liquids of all sorts. Using dry rub seasoning and the aluminum foil balls cooked the pork perfectly."
The best-pulled pork is made from a pork butt cooked low and slow to melt all the delicious connective tissue for a moist and tender result. Use it for BBQ sandwiches, sliders, or great Mexican tacos, burritos, and nachos.
I like to cook pork butt in dryer heat like grills, ovens, or smokers. Not braised in cola, broth, or other liquids. It is not cooked in the drained liquid fat, so my foil balls will elevate the pork roast.
Perfect for game-day parties and family gatherings. Or cook a smaller pork butt and freeze some for later.
👨🍳How to Cook Crock Pot Pulled Pork from Pork Butt (aka Boston Butt)—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Prepare a large crock pot with six aluminum foil balls to keep the pork from draining.
2. Use the dry rub of your choice or make the suggested rub.
3. Pat dry the pork butt and then coat it with about 2 tablespoons of good-quality liquid smoke.
4. Generously apply the BBQ dry rub.
5. Place on the foil balls and cook covered on low undisturbed for 8-10 hours.
6. Cook until internal temp of 195° minimum—but 200°-205° is preferred—usually 8 to 10 hours.
7. Wrap tight with aluminum foil, then wrap with several towels. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes, but 2-3 hours is fine if wrapped well. Shred with forks. It will fall apart.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
👍Make it right every time
Use a 3-4 pound pork butt, with or without bone. Bone-in may take a bit longer to cook.
Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours until you reach 195°+ (200°-205° preferred). 190° is the absolute minimum, but it will not be as good. You can also cook on high, decreasing the cooking time.
Elevate to pork butt out of the drainage with a small rack or crumpled aluminum foil. The fat pad may go up or down; it does not matter.
You will get 3-4 servings per pound. Large butts will take longer to cook, but it will work if it fits without touching the sides.
Optionally, wet the pork with liquid smoke or mustard and then apply a pork rub of your choice—a suggested rub is in the recipe card if you don't have one.
Wrap tightly in heavy foil for 15 minutes or more before shredding. The pork will stay hot for 2 to 3 hours if well-wrapped, which will help in timing.
📋Related recipes you will love
Oven Baked Pulled Pork Butt
Oven Pulled Pork from pork butt is cooked in the oven low and slow. Our best-pulled pork recipe is tender and moist with delicious bark. Super easy, with almost no work—you rub, bake at 250° for 8 to 9 hours, shred, and eat.
Smoked Pulled Pork on a Gas Grill
Cooking smoked pulled pork butt low and slow on your backyard gas grill is easier than you think. With just a pork butt roast (AKA Boston butt), a dry rub, and wood chips, you can make juicy BBQ pulled pork with fantastic crusty bark and smoky flavor.
Check out other pork butt recipes, like Oven Baked Pork Carnitas and Crock Pot Carnitas. Also, check out my other dry rubs like Chipotle BBQ Dry Rub, Memphis Dry Rub Recipe, and BBQ Dry Rub for Ribs, Pork, Beef, and More.
See the Pulled Pork Recipe Roundup for recipes using pork tenderloin and loin for shredded pulled pork.
🍽️Serving Pulled Pork
The most common serving method is pulled pork sandwiches with buns or slices of bread but a pile of pork with some sauce on a plate if you want to skip the bread. Other options are casseroles, pork tacos, or pork enchiladas. But serve your pulled pork any way you want.
Side dishes: The usual coleslaw, potato chips, and potato salad are the standards. Hot sides like potato casseroles, convection oven French fries, stovetop mac & cheese, and baked beans are favorites.
❓What BBQ sauce is best for pulled pork?
Barbecue sauce is a lot about personal taste. A sweeter BBQ sauce like Kansas City or Memphis sauce is excellent. There are also Carolina vinegar-based sauces and many Texas and other BBQ sauces. Use your favorite.
Try my homemade Memphis Barbecue Sauce. This sauce always disappears first at parties, and others are left untouched. I commonly use Gate's Kansas City sauce and Cooks Illustrated like Bull's-eye Original or Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce.
One quick reminder: do not reheat pork butt in BBQ sauce. The acid in it will destroy the texture of the pulled pork. Always add any sauce at the time of serving.
❄️How to store pulled pork.
Pulled pork is good refrigerated for 3-4 days, but two days is preferred since the texture suffers.
Leftovers can be sealed airtight in the freezer and frozen for 4 months. Many people freeze the pork in reheatable sealed bags and then reheat those in boiling water.
