Dad will thoroughly enjoy this smoked pulled pork. It is so much more flavorful than just throwing the pork in the crockpot.
Best part? You don’t need a smoker to do it. You can even do it with same process in the oven, if it’s raining.
It takes a bit of time to put this together but it is so well worth it!
If you would like to see how to smoke a pork butt, check out this post. I usually smoke the pork one day. Refrigerate it overnight.
Then remove the large layer of fat and pop it in the slow cooker on high for 4-5 hours the day you want to serve it.
The meat just falls apart. You will love it!
This Pulled Pork is so delicious that we make it a few times per year!
Even in the middle of winter, we will do it in the oven. It makes you think of warmer times and summer BBQ’s.
Which cuts of meat to use
We find the best cut of pork to use are a pork butt or pork shoulder. They are both nicely marbled with fat and produce the juiciest pork. Pork butt has a large fat cap on top. After smoking, remove that cap before proceeding with the slow cooking.
The reason it takes 4-5 hours is that the slow cooker takes a while to get it up to temperature after being in the refrigerator overnight.
What you need
- pork shoulder or pork butt
- dry rub for pork
- wood for smoking
How to Cook Smoked Pulled Pork on the Grill
- Salt & black pepper the roast on all sides.
2. Apply dry rub to the outside of the roast on all sides. If you do this the day before you smoke the pork, the flavor will be better. Just liberally apply rub. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
Our dry rub is a bit sweet and a bit spicy. It has brown sugar for sweetness, chili powder or cayenne pepper for the heat. Cumin for earthy flavor and garlic powder, onion powder and paprika for depth.
In the morning, remove pork from refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 30-60 minutes.
3. Start grill on one side. Place soaked wood in a container or piece of tin foil. (I usually use apple or cherry, because that is what I have around. You can buy hickory or mesquite or oak at most home stores.)
Add a separate metal container with water in it, above the fire. Place roast on grill on the side that is not lit, with a piece of tin foil protecting the side of the roast from burning.
Spritz the roast with a mixture of vinegar and oil. 2 parts apple cider vinegar to 1 part oil. Monitor the temperature of the grill with lid closed. You want the temperature to be at about 225°F.
Cook for about one hour per pound. Internal temperature of meat should be about 170°-180°F for the most tender pork.
Finishing Smoked Pulled Pork in the Crockpot
Cool. Cover and then refrigerate overnight. Remove the fat layer, if there is a large one. Put roast in the slow cooker with your favorite barbecue sauce, or like me, a few tablespoons of water, so that people can pick from a variety of BBQ sauces, like this Cherry BBQ Sauce, or blueberry BBQ sauce coming soon to BCC.
Cook on high about 4-6 hours. Twist with a large fork to determine if it will pull easily. It should break apart easily. If not, leave it a while longer. Internal temperature should be 195°F-205°F.
Types of Smokers and Grills good for Pulled Pork
There are many types of appliances that you can use to smoke meats. The appliance that is the eaiest, less hands on time is an electric smoker! This is one of our favorite smokers.
We have also owned a charcoal smoker, like this one.
There are smokers that run on propane, which we find very handy
Combination smoker/ grills are money savers, as well as space savers, for smaller properties. This smoker/ grill is a charcoal burner.
Here is gas burning smoker/ grill combination. They even make a pellet combination, that would be fun to try.
Don’t forget though, you can even use your regular grill or the oven, if you don’t want to go out in the winter.
What to do with pulled pork
- Make pulled pork sandwiches on hamburger buns or Kaiser rolls. Serve with a side of coleslaw or top sandwich the the slaw.
- Great on tacos, burritos, enchiladas, nachos and the like.
- Perfect for freezer meals. Add leftovers to an airtight container or bag. Store in servings large enough to make a meal for your family. Pull some out any time you need a quick meal.
This recipe makes the most tender juicy pulled pork on the planet!
This is not a quick recipe, but so well worth the time! The flavor that the smoking imparts is worth every second!
Although this pulled pork takes a couple days to reach peak flavor, there is next to no hands on time.
Your grill, smoker or the oven will do all of the smoking work and the crock pot will finish it off to tender, juicy perfection!
Tools I Use
Contains affiliate links, for full disclosure, see FTC Disclosure, here.
- Pellet Combination Smoker
- Gas Burning Smoker/ Grill
- Charcoal Burning Smoker/ Grill
- Electric Smoker
- Charcoal Smoker
- 6 qt crockpot
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If you have any questions or comments, please ask in the comment section below. We’d love to hear from you!
I hope you enjoyed the recipe today!
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
📖 Recipe
Smoked Pulled Pork – Finished with Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 7 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt roast, mine was 7 lbs.
