Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with sweet honey chipotle sauce, simple coleslaw, and a toasted bun make for the ultimate summer meal.
Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork
There’s nothing like a good smoked pork, but if you don’t have a smoker or want to spend 15-20 hours watching it, this recipe is your new best friend.
You’ll get juicy, tender pork for your summer barbecue with less effort and time. Just pop the pork butt into a crockpot and let it slow cook all day—no constant monitoring like with a smoker.
Making the sauce is easy too. While store-bought BBQ sauce works, my homemade chipotle barbecue sauce has been in the works for years and it is a game-changer!
Ingredients In BBQ Pulled Pork In Crockpot
- Yellow onions: Slice them thinly so they cook down nicely in the slow cooker.
- Minced garlic: Chop up some fresh garlic or use pre-minced.
- Apple juice: I’ve tested it with chicken broth as well and it’s delish!
- Bone-in pork butt: A 5-5.5 lb roast gives the best results in the slow cooker.
- Light brown sugar: Adds sweetness that balances the spices.
- Seasonings: : Adjust the salt and pepper to your taste preference.
- Chipotle Honey Sauce: Start with a smaller amount of chipotle if you’re sensitive to heat and adjust as needed.
How To Make Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork
- Prep pork: Pat pork dry with paper towels before adding the seasonings so it sticks well.
- Slow Cooker: Add onions, garlic, and juice to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cook pork: If you’re short on time, a 5.5 lb pork shoulder cooks in about 9 hours.
- Pull apart pork: Save the bone and juices for homemade stock.
- Chipotle honey sauce: Mix the sauce ingredients in a blender until creamy.
- Combine: If using a smaller roast, you may not need all the sauce. Use leftovers in Chicken Tinga Tacos.
- Prep buns: Brown the buns just until golden for the best texture.
- Assemble and serve: I love this pork in a bun with some coleslaw.
Quick Tip
Adjust the sauce to your liking; chipotles balance its sweetness. Add them gradually to avoid excess spiciness. The bun and coleslaw will also help tame the heat.
Chipotle Amounts:
- Little/no spice: 1-2 tbsp of sauce from canned chipotles.
- Light spice: 2 tbsp sauce, 1 tbsp peppers.
- Medium spice: 2 tbsp sauce, 2 tbsp peppers.
- Spicy: 2 tbsp sauce, 3 tbsp peppers.
Side Dish Suggestions
- Baked Beans: Hearty and flavorful, they complement the savory pork.
- Grilled Corn on the Cob: Smoky and buttery, it’s a classic BBQ side.
- Mac and Cheese: One of my favorite sides or add leftovers to BBQ Pork Mac and Cheese.
- Watermelon Slices: Light and refreshing, perfect for summer barbecues.
- Potato Salad: Cool and creamy, it counters the heat from the chipotle.
- Cornbread: Sweet and buttery, it pairs perfectly with BBQ pork.
Storage
Leftover Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork?
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
For longer storage, freeze the pulled pork in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and warm in the microwave or on the stove.
I love using any extra meat in tacos, sandwiches, or salads for quick meals.
More Delicious Summer Recipes
- BBQ Chicken Sandwich made in the slow cooker
- Flank Steak with Corn Salsa perfect summer dinner
- Foil Pack French Dip Sandwiches cooked over a fire, oven, or grill
- Grilled Pineapple with a graham cracker topping
- Cilantro Lime Chicken with a mango avocado salsa
Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork
Spice-rubbed Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork sandwiches with a delicious sweet honey-chipotle sauce and a simple coleslaw.
Ingredients
Pork in the crockpot
- 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 cup 100% apple juice (or chicken broth works)
- 4.5-6.5 pounds bone-in pork butt shoulder roast (or Boston butt) (See Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons tightly packed light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon EACH: chili powder, paprika (sweet), garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons EACH: onion powder, dry mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper
Chipotle Honey Sauce
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup + 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 and 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1-2 tablespoons canned chipotle chilies and surrounding adobo sauce (+ 2 tablespoons sauce surrounding chipotles) (See Note 2)
- salt and pepper
For Serving
- brioche buns and softened butter
- coleslaw for serving, (See Note 3)
Instructions
Into the Slow Cooker
- Coat a large 6-quart slow cooker with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with the thinly sliced onions (2 medium or 1 very large). Pour in the apple juice and minced garlic.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, ground cumin, salt, and pepper (I add 1 tablespoon salt and 1 heaping teaspoon cracked pepper). Remove pork from packaging and dab all over with a paper towel. Rub the spices into the pork — all sides.
- Place the pork on top of the onions; if there is a white layer of fat, place that facing up (the fat will render down and make the pork more tender).
- Cover, and cook for 8-11 hours on low setting (a 5.5 pound pork is always done around 9 hours for me); I don't recommend cooking on high.
- Once the meat is completely cooked through and shreds easily, drain the liquid. Pull off the layer of fat on top (it should easily pull off), and pull out the bone and discard both (or save the bone and the drained liquid to make homemade stock!)
- Using two forks, shred the pork.
Sauce
- In a blender, combine the ketchup, brown sugar, honey, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a 1/4 teaspoon pepper (or to taste).
- Add in 2 tablespoons of the adobo sauce surrounding the chipotle chilis and then 1 tablespoon of an actual chipotle chili (cut chili if needed). If concerned about heat, add chilies and sauce gradually tasting after additions. (Add VERY slowly because it's always easy to increase if you want more heat. If you are very sensitive to heat just add the sauce around the chilies in small quantities.) Blend sauce until smooth.
- Pour the sauce over the pork (you may not use it all if using a smaller pork roast) and gently mix until pork is well coated and saucy.
Coleslaw And Buns
- Spread butter on the insides of the buns. Add to a skillet or griddle and lightly brown the buns over medium heat.
- Top the bottom bun with a generous amount of the BBQ pulled pork and a big spoonful of coleslaw (See Note 2). Add top bun and serve right away.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Pork: I’ve tried all kinds of pork and all different weights in my slow cooker. I’ve gotten the best results from using a 5-5.5 pound bone-in pork shoulder or butt roast. Some of the different labels you might see: butt roast, Boston butt, shoulder roast, picnic shoulder, or a pork shoulder butt blade roast. (There is a difference between butt and shoulder pork roasts, but sometimes the names are confused or misleadingly named; check out the differences here). My personal favorite is a Boston Butt, but without going to a butcher, I typically can only find a pork shoulder butt roast in regular grocery stores.
Note 2: Chipotles: Chipotle peppers can vary, but below is generally what I’d add to the BBQ sauce depending on how spicy (or not spicy) I’d like it to be. If not adding a lot of spice, you’ll want to reduce the honey.
- Little to no spice: Use 1-2 tablespoons adobo sauce surrounding the chipotle peppers.
- Light spice: Use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce and 1 tablespoon peppers.
- Medium spicy: Use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce and 2 tablespoon peppers.
- Spicy: Use 2 tablespoons adobo sauce and 3 tablespoons peppers.
Nutrition
Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 359mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 40g | Vitamin A: 573IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 50mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a great pulled pork recipe, EXCEPT for the barbeque sauce part. It’s so super sweet, it ruins it for me. I cut the brown sugar and honey in half the second time I made it, and it was much better!
So glad you enjoyed! Thanks Donna! 🙂