A great pulled pork recipe is a summer barbecue essential. Even better is one that’s nearly effortless to prepare in a slow cooker (i.e., this one) but which produces smoky, tangy, sweet melt-in-your-mouth meat all the same. Seasoning this pork butt with a flavorful dry rub and letting it rest flavors the meat throughout. Searing the pork until it’s golden brown all over before it goes into the slow cooker adds rich caramelization. If you’re short on time or don’t have all the spices called for below, don’t sweat it—this is a work-with-what-you’ve-got kind of recipe. Want to swap in paprika for the cumin? Go ahead. You have onion powder but not garlic? All good. Want to toss out the lot and sub in a pre-mixed chili powder? You do you.
The meat braises in cola (or root beer, or Dr. Pepper, you get the picture), which results in the perfect balance of sweet-meets-savory flavor that you can further enhance with the addition of your favorite store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce. We love this hands-off shredded pork best as a sandwich, piled on warm hamburger rolls and topped with slaw, pickle slices, and hot sauce, but it would also be fantastic with rice, in tacos, or over nachos.
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What you’ll need
CrockPot Slow Cooker
$100 $75 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Glass Measuring Cup
$26 At Amazon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
$30 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
2
1
1
1
2
2
1
1
2
1
10
1
½
Preparation
Step 1
Mix 2 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. plus ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, 1 Tbsp. chipotle or other red chile powder, 1 Tbsp. freshly ground black pepper, 1 Tbsp. garlic powder, 2 tsp. dry mustard, 2 tsp. ground coriander, and 1 tsp. ground cumin in a small bowl to combine.
Step 2
Set one 3–4-lb. boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), excess fat trimmed, on a rimmed baking sheet; pat dry. Rub spice mixture all over pork, pressing to adhere. Chill, uncovered, at least 1 hour and up to 12 hours (if you’re short on time, you can skip this step).
Step 3
Heat 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium. Cook pork, turning every 2 minutes or so, until golden brown all over, 8–10 minutes total.
Step 4
Transfer pork to slow cooker. Add 1 large onion, quartered, and 10 garlic cloves, smashed; pour one 12-oz. can cola or other dark soda over. Cover and cook on high until pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork, 4–4½ hours.
Step 5
Carefully, transfer pork to a large plate. Fish out and discard any large pieces of onion, then pour off all but 1 cup cooking juices. Return pork to slow cooker and shred meat using 2 forks; season with salt.
Step 6
Add ½ cup barbecue sauce and toss to coat pork. Taste and add more barbecue sauce if desired.
Step 7
Serve pork with warmed hamburger buns, coleslaw, bread-and-butter pickle slices, and hot sauce alongside for building sandwiches.
Do Ahead: Pork can be cooked 3 days ahead. Shred and toss with barbecue sauce, then let cool, cover, and chill. Reheat in a large heavy pot over low, stirring occasionally and adding a splash of water to loosen if needed, until warmed through.
Leave a Review
Reviews (6)
Back to TopMade this today and substituted chicken broth for the soda as I don't like sweet foods. It was delicious. Not overpowering, just a subtle tangy undercurrent that compliments the barbecue sauce. Made for a perfect pulled pork sandwich (topped with the Classic Coleslaw, of course).
Nikia
Philly, PA
6/27/2024