There’s nothing quite like a slow-cooked, tender, juicy shredded pork. It’s versatile and freezes well, so I love making a big batch of this Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork to keep on hand for quick dinners later. This heavily spiced pulled pork has become one of my favorites over the years and is probably one of my most cooked recipes. It’s just too easy, with the slow cooker doing all the work, and the results are soooo delicious!
Use a Slow Cooker for Tender, Moist Meat
Pulled pork is super easy to make, especially if you have a slow cooker. Slow cooking holds in all the moisture during cooking and slowly breaks down connective tissue, so the meat is so tender that it just falls apart and shreds with the touch of a fork. Combine those spectacular results with the fact that slow cookers are essentially hands off, and this is, without dispute, my favorite way to make pulled pork.
How To Use Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork
This delicious shredded meat can be used so many different ways. Pile the pork into rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, tacos, or just enjoy on a bun. I also love using it to top salads for an extra shot of protein.
Freeze the Extras
This makes a BIG batch, so keep some in your fridge for the week and freeze the rest. To freeze the pulled pork, divide the pork into more manageable portions (I usually do 1-2 cup portions), then chill it completely in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer the pork to the freezer once completely cooled and keep frozen for up to 3 months. Any freezer safe container works.
Chili Rubbed Pulled Pork
Servings 6 (1/2 cup each)Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless pork butt or shoulder ($4.47)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.60)
- 1 Tbsp smoked paprika ($0.30)
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
Instructions
- Combine the chili powder, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a bowl.
- Cut the pork butt into 2-3 inch cubes. Place the pork cubes in a large bowl, sprinkle the prepared spice mix over top, then stir to coat the meat in the spices.
- Place the seasoned meat in a slow cooker, place the lid on top, and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or low for 8-9 hours.
- After cooking, stir the meat with a fork to shred the meat. If it's not tender enough to fall apart when stirred, return the lid and cook for an additional 30 minutes adn try again. After shredding the meat, it is ready to serve, or portion and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use. Keep the shredded meat in the juices from the slow cooker until ready to serve for the best flavor.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!You might also like our Slow Cooker Carnitas recipe!
Chili rubbed pulled pork served as tacos in corn tortillas with sliced jalapeños, pickled red onions, and cotija, Cumin Lime Coleslaw on the side.
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – Step by Step Photos
Prepare the chili spice rub first. In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp chili powder, 1 Tbsp smoked paprika, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, 1 tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper. Stir until they’re evenly mixed.
Cut one 3 lb. boneless pork butt or shoulder into large chunks (about 2-3 inch pieces).
Place the pieces of pork in a bowl and pour the spices over top. Stir the pork pieces until they’re evenly coated in spices.
Place the seasoned pork in a slow cooker (I’m using a 5 qt slow cooker and it’s only about half full). I do not add any water or liquid to the slow cooker, as the meat will release quite a bit of liquid as it cooks. If your slow cooker specifies that you must add some liquid, you can add a cup of water.
Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours. After cooking it should be so tender that it begins to fall apart when stirred. If it doesn’t, simply put the lid back on and continue to cook for 30-60 minutes more. Sometimes that last little bit of time makes a huge difference in the texture.
Stir the pork in the slow cooker until it has shredded into smaller pieces. Serve immediately or transfer to a food storage container and refrigerate and/or freeze for later. I like to keep the meat right in the cooking juices during storage for maximum flavor.
It’s soooo tender and juicy! And those spices!!
And it makes the absolute BEST tacos!!
Pork shoulder/butt was on sale at Sam’s, so made a couple of HUGE batches. I’ve never cut up the pork with a dry rub before. That was great advice. The only thing I altered was using chipotle chili powder instead of regular chili powder because we like the spicy heat. 1st meal was the pork stacked on top of your cilantro lime rice and a wee bit of cheese and lettuce on top of that. This was a WINNING recipe!!
