This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun combines slow-cooked, smoky, shredded pork, piled high on a bun, topped with a quick slaw and pepperoncini! It's the perfect summer potluck or BBQ idea. But pulled pork makes a great cold winter dinner or summer meal for a hot day, and is always great for a small, casual gathering or feeding a crowd.
It's one of those meals that is easy enough to throw together, but tastes like you went to a lot more trouble than you actually did. And how can you not love that?!. It's popular during the summer, but great any time of the year! And it pairs perfectly with my Mexican Corn Pasta Salad, with Death by Chocolate Trife for dessert, and Non Alcholic Strawberry Punch!
Jump to:
- 🥘 Ingredient Notes
- 📖 Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Pulled Pork on a Bun
- Expert Recipe Tips
- 🥗 What to serve with Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun
- Shredded Pork Shoulder prepped ahead of time!
- 🌡️Storage
- 👪 Serving Size
- 🔢WW Points
- ❔Recipe FAQ's
- 🍲More Slow Cooker Meals
- 📋 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun Recipe
I tend to shy away from slow cooker recipes because, although I love the concept, I found that they all started to morph into the same stringy, stewy dish. But not this one! No siree... this crock pot pulled pork is flawlessly tender, juicy, and smothered in a rich, smoky tomato sauce with just the right amount of tang.
If you love shredded meat sandwiches, you'll also love my Beef on a Bun!
🥘 Ingredient Notes
You will need the following ingredients:
- Cider Vinegar. You can use apple cider vinegar.
- Pork. When you're looking for pork shoulder blade roast at the grocery store, be aware that it goes by several names, including picnic roast, Boston butt, blade roast, pork butt and simply pork shoulder.
- Coleslaw. I use regular coleslaw or broccoli slaw. Or try this with my Artichoke & Red Pepper Coleslaw- it's AMAZING!.
- Pepperoncini. These are small, yellow peppers with Mediterranean origins. Although they are a mild pepper, they have a bit of a kick to them. I use Mezzetta Golden Greek sliced pepperoncini because I became addicted to them after using them to create recipe contest entries.
- Buns. Use a soft, but sturdy bun that will hold up to the weight of the saucy meat. Kaiser buns, hamburger buns, or brioche buns are ideal.
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖 Variations & Substitutions
- Pepperoncini - for more heat, use jalapenos or tamed jalapenos for a little less heat. I prefer Mezzetta Tamed Jalapenos.
- Sauce -if you don't have all these ingredients, you can make it easier and use a simpler Homemade Barbeque sauce with ketchup, but I suggest you add a little liquid smoke (about ½ tbsp), or use a store-bought BBQ sauce if you're in a real hurry (I recommend Bulls-Eye).
- Cider vinegar - you could use red or white wine vinegar, rice wine vinegar, balsamic vinegar, or regular white vinegar instead
🔪Step-by-Step: How to Make Pulled Pork on a Bun
PREP: Spray a 6 quart slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 1: Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper.
Step 2: In a Dutch oven or a large, deep frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown pork all over.
Step 3: Transfer to the prepared slow cooker.
Step 4: Add onions, garlic, chili powder, cilantro, and bay leaves to Dutch oven/frying pan; cook, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
Step 5: Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke.
Step 6: Pour over the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until pork is tender, for about 8 hours.
Step 7: Transfer pork to a cutting board and, when cooled for about 10 minutes, remove any fat and bone. With 2 forks, shred or “pull” pork. Here is a how-to VIDEO: How to pull pork *However, I shred mine a little more than he does in this video
Step 8: Alternatively, you can also shred pork with your stand mixer or hand mixer! It's much faster than doing it with forks, and it comes out perfectly evenly shredded.
Step 9: Meanwhile, pour liquid from the slow cooker into a saucepan; skim off fat.
Step 10: Bring to boil over high heat; boil until reduced by ½. This will take about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves. *If it starts to splatter, you can turn the heat down a little.
Step 11: Add pulled pork to reduced liquid; stir to coat and warm through.
*If you want to add a little more 'punch' to the sauce, add a little Bulls-Eye BBQ sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce).
Step 12: Pile meat on bun.
