Have you heard of the Pioneer Woman? Okay. Of course you have. She’s basically the bees knees and has her own blog, several cookbooks, show on Food Network, a store, cafe and a line of home goods in Walmart. I’d say she’s doing okay for herself. Today I’m sharing her Classic Pulled Pork Recipe that I have adapted for the Crockpot!
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I have several of her cookbooks and I have loved everything I’ve cooked from them. I also love that her cookbooks have a picture for almost every step. A few weeks ago I set my sights on her Classic Pulled Pork recipe after finding a Boston Butt on sale in the grocery store.
In her version, you cook the boston butt in the oven for like 10 hours. Y’all. I’ve birthed a baby in less time than that. I didn’t have 10 hours so I decided to adapt it for the CrockPot. Here’s a link to the original recipe.
Pioneer Woman Classic Pulled Pork Recipe (adapted for the CrockPot)
Here’s what you need…(contains affiliate links)
- 5lb Boston Butt
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 2 ts garlic powder
- 2 ts salt
- 1 ts black pepper (original also calls for cayenne which I left off)
- 1 onion chopped
- 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup Ketchup
- Potato Buns
Mix the spices together and rub onto Boston Butt and place inside Crock Pot (this is the one I have). Don’t forget the liner to make the clean-up faster.
Add the onion…
Add the BBQ sauce and ketchup…(I just used what I had so feel free to use your favorite!)
Add two cups of water and cook on high for 4 hours. {Note: Cooking time will vary depending on the size of you Boston Butt and how much fat it has. Check it periodically to make sure it isn’t over cooked!}
Take out of the CrockPot and shred using two forks. It will be sitting in a lot of juice so I like to remove to a serving bowl and then shread. It should be really tender and falling apart. Then add your favorite hamburger buns! I used Potato Buns because they are delicious.
I generally judge how good a recipe is by how much my husband eats of it. He ate 4.5 of these. Need I say more?
Don’t forget to pin it for later! Happy CrockPotting Y’all!
Want another amazing recipe? Check out these Sloppy Grilled Cheese Sandwiches!
Want to check out my latest room makeover before you go? It’s one of my favorites!
This looks so yummy! We all love pulled pork will have to try making it!
Oh my family loves a pulled pork! In fact, I have a shoulder in the freezer that may need to get made this weekend.
Thanks.
I hope you love it!
Wouldn’t this do fine without the added water? I know cooking meats in a crockpot brings about a lot of liquid.
I’m not sure. It is swimming in a lot of liquid at the end but you would be starting the crockpot with zero liquid except for the ketchup and BBQ sauce. If you try it that way, definitely let us know how it turns out! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I tried this with a pork loin. I did not add any water and there was still liquid at the end – it was not dry. It was tasty!
Yes, it was too much water. I would not make this again. It had very little flavor because of all the liquid.
I’m so sorry you didn’t like it. Thanks for your feedback. Hope you have a great weekend!
~Amanda
Are you able to cook it on low and if so, how long would you cook it on low for? Is there a difference in the dryness of the meat if you cook it on high vs low or does it pretty much turn out the same?
Not dryness of meat, sorry, I meant tenderness of meat.
Hi Sasha!
I would do at least 6 hours on low and then check the meat to make sure its fully cooked. But yes, I think low and slow does make it more tender.
Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Can this be made using a pork loin sirloin roast with bone in?
Hi Theresa,
Honestly, I have only tried it with a Boston Butt, but it would probably do fine. Pork Loin sirloins have less fat than a Boston Butt so you may need to check periodically to ensure there is enough water in there. Let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by my blog!
Amanda
Thanks Amanda for your reply. I will definitely let you know how it turns out!
This was delicious! Juicy and flavorful! We had some guests over for a football party and received lots of compliments on this. I think I would use a little less salt next time though. It wasn’t terribly salty but you can always add salt after the fact. Thank you!
I’m so glad it was a hit! 🙂 Have a great week!
~ Amanda
What do you do with all the liquid? Is it used for the sandwiches?
I remove the meat from the liquid and then shred. You could use a little for seasoning though. Thanks for your comment!
Tried this today and it turned out REALLY overcooked. Disappointed
So sorry it didn’t turn out. How long did you cook it and on what setting?
Can this be made a few days ahead?