♨️How to reheat pulled pork
Reheat pulled pork on a sheet pan in an oven. Sprinkle with water, apple juice, or chicken broth (don’t overdo it). Cover tightly with foil and put it into the oven at 250° to 300° until hot. The time varies by how you shredded it and the amount on the tray—usually about 45 minutes in the oven.
You can then turn the oven down (keep it covered) or transfer it to a crock pot on low to keep warm. I know that is not very exact, but you get the idea.
Never reheat pulled pork in or with sauce applied—the acid in the sauce will destroy the texture.
❓FAQs
No, but good-quality liquid smoke enhances the results. You could also coat it with mustard if you want. Or use the dry rub alone.
If you use liquid smoke, please only use one with water and smoke listed as ingredients and nothing else. Cheap liquid will ruin this. I use Wright's.
No liquid is needed to cook pulled pork in the slow cooker. Liquid will change the texture of the "bark" you get with the dry rub.
There must be some time for the fluid and melted connective tissue to reabsorb into the meat cells.
Wrap with foil and a couple of towels, then let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes, but 1 to 2 hours is better.
To help timing, you can delay shedding time by up to 3 hours by wrapping the foil-sealed butt in multiple towels and a small cooler.
It's not a good idea—it will not shred well. It is better to shred correctly while hot.
Some crock pots won't do it. Do not try to shred pork butt that did not reach at least 190° because the connective tissue is not fully melted and will not be good. Get to 195°, but 200° to 205° is better.
You can move the pork butt to a 250°-300° oven on a tray and finish cooking uncovered in the oven if your crock pot can not get to the suggested internal temperature.
🐖What are Boston butt, pork butt, and pork shoulder
Pork butt and Boston butt are the same thing and are the best cut of pork to make great pulled pork due to the fat, marbling, and connective tissue content. The clear plate (a thin muscle above the butt) is occasionally included with the pork butt and is prized for its moisture and tenderness.
Boston butt and pork shoulder are not the same things, although many people use the terms interchangeably. To add to the confusion, the name "pork shoulder" also refers to a primal cut with two major subprimal parts, the Boston butt and the picnic shoulder (AKA pork shoulder.)
The pork butt is above the picnic shoulder in the pork shoulder primal cut. While the whole primal cut is well-marbled and tough meat, the butt area has more connective tissue to melt and is the cut of choice for pulled pork and carnitas.
📖 Recipe
Crock Pot Pulled Pork
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Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 3-4 pounds Pork Butt, aka Boston Butt - boneless or bone-in
- 2 tablespoons liquid smoke - good quality
- 1 cup BBQ dry rub
My BBQ dry rub if you don't have one
- ½ cup dark brown sugar - light will do
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt - I tend to decrease this some
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Start with a 3-4 pounds boneless or bone-in pork butt.
- Prep a large crock pot with six balls of aluminum foil. Make about 2-inch balls of foil, then squish to 1 inch high and arrange in the bottom of the crock pot.
- You can use the dry rub of your choice or make the suggested rub: ½ cup dark brown sugar, 3 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Stir together in a small bowl.
- Optional but recommended—pat dry the pork butt and then coat with about 2 tablespoons of good-quality liquid smoke.
- Generously apply the rub. At this point, you could wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it overnight or cook it right away.
- Place on the foil balls and cook on low undisturbed for 8-10 hours.
- Bake until the internal temperature is 195° (190 ° at a minimum)—about 8-10 hours, but this will vary slightly with the thickness of the meat and the crock pot. If you can reach 200°-205°, the results will be better. Remove the meat from the crock pot onto a large sheet of heavy-duty foil.
- Wrap tight with aluminum foil, then wrap with several towels. Allow to rest for at least 15 minutes, but 2-3 hours is fine if wrapped well. Shred with forks. It will fall apart.
- Serve as pulled pork sandwiches or any way you wish, like tacos or nachos.
Recipe Notes
Pro Notes:
- This is an all-day recipe.
- This is for about a 3-4 pound pork butt, but if it fits in the crock pot without touching the sides, it will work. But the time will be much longer.
- Bone-in or boneless does not matter. And fat pad up or down does not matter.
- I suggest a good-quality liquid smoke, but you can skip it if you prefer. You can also use mustard.
- Use a rub of your choice. I provided a suggested rub. You may decrease the salt if you want.
- Done is really 200°-205°, but some crock pots just can't reach that temperature. Don't settle for under 190°; try for at least 195°, but higher is better.
- If your crock pot does not reach the correct temperature, move it to a 250° oven on a tray with sides to finish.
- Do not shred immediately. Wrap with foil and let the fluid absorb for at least 15 minutes, but 1-2 hours is better.
- You can delay shedding time by 2-3 hours by wrapping the foil-sealed butt in multiple towels and a small cooler if you have one.
