This fiercely savory pulled pork completely destroys your insanely expensive barbecue restaurant cravings tonight. You aggressively slow cook a heavily marbled shoulder until the dense fibers violently collapse into a ridiculously juicy, incredibly tender pile of meat.
Why You Desperately Need This Pulled Pork
We all constantly crave incredibly heavy, intensely smoked Southern flavors when the chaotic work week finally ends.
This remarkably hands-off slow cooker dinner violently delivers that exact same authentic, deep smokehouse flavor entirely from scratch.
You completely bypass horribly dry, wildly boring boiled meat by intensely rubbing the raw pork with a heavily spiced, dark sugar crust.
The aggressively dark, highly sticky rub fiercely locks massive amounts of savory juices entirely inside the dense muscle tissue.
If you heavily rely on my incredibly rich Grilled Chicken Marinade Recipe, you totally understand this sharp acidic chemistry.
Both intensely savory meals violently rely on heavy natural acids to fiercely tenderize the raw meat before the cooking process actually finishes.
Sometimes you desperately need a completely different, wildly sticky meal to aggressively shock your exhausted palate tonight.
My dangerously fast, heavily seared Orange Chicken Recipe perfectly satisfies those exact same intense takeout cravings effortlessly.
Fresh Ingredients You Need
- Pork Shoulder: Buy exactly 4 lbs, approx 1.8 kg, of incredibly fresh, heavily marbled bone-in pork shoulder. You desperately need this intensely fatty, heavy dark meat to aggressively survive the blazing hot, fiercely long cooking time without violently drying out.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: Pour exactly one quarter cup, approx 60 ml, of completely raw, highly acidic apple cider vinegar. The intensely bright, wildly sharp acids violently break down the heavy meat proteins, aggressively cutting completely through the heavy pork fats.
- Brown Sugar: Pack exactly one third cup, approx 65 g, of deeply dark, heavily damp brown sugar. You absolutely need this massive sugar layer to fiercely coat the dry spices and violently caramelize against the hot ceramic bowl.
- Dry Spices: Measure exactly one tablespoon of intensely dark smoked paprika, one teaspoon of fiercely earthy cumin, and one teaspoon of sharp garlic powder. These deeply woodsy, highly complex dry spices aggressively mimic the intense smoke of a massive outdoor barbecue pit.
- Barbecue Sauce: Pour exactly one and a half cups, approx 350 ml, of your absolute favorite, deeply rich, heavy barbecue sauce. The intensely dark, wildly sticky sugars aggressively coat the completely shredded meat, fiercely providing that iconic, totally authentic flavor.
How to Make Ridiculously Tender Pulled Pork
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Step 1
Build the Wet Spice Rub
Drop your deeply damp brown sugar, dark smoked paprika, pungent garlic powder, and earthy cumin directly into a massive glass bowl.
Use a sturdy metal whisk to vigorously stir the highly aromatic mixture until the heavy spices completely blend.
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Step 2
Coat the Heavy Meat
Toss your completely raw, massively heavy pork shoulder directly onto a heavy wooden cutting board and thoroughly pat it completely dry.
Vigorously massage the heavy spice rub until every single crevice is fiercely covered in a violently sticky, dark red layer.
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Step 3
Sear the Hot Pork
Drop your heavily coated dark meat directly into an intensely hot, completely dry cast-iron skillet over high heat.
Let the raw pork aggressively sizzle and completely brown for exactly four minutes per side to violently lock the raw juices inside.
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Step 4
Slow Cook the Meat
Drop the violently dripping, deeply charred meat entirely into the freezing cold ceramic bowl of your massive slow cooker.
Aggressively pour the sharp apple cider vinegar completely around the heavy meat, strictly avoiding the fiercely dark spice crust.
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Step 5
Shred the Hot Pork
Let the heavy machine violently simmer the massive meat on low heat for exactly eight consecutive hours until it fiercely collapses.
Pull the violently steaming meat entirely out, aggressively shred it into incredibly tiny strands, and violently toss it directly back into the wildly bubbling juices.
The Kitchen Science: 8 Hours vs 3.5 Hours
You absolutely must understand the aggressive kitchen science behind heavily cooking a massive pork shoulder.
The incredibly dense muscle fibers are violently packed with tough, rubbery collagen that desperately needs to melt into soft liquid.
The ultimate 8-hour low heat method fiercely forces that tough collagen to violently collapse into incredibly soft, ridiculously juicy gelatin.
This intensely slow process aggressively guarantees that literal melt-in-your-mouth texture without ever drying out the dark meat strands.
However, you can actually aggressively blast the heavy meat on high heat for exactly 3.5 hours if you violently panicked about dinner time.
This remarkably fast method absolutely works and shreds beautifully, but the incredibly rapid boiling can fiercely cause the meat strands to tighten up slightly.
I fiercely recommend the heavy 8-hour low method for absolute perfection if you have the time to completely ignore the kitchen all day.
But honestly, having the incredibly fast 3.5-hour high heat option completely saves your unbelievably chaotic weeknights when you desperately need heavy comfort food.
Incredible Flavor Variations and Swaps
This fiercely bubbling, intensely sticky shredded meat is a remarkably blank canvas for whatever lonely sandwich buns hide in your pantry.
You can easily aggressively scoop massive piles of this hot meat directly over crunchy tortilla chips for ridiculously heavy nachos.
If you desperately need an incredibly heavy, violently rich poultry meal that completely handles itself entirely inside the slow cooker instead.
My intensely savory, dangerously easy Cracked Chicken Crockpot completely saves your unbelievably chaotic, heavily overbooked weekday schedule.
When you fiercely need to intensely feed an absolute army of constantly starving teenagers, you absolutely need heavy baked casseroles.