- salt & pepper
- 1 recipe dry rub, or use your favorite store bought pork rub link for recipe below
- spritzer bottle with a mixture of 2 parts apple cider vinegar and 1 part oil
- wood chips for smoking
- your favorite BBQ sauce to finish
Instructions
- Rub roast with salt and pepper. Then rub in the dry rub.
- Set up grill. Add a metal container filled with water to the side of the grill that will be lit. In another metal container, place soaked pieces of wood. You can purchase hickory, mesquite and lots of other varieties. I use apple or cherry from my property.
- Get the grill temp set to about 225°F. Add pork roast to the side of the grill that is not lit. (indirect grilling) Protect the edge closer to the burners that are lit with a piece of tin foil.
- Mix 2 parts vinegar and 1 part oil in a clean spritzer bottle.
- Spray with the spritzer well every hour, or so. Check temperature when it starts looking done. Internal temp should be 170° to 180°F. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- Place roast in slow cooker the next day. Trim of any large fat strips off. You can add BBQ sauce, or sauce to the pork when it is pulled. Depending on the size of the roast, It should take 4-6 hours to finish in the slow cooker. Internal temperature should be 195°F-205°F.
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Notes
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission if you click the link and purchase something, at no additional cost to you. See FTC Disclosure, here.
speppers69
The part above has some inconsistencies from the recipe below and notes.
Above it says to spritz with 1 part apple cider vinegar to 2 parts oil. Below in recipe it says 75% ACV to 25% oil…or 3 parts ACV to 1 part oil.
Above it says 4-5 hours in slow cooker. Mid way down says 6-8 hours. Then in recipe it doesn’t have a time for slow cooker.
Above it says to grill until internal temp of 195-205. In the notes below it says for smoker 170-180 and then 195-215 in slow cooker.
Which ratio, time and temperatures are the right ones? Can’t wait to try it.
Beth Neels
Thanks for pointing this out. I’ll have the editorial team fix that!
R
looks sweet. gonna try this for deer camp. bradley smoker then the crock pot.
Beth Neels
I actually have crockpotted venison recipe on BCC too! It’s awesome! Let me know how yours goes!
GARY
I smoke mine for 2 hours early in the morning and then finish in slow cooker to have it done by dinner. Looks great, nice pictures!
Binky
Thanks Gary! I really appreciate the comment! Happy New Year!
Brian Jones
That sounds delicious, but I have to make this because I have an experiment to try with the skin. I want to save it, scrape off the fat and dehydrate it, then deep fry it to make puffed crackling 😀 An extra treat from yummy pulled pork 😀
Binky
That sounds like fun. Let me know how it goes! My doggies enjoy it! 🙂
Catherine Brown
Best of both worlds: smokey plus low ‘n slow. My eyes were totally drawn to those gorgeous peonies though… DANG! I hope those came from your garden! 🙂
Binky
They did. Of course the point of food photography is to draw the readers eye to the food! 🙂 I know they are distracting! I just couldn’t resist using them, they are so huge and gorgeous! Thanks, Catherine!
Amanda
Looks like a recipe my dad would like. Love the coleslaw with it!
Binky
I love coleslaw for the top of pulled pork sandwiches! Thanks Amanda!
Loyola
OMG this pulled pork looks super yummy. Will have to try this recipe.
Binky
Thanks so much, Loyola! I appreciate your comment!
Rebecca | Let's Eat Cake
This pulled pork looks fantastic – I would imagine it would be great on pizza too!
Binky
I haven’t done a pulled pork pizza! Awesome idea!! Thanks Rebecca!
Heidy L. McCallum
Smoked pulled pork is one of my favorites, this recipe looks amazingly easy to follow too.
Binky
Thanks Heidy! It’s super easy. For sure!
Kristina
This is great for the weekend! I love pork very much and this looks great!
Binky
It really is great! Great for all those wonderful Dads out there!
Kristen
What a great idea to finish in the slow cooker. I love a good pork butt and I think my husband would like to try his hand at this recipe!
Binky
It is really super easy as the grill and the slow cooker do all of the work!
Shanika
Wow, this pulled pork looks so flavorful! I would definitely enjoy this sandwich!
Binky
It is super tender and juicy! Thanks, Shanika!
Katie
This is a brilliant idea! My dad loves smoked meats and a slow cooker finish would be great for me so I can have time for other recipes too
Binky
It frees you up to do all of the sides! Thanks for your comment, Katie!
John
This is very interesting that you warm it again in the slow cooker! That must really keep it nice and moist!
Binky
It really does make it moist! Thanks for your comment, John!