- It would be good if refrigerated for up to 4 days, but I would prefer 2 days since the texture seems to suffer. It will freeze well for 4 months.
- Reheating instructions are in the recipe post above.
- Never reheat with sauce applied; the acid will destroy the texture.
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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Editor's Note: Originally Published April 9, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Kam Thomps says
On January 5th, I made this recipe, sans liquid smoke, following the method precisely. Oh, my goodness. I have finally found the way to the pig I have been craving. I will never braise (read: boil) pig butt again. This was exceptional. I made a five pound roast, and if both my husband and my Golden Retriever were not so darned cute, I would have eaten it all myself. In time. Though, not too much time.
Thank you so much.
DrDan says
Hi Kam,
Welcome to the blog.
I do love pulled pork (and golden retrievers). Glad it worked well for you.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Ann G says
Hello! For the last couple of years I began making a non-traditional Christmas dinner, crockpot pulled pork for BBQ sandwiches using a eastern North Carolina sauce which is vinegar-based. I just throw my Boston butt in there for 8-10 hours, shred and then pour on the yummy sauce! (We love slaw on our bbq sandwiches!). I want to try the aluminum foil balls on the bottom to keep the meat out of the muck. I always thought the liquid would help keep it tender though. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Hana Jenkins says
Went looking for slow cooker pork butt recipes this morning and when I scrolled down your page, I immediately thought, "Oh! I've done this before and I really liked it!" So I've just put it together for this evening. I only made one change: I used smoked paprika because I didn't have liquid smoke. I used almost a tablespoon (I didn't really measure...heh...) and then cut back on the pepper a little, but not too much. Thank you for the ingenious idea of foil balls under the meat!
Quinton says
I put mine in the crock pot at 8am this morning, came home at 12 to check on it and my temperature was 200-208 throughout. Mine was 2.5 pounds-cooked on low the entire time. Have it wrapped in aluminum foil now. I’m assuming my crock pots rate of cooking is faster than others that need 10 hours? Once I take it out of the aluminum foil, what’s the best way to heat it back up for dinner around 6 pm?
Thanks!
DrDan says
Hi Quinton,
Welcome to the blog.
That seems very fast, even for 2.5 pounds.
So what to do now? After wrapped for a little while, it needs to be shredded before it gets cold or it will firm up and be hard to shred.
The reheating of pulled pork is a long debated topic. Many "experts" like a plastic reheating bag with a bit of apple juice in boiling water. Others use a sealed oven pan with some apple juice or a bit of water. I like the oven method best for larger amounts. I admit to a covered microwave dish with a bit of water. Be sure not to overdo the microwave.
Lastly, I would be careful with other recipes in that crockpot.
Dan
Steve says
Hi,
I’m trying this for the first time. In all of the text of the recipe is says “chili powder” yet in the photo of the ingred You Show PAPRIKA. Does it matter?
DrDan says
Hi Steve,
Welcome to the blog.
It should be chili powder and I now have replaced the picture. I appear to have grabbed the wrong bottle for the photo. Paprika is made from different chili peppers and will taste a bit different but sometimes not a lot.
This recipe has been seen more than 1 million times and you are the first to notice it. So you are "one in a million"
Thanks for the proofread.
Dan
David Buckley says
Can a plastic liner be used for this recipe.?
Thanks
DrDan says
Hi David,
Welcome to the blog.
If by plastic liner you mean those very thin disposable liners that are made for crock pots. Definitely yes but still use the foil balls to elevate the meat to keep it out of the muck.
Dan
David says
Hello.. thanks for the reply ..
decided to go your route .. got it wrapped in fridge .. got crockpot loaded with the foil ..
I even shopped around for the Wright liquid smoke .. ;-)
Thanks for the recipe advice..
Cheers !!
Gwen K says
Wow impressive!!! I had a bone in 5 lb pork, was so confused on how is best to cook, sear first, roast last, 4 hours vs 8-10 hours, ect... but this was easier, and creative but made sense... so i decided to go with this one, so happy I did!!! I Marinated in Claude’s sauce for an hour prior, since I had run out of liquid smoke, then followed this recipe exact, got my 8 hours of sleep, this freed me up to do more cooking last night and this morning for a gathering... at 10 hours exactly it was at 205 degrees, juicy, tender and falling apart, and smells delicious!! Thank you for saving me!!!
DrDan says
Hi Gwen,
Welcome to the blog. Glad it worked well for you.
I do love logical recipes. That crockpot is just a little oven so let it tend the food and free you up for other things (I love naps).
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Shane says
Can i use light brown sugar instead?
DrDan says
Hi Shane,
Welcome to the blog.
