Smoked Pulled Pork (slow cooker)

This slow cooker smoked pulled pork will make you feel like you are at a summer barbecue any time of the year! And you don’t need a smoker. This low carb bbq pork recipe that is spicy and crusty that tastes delicious on it’s own but also on a sandwich or salad.

You might also like these grilled short ribs.

My husband has become an awesome smoker. I’ve shared his smoked turkey, brisket and salmon on the blog and we eat these dishes regularly. The only problem is that you really have to be home all day to cook on a smoker.

The other day I was in the mood for smokey barbecue pulled pork and decided to try it in the slow cooker. I put a rub on a  pork shoulder along with some liquid smoke and set it in the slow cooker to cook all day. This smoked pulled pork was so good and I made it in the slow cooker! The salty, spicy pork was just like what we eat in the summer and now I can make it all year round in the crockpot.

Recipe ingredients I used and substitutions.

The ingredients I used for this pulled pork was a pork shoulder roast, hickory liquid smoke, sweetener and for the rub I used chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne powder, salt, black pepper and cumin.

• pork roast – I used a boneless pork shoulder but you could also use a pork butt roast. A pork tenderloin wouldn’t be the same nor would a pork loin roast.
• liquid smoke – Hickory liquid smoke is what gives the dish a smokey flavor and you can buy it at larger grocery stores or online.
• Swerve sweetener – This is my favorite sweetener and I use sweetener instead of white sugar because I follow a low carb diet. You can substitute with white sugar or even brown sugar if you don’t care about carbs.
• spice blend – Most people have all of these seasonings and spices for the pork rub in their pantry. The cayenne powder adds a bit of heat but if you want it hotter you can double the amount or even try some hot pepper flakes. Another way to add smoke is if you have smoked paprika. I know Trader Joes sells this but I didn’t have any on hand. You can add the same amount as the chili powder.

Note you can eat this dish with our without bbq sauce. So you want barbecue you will also need bbq sauce at the end.

How to make smoked pulled pork in the slow cooker.

Step 1: In a small bowl add the spices and liquid smoke. Mix together to make a paste. Rub the paste all over the pork shoulder and then lay it in the slow cooker or crockpot.

Note you don’t add any liquid to the crock. As the roast cooks it will create its own liquid.

Step 2: Place the lid on the crockpot and cook until fall apart tender. The internal temperature should be about 200 – 205°F when using a meat thermometer. I cooked mine on high for 6 hours. Cooking times may vary depending on the size of the roast.

Step 3: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray. Place the roast on the baking sheet and then put it in the preheated oven. Cook for about 20-25 minutes to create a nice crust on the meat.

Step 4: When it’s a cooled a couple of minutes you can shred it with two forks or cut it up into chunks. The shredded pork is nice for pulled pork sandwiches but I like the chunks for salads.

From there you can add you favorite bbq sauce or just eat it as is. I eat pulled pork as is but my husband like to add bbq sauce and make it into a sandwich. I also like to eat on top of a salad with my homemade ranch dressing. Sometimes we even added some of this on a pile of tortilla chips and made the best nachos (though this is not low carb for me).

I also have a low carb barbecue sauce recipe if you are watching carbs. 

If you don’t want it as crusty.

I recently made this pulled pork a little differently. I took it out of the slow cooker, chopped it and place in under the broiler 5-10 minutes. Below is what it looks like. I found I prefer it more crusty but it can be a bit drier that way.

Then you just shred it with two large forks and serve it with some barbecue sauce if you like.

Store leftover pulled pork in an airtight container. Please scroll down for the printable recipe card.

Honestly both ways are really good. I just wanted to let you know this is an option.

Low carb side dishes that would go good with this.

This pulled pork recipe would go good with any bbq side dish. If you are looking for low carb side dishes, try this keto creamy southwest coleslaw or avocado lime slaw. This keto broccoli bacon salad is great and recently I served it with the low carb cheesy broccoli cauliflower rice.

I really like this smoked pulled pork mostly because you can make it in the slow cooker or crockpot but also because it’s delicious to me. I hope you like it as much as I did.

The nutritional information for 1 serving (which is approximately ½ pound of meat) is: 617 calories / 42.8g fat / 3.2g carbs / 2g fiber / 52.7g protein = 1.2g net carbs