Slaw: Mix broccoli slaw or coleslaw with coleslaw salad dressing together and add to bun.
Top with pepperoncini or jalapenos, if desired. *I also added a little fresh cilantro.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Browning Is Key: Don’t skip browning the pork! It adds depth of flavor and improves texture by sealing in juices and creating a rich, caramelized crust.
- Make-Ahead Hack: Prep the meat and add everything to the slow cooker insert the night before (including the sauce), cover and refrigerate, and just pop the insert into the slow cooker and turn it on in the morning.
- Use a Fat Separator: When reducing the sauce, skim fat for a cleaner, less greasy taste. A fat separator (affiliate link) makes this quicker and more efficient.
- Shred Smarter: For faster, more even shredding, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl—no more sore arms from fork-pulling!
- Don’t Cook the Slaw: Assemble buns right before serving. Add the coleslaw just before eating to keep it crisp and prevent soggy sandwiches.
- Toast the Buns: Lightly toast your buns under the broiler or in a pan to prevent them from getting soggy and to add a bit of crunch.
- Double the Sauce: If your crowd loves extra sauce, consider doubling the sauce portion so you have extra for drizzling or dipping.
- Freezer-Friendly Tip: Freeze pulled pork flat in resealable freezer bags in meal-size portions. It thaws quicker and makes for easy weeknight meals later.
🥗 What to serve with Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun
These Slow Cooker New England Baked Beans pair well with pulled pork buns. But if you don't have a smaller slow cooker and can't make them ahead, there's an option to make them in the oven.
Healthy Mexican Street Corn (shown above) is another great pairing with pulled pork sandwiches. If you're looking for something quick and easy, try it with my 5-minute 7 Bean Mix Salad recipe.
Shredded Pork Shoulder prepped ahead of time!
I love that you can prep the pork shoulder in a slow cooker the night before and come home to the delicious aroma of a tasty meal! I add everything to the crockpot the night before, stick it in the fridge, then turn it on before I leave the next morning.
🌡️Storage
Store leftover pulled pork in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Store the coleslaw in a separate container and keep the buns in a plastic bag at room temperature. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
It's best to freeze the sauce and pulled pork separately for easier reheating. However, you can freeze it after it's been combined.
👪 Serving Size
This recipe makes 10 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This shredded pork bun recipe is Weight Watchers friendly @ 7 ww points per serving. You can further reduce the points by using a lower-point bun.
❔Recipe FAQ's
Yes, once cooked, keep it on the "warm" setting in your slow cooker for up to 2–3 hours. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water or sauce if it starts to dry out.
Technically, yes, but it’s highly recommended. Browning adds a deeper, richer flavor and improves texture. If you're short on time, you can skip this step, but the final result may be less flavorful.
Yes, if you're short on time, you can substitute the homemade sauce with your favorite BBQ sauce. However, the flavor profile will differ slightly—this recipe’s sauce is tangy, smoky, and less sweet than most store-bought versions. I recommend using Bulls-Eye BBQ sauce.
Absolutely! You can make the pork and sauce a day or two ahead and store them separately in the fridge. Reheat gently on the stove or in the slow cooker before serving. Add the coleslaw and assemble the buns just before eating. You can also freeze it in an airtight container (in separate containers or combined) for up to 3 months, defrost in the fridge overnight.
If you are looking for the best slow cooker pulled pork for pulled pork on a bun, you have arrived! It's the perfect summer or winter potluck idea, especially if you are feeding a crowd!
And if you love pulled pork, give my Slow Cooker Gluten-free & Healthy Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Pork) a try! It's also great for feeding a crowd, especially in the summer when you don't want to turn on your oven!
🍲More Slow Cooker Meals
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📋 Slow Cooker Pulled Pork on a Bun Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-½ lb pork shoulder blade roast (1.6 kg)
- ½ teaspoon salt (2 mL)
- ½ teaspoon pepper (2 mL)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil (30 mL)
- 1 onion , diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoon chili powder (30 mL)
- 4 teaspoon dried cilantro (10 mL)
- 2 bay leaves
- ⅓ cup tomato paste (60 mL)
- 2 ¼ cups tomato sauce
- 3 tablespoon packed brown sugar (30 mL)
- 3 tablespoon cider vinegar (30 mL)
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (30 mL)
- 1 ½ tablespoon natural hickory liquid smoke flavour
- 1 -12 oz bag broccoli slaw or regular coleslaw 340 g
- 4-6 tablespoon coleslaw dressing (add to your liking)
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini or pickled jalapenos (optional)
- 10 whole wheat buns
Garnish:
- fresh cilantro (optional)
Instructions
- Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In Dutch oven or large, deep frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown pork all over. Transfer to slow cooker.
