Slow Cooker Barbecued Pulled Pork

Frequently asked questions

Why add apple cider vinegar to pulled pork?

Pulled pork relies on both the vinegar's acidity and the low-and-slow cooking process to tenderize the meat, breaking down the protein to give the dish its signature moist, fall-apart texture. Cider vinegar also provides a tangy counterpoint to the fatty pork.

Does pulled pork in a slow cooker need liquid?

Yes, you'll need some wet ingredients to make this barbecue pulled pork recipe, but not nearly as much as you might think. Specifically, the recipe calls for a cup of ketchup, three tablespoons of cider vinegar, and a couple tablespoons of molasses, plus a touch of Dijon mustard and chile sauce. The rest of the moisture comes from the meat. The pork releases liquid as it cooks, but that moisture is trapped inside the covered slow cooker, becoming imbued with the flavors of the recipe's other ingredients to make a sauce that keeps the meat juicy.

Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen

Using a slow cooker to prepare pulled pork is like cooking on autopilot. With less than half an hour of active work time, this recipe truly is a set-it-and-forget-it situation. Only a single small onion needs to be chopped; the entire time the meat is cooking is completely hands-off. Once the pork shoulder reaches melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, all that's left to do is effortlessly shred it while you reduce the sauce on the stove to your desired thickness.

Make ahead

The barbecue pulled pork can be refrigerated for up to four days.