The best easy Crock Pot BBQ pulled pork loin recipe - This simple recipe makes tender, juicy meat and will make lots of leftovers. It makes a perfect weeknight dinner because it's quick and easy thanks to the slow cooker! Naturally healthy and low carb.
I love pulled pork. Really and truly love it. And so does Allie, who asks for pulled pork BBQ every single time we go to a state fair or carnival.
Why this is the best CrockPot BBQ pulled pork loin recipe
It tastes great! I like this way of cooking pork because the true flavor of the pork (which is what I love most about pulled pork) really shines through. If it's a good loin, it will taste amazing even without the extra sauce. In fact, my girls eat it without sauce most of the time when we're at home. I always top mine with a bit of sauce.
The prep is very quick & very easy. This recipe has only a couple of very easy steps. You can have it prepped and in the CrockPot in less than ten minutes.
It uses standard ingredients. This recipe uses basic ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Nothing fancy here!
It's inexpensive. This one easy recipe makes enough for two or three meals, and pork loin is really inexpensive to start with.
It's family-friendly. Everyone from grandparents to picky eaters will love this pulled pork. If you have eagle-eyed, onion-hating kids, you can leave the onions out or go ahead and cook them with the pork and then serve them on top of individual portions.
It's allergy-friendly and great for special diets. This recipe is gluten-free, egg-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and very high in protein, which makes it great for low-calorie, low-carb, high-protein, keto, and bariatric diets.
What you'll need to make Crock Pot pulled pork loin
EQUIPMENT
- Garlic press - Whole garlic cloves need to be pressed in order to activate all the delicious oils that make the garlic taste amazing. You can mince the cloves with a sharp knife if you have to, but the best way to use whole garlic is to press it.
- Blender - You need a blender to make the homemade barbecue sauce. A food processor would work if that's all you have.
- Slow cooker - Obviously, you need a slow cooker to make Crock Pot pulled pork. Brand is unimportant, any slow cooker will be fine. I recommend at least 6 quarts.
INGREDIENTS
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.
- Fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained - The juice from the fire-roasted tomatoes will make most of your homemade BBQ sauce.
- Packed brown sugar - BBQ sauce contains sugar. There's no way around it. You can leave it out if you really want to, but your BBQ sauce may taste bitter.
- Apple cider vinegar - This gives the homemade BBQ sauce a tangy note.
- Fresh garlic - I only ever use fresh garlic cloves that I buy in a bulb in the grocery store. The minced in a jar garlic and garlic powder pale in comparison to the pungent flavor of fresh garlic. You do you, but your BBQ sauce will taste best if you use fresh garlic.
- Table salt
- Dried oregano - This may sound odd in a BBQ dish, but oregano is very versatile and delicious in more than just Italian food!
- Smoked paprika - Did you know that paprika is made from roasted red peppers that have been dried and ground into powder? That blew my mind when I discovered it. But that's the truth. Smoked paprika is necessary to make your BBQ sauce taste barbecue-y.
- Sweet paprika - This is what's labeled "paprika" in your spice cabinet. It's called sweet because it's made from sweet bell peppers.
- Pork loin or pork roast - I use a pork loin that's been cut into chunks by the butcher is the best cut of meat for pulled pork because it's cheap. You could also use a shoulder roast or a pork butt, but that would be more expensive, and since you are shredding the meat anyway, there's no need to buy such a nice cut of meat.
- Sliced onions - I like sweet Vidalia onions, but you can use whatever onions you have.
- Hamburger buns - If you intend to make your pulled pork into sandwiches, you'll need some kind of buns or rolls. My kids love brioche rolls.
- Cheddar cheese - I love cheese on everything. I think sharp or extra sharp cheddar tastes the best with the meat in this recipe.
This particular pulled pork recipe uses fire roasted diced tomatoes. They used to be more common in the grocery store than they are now. If you can't find them, use diced tomatoes with green chilis instead.
Really though, any can of diced tomatoes would work, so if you wanted to use tomatoes with onions or even plain diced tomatoes, the recipe will work.
If you can't find the fire roasted tomatoes, you should add one tablespoon of BBQ seasoning to the sauce in the blender. Otherwise, you may find that the flavor of the finished pulled pork is a little flat.
How to make spicy Crock Pot pulled pork
- Start with a 2-3 pound pork loin. (Generally, I prefer to make pork shoulder as this is a more tender roast, but that is not necessary here since you will be shredding the meat anyway.) We get ours at a local grocery store that sells meats in bulk. So our roast is always a piece of a whole pork loin that the butcher has cut into several smaller pieces for us.
- In a blender, combine fire-roasted diced tomatoes (with liquid from the can), brown sugar, cider vinegar, garlic, salt, oregano, paprika, and red pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Place the (raw or frozen) pork in your slow cooker and add the onions on top.