- Add onions, garlic, chili powder, cilantro and bay leaves to Dutch oven/frying pan; cook, stirring often, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomato paste; cook, stirring, about 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, sugar, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke, Pour into slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours.
- Transfer pork to cutting board and when cooled for about 10 minutes, remove any fat and bone. With 2 forks, shred or “pull” pork. (See video on how to pull pork in notes)
- Meanwhile, pour liquid from slow cooker into large saucepan; skim off fat. Bring to boil over high heat; boil until reduced by ½. This will take about 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves. *If it starts to splatter, you can turn it down a little.
- Add pulled pork to reduced liquid; stir to coat and warm through. *If you want to add a little more 'punch' to the sauce, add a little Bulls-Eye BBQ sauce (or your favorite BBQ sauce).
- Pile meat on bun.
- Broccoli slaw: Mix broccoli slaw and coleslaw salad dressing together and add to bun.
- Add peperoncini or jalapenos, if desired.
Notes
- Browning Is Key: Don’t skip browning the pork! It adds depth of flavor and improves texture by sealing in juices and creating a rich, caramelized crust.
- Make-Ahead Hack: Prep the meat and add everything to the slow cooker insert the night before (including the sauce), cover and refrigerate, and just pop the insert into the slow cooker and turn it on in the morning.
- Use a Fat Separator: When reducing the sauce, skim fat for a cleaner, less greasy taste. A fat separator (affiliate link) makes this quicker and more efficient.
- Shred Smarter: For faster, more even shredding, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer in a large bowl—no more sore arms from fork-pulling!
- Don’t Cook the Slaw: Assemble buns right before serving. Add the coleslaw just before eating to keep it crisp and prevent soggy sandwiches.
- Toast the Buns: Lightly toast your buns under the broiler or in a pan to prevent them from getting soggy and to add a bit of crunch.
- Double the Sauce: If your crowd loves extra sauce, consider doubling the sauce portion so you have extra for drizzling or dipping.
- Freezer-Friendly Tip: Freeze pulled pork flat in resealable freezer bags in meal-size portions. It thaws quicker and makes for easy weeknight meals later.
Terri Gilson
I can't believe it took me so long to discover slow cooker pulled pork! The meat comes out so tender and juicy, with a rich smoky flavor that's just perfect. It's super easy to prep the night before, and I love coming home to a delicious meal that tastes like I slaved over it all day.
simplysundaysfoodblog
Yum! Great recipe! Thanks for your submission to The Tastes of Summer!
Food Meanderings
Thanks- it was a great opportunity to try making something new!
Peta Kaplan
This looks amazing, even though I do not eat much meat. You could no doubt convince me to take a bite. The broccoli slaw looks killer. My hubby would LOVE this! He ate delicious pulled pork in Cuba. One of their specialties.
Peta
Food Meanderings
Thank you, Peta. I was really pleased with the flavor, being it was the first time I'd every made it! It tasted just like what I'd had a the southern BBQ house in Calgary. I hope your husband likes it and maybe you sneak a little taste yourself!.
Sheryl
Just looking at the picture makes me hungry for pulled pork. . . and I like the slow cooker recipe.
Food Meanderings
Thanks, Sheryl! Yes, this recipe definitely renewed my slow cooker love!
Sue Slaght
I love my slow cooker although I seem to use it in phases of life. I'm not a big meat eater but I will admit this looks delicious, especially the slaw. 🙂
Food Meanderings
Thanks, Sue. Yes, you could use a bit less meat and more slaw. I know you're not a red meat girl, but pork is "the other white meat!"
Sue Slaght
Yes according to the pork producers. 🙂
Food Meanderings
Yes, it's very good marketing!