Yikes! Not sure about that. You could certainly put the rub on it and refrigerate the night before. I’ve eaten the leftovers a couple of days later and they were still good.
I tried this recipe today and it took 8 hours on high before the meat was done. It was wonderful though. I used my crock pot which I’ve had for 37 years, so maybe that was why it took longer than 4 hours. I’ll make it again. We loved the juice it made. Great for putting over mashed potatoes.
So glad you liked it, Sheryl! And that is a great idea for the juice!
I added only 1 c water seemed perfect i added some of juice back into meat and refrigerated
overnight perfect
Thank you for your comment! So glad you enjoyed the pulled pork! We had it a few nights ago too!
This turned out great! I didn’t even bother to add the ketchup or brown sugar as the BBQ sauce I used had both in it already. Easy, 6 hours on high (I had an almost 7-pound pork shoulder), and it was perfect!
I am SO glad! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
I’ve done pork and chicken with this recipe. Soooo good either way. I agree it was too watery. I have just added enough water to cover the bottom of the crockpot and it’s work really nicely. At the end I do a cornstarch slurry and that also seems to help bring everything together. Love this recipe!
I have made this exact recipe 3x now! It is one of our absolute favorites!! Yum! It makes so much that we have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow!
Awww! I am so glad you liked it! Thanks so much for your comment!
Amanda
I use a pork loin for our pulled pork. I add powdered beef & chicken broth & garlic, pepper & a bit of Nature’s Seasoning. No bbq sauce or ketchup, I add a couple cups of water & the cooking begins! Serve on homemade Hawaiian buns! Yum!
Great recipe!!!!! I did omit the brown sugar and only used one cup of water. It was fantastic!!!! Thank you!!
I am so glad you liked it! Thanks for your comment! 🙂
So yummy! Would you be able to freeze it?
Hmmm…I haven’t tried freezing it after it was cooked. We have never had enough leftover. If you do, let us know how it turns out! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂
Amanda
Hi! Came across this recipe for pulled pork and there was way too much water after it was done cooking. All of the seasoning was in the water. So, I made a second mix of the dry seasonings and the ketchup, bbq sauce and some of the water from the crockpot and mixed it in with the pulled pork in a separate pan. We don’t like our pulled pork overly sauced, but not under as well. Next time I’ll try to make it in the oven.
I didn’t read through the whole recipe before starting to make it, I ended up adding the ketchup and BBQ sauce to the rub, is that going to make a difference?
Sorry! I just saw this message. I don’t think it would make a difference. How did it turn out?
I added chicken stock rather than water and my BBQ sauce was Heinz Sweet and Spicy – it turned out yummy. I let it rest for ten minutes and then we “shredded” it using the mixer with the paddle (only on low or you’ll mush it!) and it was great! I think I’ll try removing the liquid and boiling it down to thicken it the next time because I will be making it again.
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it! ?
-Amanda
I was really bummed. Followed the recipe to the T!! Very tough. Would not shred, but reached temperature.
Maybe not cooked long enough? Reaching temperature doesn’t always constitute falling off the bone tender, just that the meat is done. I made that mistake the first time I made pulled pork. I just made this with a 10 pound shoulder cut into 4 pieces. (I used 1 can of root beer in lieu of water for more flavor and a few additional spices.) I cooked it for 3 hours on high and 5 hours on low. Shredded very easily and not dry.
Have cooked the Pioneer Woman’s original recipe both in the oven and crock pot. Was fabulous either way. It also freezes well if you store it in an airtight bag(such as Food Saver)system. Remove from bag and reheat, and it is just as delicious as when first cooked. My family loves it!
That is great feedback! A few people have asked about freezing it. So glad you have enjoyed it! Have a great day!
This was amazing! I had just under a 4 lbs roast, added just 1 cup of liquid- half water and half chicken broth. My 6 yr old lived it too and she is very picky. Will be making again!
I am so glad you loved it! Thanks for your comment!
Amanda 🙂
Tastes great. I had 8lb Boston butt. So it took longer. At 5 hours I pulled and tried. It was still tough. At 6 hours it was better. Shredded what I could. At 7 hours. It was still a little tough in spots. I put it in my kitchen aid mixer with the paddle and shredded rest that way. Maybe too much fat. Idk. Put back in crock on warm. Mixed in a little more BBQ sauce and a little chicken stock.