Crockpot Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Rub
- 2 tbsp brown sugar packed
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Pork
- 4 lb boneless pork shoulder (pork butt) trimmed, cut into 2 or 3 pieces
- 1 large yellow onion sliced
- 2 apples cored and sliced, Honeycrisp or Gala
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
To finish
- 1/2 cup barbecue sauce optional
- 10 brioche buns
- 3 cups coleslaw
Method
- Mix the rub ingredients and press them all over the thawed pork.
- Optional but worth it: sear the pork in a hot oiled skillet for 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned.
- Spread the onion, apples and garlic in the slow cooker and set the pork on top.
- Whisk the cider, vinegar and mustard together and pour around the pork.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or HIGH for 5 to 6 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork.
- Lift the pork out, shred it with two forks and discard any large pieces of fat. Skim the fat from the juices.
- Return the pork to the slow cooker and toss with 1 cup of the juices and the barbecue sauce if using. Serve on buns with coleslaw.
Notes
Thaw first: always thaw pork in the fridge before slow cooking; frozen meat stays too long at unsafe temperatures as it heats.
Storage: refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours, in some of the juices, up to 4 days. Freeze up to 3 months.
Crispy edges: spread shredded pork on a sheet pan and broil 3 to 4 minutes before serving.