My ridiculously massive, heavily loaded Million Dollar Chicken Casserole Recipe violently satisfies those exact same aggressive, deeply savory cravings effortlessly.
If you passionately crave deeply earthy, violently comforting poultry dishes to vigorously serve directly instead of heavy pork sandwiches tonight.
My ridiculously tender, fiercely sticky Crock Pot Marry Me Chicken aggressively provides that exact same heavy, intensely savory comfort.
Sometimes you completely need a ridiculously fast, fiercely different savory flavor profile to violently shock your tired weekly routine.
My wildly sticky, heavily seared Chicken Street Tacos Recipe perfectly satisfies those exact same intense takeout cravings effortlessly.
What to Serve With Pulled Pork
Because this fiercely simmering, steaming hot meat is heavily loaded with intense sweet sugars, you desperately need bright, highly acidic sides.
Serving a massive, wildly crunchy pile of perfectly cold, sharp vinegar coleslaw completely cuts all the highly savory, dripping meat fats.
Just like our fiercely charred, deeply spiced Chicken Shawarma Recipe, wrapping this violently juicy meat in a warm, fluffy bread aggressively transforms the entire heavy meal.
You absolutely must heavily toast your brioche buns in a hot skillet to completely prevent them from violently disintegrating under the wet meat.
If you completely prefer a ridiculously fast, violently sticky stovetop meal that furiously cooks entirely while you stand there.
My intensely savory, dangerously fast Mongolian Chicken completely saves your unbelievable chaotic evening when standing over a heavy oven sounds terrible.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
This intensely savory, remarkably spiced shredded meat heavily tastes astronomically better the absolute next day.
The completely soft, highly dripping meat fibers violently absorb the sharp vinegar and heavy smoke flavors overnight in the freezing dark.
You absolutely must rigorously let the incredibly hot, fiercely dripping pork completely cool to total room temperature first.
Violently sealing fiercely hot meat inside cold glass containers aggressively traps wet steam, totally watering down the beautifully thick, dark barbecue sauce.
Keep the completely sealed, incredibly heavy boxes safely locked in your extremely cold refrigerator for exactly four consecutive days.
When you violently get hungry, intensely reheat the sticky pork gently in a hot, totally dry skillet to vigorously restore the charred edges.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, you absolutely cannot violently throw completely lean, highly delicate pork tenderloin into a fiercely bubbling eight-hour slow cooking process.
The intense lack of massive natural fat will completely cause the lean meat to violently turn into horribly dry, terribly chalky dust.
You most likely rapidly rushed the blazing hot cooking process and violently pulled the heavy meat out several hours too early.
You absolutely must rigorously let the tough collagen fiercely melt into incredibly soft gelatin over a massive eight-hour period on low heat.
You can easily aggressively skip the harsh searing step if you are totally rushing out the front door early this morning.
However, heavily searing the raw meat in a blazing hot skillet violently adds a remarkably deep, intensely complex crust to the final flavor.
You can absolutely aggressively cook the heavy shoulder on high for roughly five hours if you are violently panicked about dinner time.
However, the completely slow, deeply low heat strictly provides the absolute best, violently tender, melt in your mouth texture possible.
No, you completely bypass terribly watery, horribly thin sauces by strictly letting the heavy meat violently release its own natural juices.
The heavy shoulder aggressively drops massive amounts of violently hot liquid, completely creating its own intensely rich cooking bath entirely from scratch.
The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (Juicy, Tender & Easy
Ingredients
- 4 lbs incredibly fresh heavily marbled bone-in pork shoulder patted completely dry (approx. 1.8 kg)
- 1/4 cup completely raw highly acidic apple cider vinegar (approx. 60 ml)
- 1/3 cup deeply dark heavily damp brown sugar (approx. 65 g)
- 1 tablespoon intensely dark smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fiercely earthy cumin
- 1 teaspoon incredibly sharp garlic powder
- 1.5 cups deeply rich heavy barbecue sauce (approx. 350 ml)
- 1 tablespoon rich olive oil for searing the meat
Instructions
- Build the Spice Rub: Drop your deeply damp brown sugar, dark smoked paprika, pungent garlic powder, and earthy cumin directly into a massive glass bowl. Use a sturdy metal whisk to vigorously stir the highly aromatic mixture until the heavy spices completely blend.
- Coat the Heavy Meat: Toss your completely raw, massively heavy pork shoulder directly onto a heavy wooden cutting board and thoroughly pat it completely dry. Vigorously massage the heavy spice rub until every single crevice is fiercely covered in a violently sticky, dark red layer.
- Sear the Hot Pork: Drop the olive oil directly into an intensely hot, completely dry cast-iron skillet over high heat. Let the heavily coated raw pork aggressively sizzle and completely brown for exactly four minutes per side to violently lock the raw juices inside.
- Prep the Slow Cooker: Drop the violently dripping, deeply charred meat entirely into the freezing cold ceramic bowl of your massive slow cooker. Aggressively pour the sharp apple cider vinegar completely around the heavy meat, strictly avoiding the fiercely dark spice crust.
Option A (8-Hour Method)
- Let the heavy machine violently simmer the massive meat on the LOW setting for exactly eight consecutive hours. This intensely gentle heat aggressively melts the tough collagen into ridiculously soft, totally dripping strands.
Option B (The Fast 3.5-Hour Method)
- Blast the incredibly heavy meat on the HIGH setting for exactly three and a half hours if you violently need dinner immediately. The fiercely aggressive heat rapidly breaks down the heavy tissue, completely allowing you to quickly shred the hot pork.
- Shred and Serve: Pull the violently steaming meat entirely out, aggressively shred it into incredibly tiny strands, and violently toss it directly back into the wildly bubbling juices along with your heavy barbecue sauce!
Notes
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