Yep that is fine. Brown sugar is just sugar with molasses. A little more in the dark and not much taste difference.
The rub is just a suggested rub. I use a similar rub for many things. I've used both light and dark so use what you have.
Dan
Kelly taylor says
Hi Dan I did your recipe from the beginning to the end and mine's been cooking for 9 & a half hours now and it is about 6 lb but there's a lot of liquid in the bottom and it started to move around the tin foil balls should I take out the liquid? I know I need to cook it longer but I was wondering about so much liquid adding up? Thanks
Kelly t
DrDan says
Hi Kelly,
I have never had more than 1/2 inch so yep if it is moving around, then remove some fluid as quickly as possible. You will lose a lot of heat so pop it up to high.
Dan
Steve Mulvenon says
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. "Outstanding," was my wife's verdict. The only variations from the recipe were a 4.7 lb roast and not using liquid smoke. The rub I used already had smoke flavoring, so I was afraid of overkill on smoke flavor. It was done to perfection in 10 hours.
DrDan says
Hi Steve,
Welcome to the blog.
Sometimes I think of this as an "odd" recipe since there is not much to it but the results are just so good.
If your rib is "smoky", then the liquid some is a bit redundant. My rib is straight up so I always add it but many seem to object or don't have it so skipping it is always an option. Or if they are not sure of the quality of their brand, I would definitely skip it.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Kari says
My family loved this! I loved how easy it was in a crock pot. Delicious! What is your best method for reheating? We have lots of leftovers.
DrDan says
Hi Kari,
Welcome to the blog.
It is amazingly simple to get so much good.
The most common recommended reheating method is a plastic bag with a touch of apple juice in boiling water. Also, you can freeze it that way for easy reuse.
Now I never have apple juice. So I just put a dash of water in with the pork I'm reheating and then microwave just to a good reheat. Not hot-hot. Works fine for me but the pulled pork gods will strick me down someday.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Lisa says
Hi there, Howdy!!
I have come across your recipe and am very anxious to try this. I ended up buying a 15 pounder at Costco, but will be cutting it in 1/2, so lets say it will be 7.5 pounds that I am going to cook and I'll freeze the other half. (This was the smallest that they had)!! On your recipe calculations, I entered in the weight, and it said 19/20 cups of brown sugar.
Does this literally mean 19-20 cups of sugar?? This seems like quite a lot. Please clarify!!
Please help!! Today is Sunday, Oct. 21, 2018 and I would like to get this cooking by Wednesday!!
Thanks for your help!!
Lisa
Ingredients
7 3/5 lbs Pork Butt aka Pork Shoulder
3 4/5 tablespoons liquid smoke good quality
My Rub
19/20 cups dark brown sugar
5 7/10 tablespoons kosher salt
1 9/10 tablespoons chili powder
1 9/10 teaspoons garlic powder
1 9/10 teaspoons onion powder
1 9/10 teaspoons pepper
Servings:
19
DrDan says
Hi Lisa,
Welcome to the blog.
That is 19/20 of a cup not 19 to 20 cups. So just under a cup. Keep it simple, just do a double batch. The amounts of various things in a rub can be varied some. So just rub on some liquid smoke to get it wet so the rub can stick than a generous amount of rub. Into the crock pot on low but elevated a bit on foil balls. Several people in the comments did 8 pounders and it took 10-12 hour. On the grill and in the oven, I like to take the internal temperature to 200-205 but in a crock pot, you just won't make that. Try for 195 but nothing under 190.
Dan
Jason says
I have a 6 pounder in the crock pot right now.. and then I saw your recipe.. I just salt and peppered mine and cut up a sweet onion and threw in..on low.. I'm thinking 12hrs.. next time I will be trying your recipe the rub sounds amazing and using alum. foil balls to elevate it out of the fat is ingenious.
DrDan says
Hi Jason,
Welcome to the blog.
I think your 12 hours is about right for pulled pork.
The foil balls are not my original idea but I can't remember where I saw it first but it works great.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Tracy jones says
I tried this recipe and foil for the first time and it turned out amazing. I will continue to use the method. Thank for sharing..
DrDan says
Hi Tracy,
Welcome to the blog.
It is surprising it came from a crockpot.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Hope says
What does the foil balls do?
DrDan says
Hi Hope,
They are there to elevate the pork butt out of the draining liquid and fat.
Dan
Sue says
I have this in the crockpot (it's been 3 hours) right now - I only had a 2 3/4 pound roast, so I tweaked amounts & didn't have liquid smoke so added a bit of smoked paprika....it smells absolutely amazing already! I'll be drooling by the time it's done :) Thanks!