Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder made with boneless pork shoulder slow cooked in broth, dry rub, and brown sugar until tender, juicy, and shreds easily with a fork!
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder is one of my husband’s favorite summertime recipes, and it’s really easy to make! I’ve put together a really quick, sweet, and savory spice rub that adds a ton of flavor. Then all you need to do is put everything in the slow cooker and forget about it until the time is up!
This recipe is perfect for a summer dinner, because it’s really cost effective and easy to make. You can enjoy it with potatoes and carrots as a pork shoulder roast, or add your favorite barbecue sauce and put it on gluten free burger buns with coleslaw for pulled pork sandwiches.
You can also make this even faster in the instant pot, check out my Instant Pot Pork Shoulder.
For more pork recipes, try my Marinated Pork Chops, Slow Cooker BBQ Spare Ribs, and Crispy Oven Fried Pork Chops!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Set it and Forget it: The thing I love most about slow cookers is that you can set it up, then leave it alone for hours until it’s done and you’re ready to eat.
Easy Cleanup: There’s only one pot to clean when you’re done! If you use a crockpot liner, cleanup is even easier.
Leftovers: This recipe makes a decent amount of food, making this perfect for meal prep, or packing leftovers for lunch the next day.
Quick Prep Time: This is really quick to throw together, you only need about 5 minutes until dinner is cooking!
Gluten Free: Because it’s homemade, you can be sure that this is totally gluten free!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Boneless Skinless Pork Shoulder. This recipe will work with boneless pork shoulder or boneless pork butt. Both of these cuts are budget-friendly, which is perfect for a potluck, meal prep, or for leftovers. If the cut comes with the skin on, just remove it before cooking.
Pork shoulder is taken from the shoulder of the pig, from right above the front leg. It can also be called “picnic roast”. Pork butt is higher on the leg than the pork shoulder, but technically still on the “shoulder” area of the pig. It can also be called “Boston butt”.
Both cuts of meat are perfect for slow cooking or slow-roasting. If you want a leaner piece of meat, you could also use pork tenderloin or pork loin roast. But a pork shoulder or pork butt roast will yield the best results.
This recipe is written for a 3-4 pound pork shoulder.
Broth. Vegetable or chicken broth (or chicken stock) both work for this recipe.
If you use beef broth, you will get a stronger flavor from the beef.
Pork Rub. For this recipe I used a quick dry rub of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper. I also added some brown sugar to add a deeper sweet flavor and help balance out the savory notes in this recipe.
You can also try my popular Dry Pork Rub, which has a sweet, spicy, and savory flavor profile that’s also great for recipes like Instant Pot Pork Ribs.
Kitchen Tools
For slow cooker pork roast, you’ll need a a 6-7 quart slow cooker.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder
Time needed: 8 hours and 10 minutes
- Prepare Spices.
In a small bowl, whisk together the spices and brown sugar.
- Add the dry rub and place in the slow cooker.
Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Add the dry rub, rubbing it evenly over the pork shoulder on both sides. Place the pork shoulder into the slow cooker and pour in the broth.
- Cook the pork low and slow.
Place the lid on the pot and slow cook for 8 hours on low.
- Shred with two forks.
Once time is up, remove the pork from the slow cooker and place it in a large mixing bowl. Shred with two forks, then return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and stir together with the broth mixture.
Recipe Variations
- If you have the time, try searing the meat in a large skillet before adding it to the slow cooker. It will add another layer of flavor to the meat. Just add the pork rub to the meat, add oil to the skillet over medium-high heat, and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side. Then add to the slow cooker and follow the recipe as-is.
- If you like your pulled pork with BBQ sauce, remove the meat from the slow cooker before shredding. Discard the liquid, then mix the pulled pork with the BBQ sauce.
- You can add potatoes in the slow cooker with the pork. Try using gold potatoes or sweet potatoes, quartered into 1-1 1/2″ thick pieces. Make sure they’re not too big, so they cook through.
- Add some heat with a dash of cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or red pepper flakes.
- If you’re just making a pork shoulder roast, you can try using other seasoning blends like Italian Seasoning or Homemade Ranch Seasoning.
- Try serving the shredded pork in tacos with shredded cabbage and fresh lime juice.
How to Make Pork Gravy
You can also make pork gravy with the cooking liquid. This is perfect served over mashed potatoes or rice!
- After removing the meat from the slow cooker, use a slotted spoon to remove any leftover big pieces from the liquid.
- Transfer 2 cups of the liquid to a medium saucepan on the stovetop, over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.
- In a separate bowl, make a cornstarch slurry with 1-2 tablespoons of corn starch and a small amount of cold water. The more cornstarch you add, the thicker the sauce will be.
- Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the saucepan, continuing to whisk until the gravy begins to thicken.
- Add 1/2 teaspoon each of dried rosemary, garlic powder, thyme, and onion powder. Add kosher salt and black pepper to taste.
Recipe Tip! Shredded pork is great for rice bowls! Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and mix together with the cooking juices. Add rice to a bowl and top with a serving of pork and some of the broth, which will add a lot of flavor to the rice. Add toppings like green onion or chopped tomato.
Frequently Asked Questions
Technically, but it’s really hard to do. Both pork shoulder and pork butt break down the longer you cook them, leaving them fork-tender, especially in the slow cooker, instant pot, or smoker.
Make sure you check the cook time per pound for the cut of meat that you have. For this recipe, it takes 8 hours on low for 3-4 pounds of pork butt or pork shoulder. If your pork is not shredding, place the lid back on the pot and let it cook for longer. Pork shoulder needs to cook low and slow to break down the fat and connective tissue in the meat.
Recipe Tip! The pork shoulder will shred easily with two forks, but it’s faster and easier to use an electric hand mixer. Set the mixer on low, and be careful of any liquid in the pot that might splash. I recommend wearing an oven mitt, just in case any hot pieces splash up. I do not recommend this if you’re using a plastic crockpot liner.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate leftover crock pot pork shoulder in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze shredded pork for 2-3 months in an airtight container. Defrost in the refrigerator.
Cooking Tips
- You’ll get the best results cooking pork shoulder on low heat for 8 hours. The pork is done when it pulls apart easily.
- Pork shoulder has a lot of fat and connective tissue, which breaks down when cooked slowly on lower heat, like in the slow cooker. If it’s not pulling apart, give it more time.
- Your cooking time will increase if you have a cut of meat that is larger than 3-4 pounds.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder
Ingredients
- 4 pound pork shoulder, (or pork butt)
- 1 cup chicken broth, gluten free
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Equipment
- 1 6-7 quart slow cooker
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the spices and brown sugar. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Add the dry rub, rubbing it evenly over the pork shoulder on both sides.
- Place the pork shoulder into the slow cooker and pour in the broth. Place the lid on the pot and slow cook for 8 hours on low.
- Once time is up, remove the pork from the slow cooker and place it in a large mixing bowl. Shred with two forks, then return the shredded meat to the slow cooker and stir together with broth mixture.
Notes
- If you’re adding BBQ sauce to make pulled pork sandwiches, discard the cooking liquid and stir the BBQ sauce together with the pulled pork.
- You’ll get the best results cooking pork shoulder on low heat for 8 hours. The pork is done when it pulls apart easily.
- Pork shoulder has a lot of fat and connective tissue, which breaks down when cooked slowly on lower heat, like in the slow cooker. If it’s not pulling apart, give it more time.
- Your cooking time will increase if you have a cut of meat that is larger than 3-4 pounds.
Nutrition
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