This was so good.My family ate it all week in a variety of ways but once we only had a few oz left I turned it into BBQ pork Quesadillas! I tossed the pork onto a tortilla with a bit of cheese and some bbq sauce it was so good.
I feel pretty silly I never knew making pulled pork was this easy.. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Made this today, it smells amazing! 19 meals out of it, all tucked away in the freezer (bought a larger cut of meat.) We plan to add brown rice to it and take it to work. Thanks!
I made this today. It is delicious. I had to bag it up to freeze before I ate a big portion.
The brilliant step in this recipe is cutting the meat into chunks so more gets covered by the rub. Previously, I have cooked pork roasts whole so the rub only covered the outside. This recipe packs a lot more flavor.
I’ve made pulled pork as well as beef brisket in the slow cooker using recipes like the one here. Preparation & cook time are the same for both meats. I have found that there are 2 changes that can really give more flavor: 1) put the rub on the meat at least 8 hours–the night before or even a full day before cooking. Gives the spices a chance to really infuse flavor into the meat. 2) Use liquid smoke. Don’t be shy with it either–like at least 1/2 tsp per pound of meat.
My family loves pork tacos, so a pork butt can make all sorts of meals for us for a week(plus some to freeze). I recently decided to add some of that shredded pork into a stir fry of veggies and noodles. Oh my, it was amazing! Very little goes a long way when it is shredded because it gets into every bite.
I’m new to freezing already cooked food so what’s the best way to defrost this for another meal for my family? Thanks in advance!!
You can do a couple of things with this. You can pop it in the fridge the day before and let it defrost slowly, you can empty the bag into a bowl and microwave until hot, or you can run the bag under water for a couple minutes until it’s thawed (that’s if you have it in small portions, like I do).
We’re in the process of moving and I packed away my slow cooker, but I have my Le Creuset dutch oven. On low, would it be done in about the same amount of time – 4 hours? Will it work as good as the slow cooker method? Thanks!
I use my le creuset a lot instead of a crock pot. Keep it very low because the heat is higher on the bottom, whereas as crock pot heats on the sides too. The good thing is you can brown the meat at higher heat first and get better flavor. Oh also you might need to add stock or water or wine because the pot doesn’t retain moisture as much as a crock pot.
To avoid the problem with food burning on the bottom of your le creuset, put it in the oven at 250F. That way, you get slow, even heat penetration.
You’re right on with the extra liquid, even if it’s just a half cup or so.
I’d take Sarah’s advice here. I haven’t had the pleasure of cooking with a Le Creuset. :)
If the weather is cool (or even wintery) you could put your Dutch oven in a low oven (300º F). No danger of burning the bottom and you still have the option of browning your meat before you bake it. My favorite way to make stew like dishes.
Looks great! What size of crock pot did you use in the photo? I ask because it looks like we might have the same size crock pot — 6.5 litres. I’ve found that many recipes are meant for a smaller crockpot and have often wondered if I would have been better off buying a smaller one (the instructions say the crockpot should be at least 1/2 full, if not 3/4 for best cooking results so if you use a big crock, everything cooks quite fast and the heat runs hot, I’ve found)
Mine is somewhere between 5-7 quarts. I’m not sure of the exact size. :/
i like doing BBQ nachos with leftover pulled pork too
I do the exact same thing, but I always keep the cooking liquid. Although the liquid looks really oily after cooking the meat, if you refrigerate it overnight, you can skim off the fat, and you’re left with a rich, pork broth.
Mmmmmmm!! I LOVE shredded pork. This recipe is perfect with tacos!!! I can’t wait to make them for dinner sometime!!! :-)
Great idea, foods that you can eat again and again with just a slight twist so your brain thinks of it as a totally different experience are the best. Will have to see if there are any good deals on shoulders or butts this week…mmm, mouth is watering now…
Last time we made pulled pork we had a TON and made nachos as a last resort.
They were FANTASTIC.