- Pour the homemade BBQ sauce mixture over top.
- Turn the slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8-10 hours.
- When pork is very tender and falls apart easily, remove from the Crockpot and cool slightly. (The internal temperature measured on an instant read thermometer should be at least 200ºF.)
- Pour sauce into a medium bowl. Remove onions from sauce and set aside. Skim fat from sauce and keep warm.
- Shred the pork with 2 forks. At this point, it will be so tender that it will be falling off the bones and very easy to shred. Return pork to slow cooker.
- Add the onions back to the slow cooker with the pork.
- Pour 1 cup of the homemade BBQ sauce over the pork and onions in the Crock Pot. Cook on high for 15 to 30 minutes or until heated throughout.
- To serve, spoon 4 ounces of pork onto a toasted roll. Top with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese and sauce for dipping.
Pulled pork variations
Some people love Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, and you can certainly replace the apple cider vinegar in the BBQ sauce with half of a can of Dr. Pepper. It will taste amazing! You can also use root beer or even ginger ale in the same way.
Add some buffalo sauce to the BBQ sauce in the blender for a spicy kick.
You can add a teaspoon or two of liquid smoke to the BBQ sauce in the blender.
What's the best cut of meat for Crock Pot pulled pork?
I think the best cut of meat for pulled pork in the Crock Pot is boneless pork loin because it's inexpensive, very lean, and the Crock Pot makes it super tender and juicy when cooked this way.
You can also use a pork shoulder if you want. (A shoulder is sometimes labeled as pork butt or Boston butt. They're all three the same cut of meat.) They are more expensive, but they make juicier pulled pork because a shoulder is a fattier cut of meat.
You can't go wrong either way.
Can you use a pork tenderloin for pulled pork?
Pork loin and pork tenderloin are not the same thing. The tenderloin is a very small section of the pig next to the backbone, and it is expensive because it's naturally very tender and juicy.
I don't recommend using a pork tenderloin for pulled pork because a tenderloin is so much more expensive and is so tender to begin with that it is best seared and then roasted in the oven.
In short, don't waste your tenderloin on pulled pork!
What to serve with Crock Pot pulled pork loin
We served our pulled pork sandwiches with Homemade Air Fryer Potato Chips and Copycat Cracker Barrel Fried Apples. It was an amazing meal!
You could also serve slow cooker pulled pork with mac and cheese, homemade macaroni salad, or Instant Pot potato salad.
How to store leftover pulled pork loin
Once the pulled pork is fully cooled, transfer any leftovers to an airtight container. I recommend adding a little extra homemade BBQ sauce to keep the meat moist during reheating. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
To heat cold pulled pork, microwave an individual portion and then add the hot pork to your sandwich roll with sharp cheddar cheese.
You can also freeze Crock Pot pulled pork. Again, transfer it to an airtight container or a plastic freezer bag with a little extra sauce, and store it in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.
To reheat frozen pulled pork, place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw and then heat as directed above.
Try these other slow cooker recipes
- CrockPot Jambalaya
- Crock Pot Beef Stew with Gravy
- Crock Pot Potato Soup Recipe
- CrockPot Steak with Mushrooms and Onions
- CrockPot Chicken and Potatoes
- CrockPot Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Crockpot Corn Chowder
- Crockpot Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallows
- Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup from Taste of Home
Recipe
Crock Pot Pulled Pork Loin
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14.5 ounces fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar packed
- 3 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic pressed
- 1⅓ teaspoons salt
- 1½ teaspoons oregano dried
- 1½ teaspoons paprika sweet or smoked
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 pound pork loin or roast
- 2 cups onions sliced
Instructions
- In a blender, combine tomatoes, brown sugar, vinegar, garlic, salt, oregano, paprika, and red pepper. Blend until smooth.
- Place pork in crockpot. Top with onion. Pour tomato mixture over pork and onions.
- Cover and cook on high 4 to 5 hours or on low 8 to 10 hours, until pork is very tender.
- Remove pork from cooker; cool slightly.
- Pour sauce mixture into medium bowl. Remove onions from sauce, and set aside. Skim fat from sauce. Keep sauce warm.
- Shred pork with 2 forks, and return to cooker. Add onions and 1 cup of sauce. Cook on high for 15 to 30 minutes, or until hot.
- To serve, spoon ½ cup of pulled pork onto bread or a roll. Top with sharp cheddar cheese. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping.
Riley says
The recipe calls for paprika twice but later mentions red pepper for the sauce. Is there a typo? If so what kind of red pepper? Like flakes?
Tara Gerner says
Thanks for catching that typo! It should have been paprika and then ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper. You could also use cayenne if you don't have crushed red pepper, but I'd use a lot less than ¼ teaspoon, like half that amount or just a couple of big pinches.