What readers are saying about this recipe
This recipe was my first go at pulled pork and tonight was our second time making it. LOVE it!! It turned out juicy, flavorful and was wicked easy to make. I love that you don’t require braising the outside…didn’t need it after all. Thanks for a great recipe! We’ll definitely keep it in the rotation.
Mindy
5 reasons you’ll love it
- It’s truly a “set it and forget it” recipe with only 5-minutes of active prep time.
- The pork comes out so tender and juicy, you can easily shred it with a fork.
- The serving options are endless! Use this slow cooker pulled pork for tacos, sandwiches, bowls and more.
- Made with simple, everyday seasonings so you don’t need to make a special trip to the store for this recipe.
- It’s keto, gluten-free, dairy-free, whole30 and Paleo.
Tips from an expert home chef
- You don’t need to sear the pork before putting it in the crockpot. Just rub it all over with the delicious homemade seasoning mix and put it in the slow cooker.
- If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, you can use water instead.
- If you like pulled pork with crispy bits, you can transfer the shredded pork to a sheet pan after cooking and broil it for a few minutes to crisp up the ends.
- If making this for meal prep, it will last 5-6 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It’s also freezer friendly and will last for around 6 months in the freezer.
More easy slow cooker recipes
- Tender, Juicy Beef Barbacoa
- Juicy, Shredded Chicken Carnitas
- Mexican Shredded Beef
- Mojo Pork
- Slow Cooker BBQ Beef
- Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
We hope you love this recipe as much as we do!
Don’t forget to leave a quick star rating and review below, we read every comment and truly appreciate your feedback. Also, be sure to browse the rest of our easy, delicious recipes to find some other favorites too!
Get the Recipe:
Easiest Ever Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (Keto + Whole30)
The easiest and juiciest slow cooker pulled pork takes only 5 minutes of prep time and then you set it and forget it in the crockpot! Great for serving a crowd or for meal prep, this recipe is also keto, gluten-free, whole30 and Paleo. It's seriously the best pulled pork recipe!
Ingredients
- 4 lb pork butt, (also known as boston butt. Can also use pork shoulder)
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Pepper
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Onion powder
- 1 tbsp Chili powder
- 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1 cup Chicken broth
Instructions
- Place all of the seasonings in a small bowl and mix well to make the spice rub.
- Place pork in the slow cooker. Massage the spice rub all over the meat. You may have some left over if you have a smaller cut of meat.
- If you have the time, cover and refrigerate the meat for 3 hours or as long as 24 to let the rub set in. If you are planning ahead, I recommend letting the rub set in. If you don't have the time, just season the pork and start cooking.
- When you're ready to cook, pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Shred with two forks or tongs and serve. You can spoon some of the juices from the slow cooker on to the pork for serving.
Notes
Nutrition facts are an estimate. See our full nutrition information disclosure here.
Calories: 315kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Fiber: 1g
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Just had to comment to help promote this recipe! I followed every easy step including making chicken stock from leftover Costco chicken bones and refrigerated an 8lb pork shoulder butt overnight.
Next morning 9am started crock pot and was ready by 7pm. Incredible! I have so much rich and tender pulled pork for a great value for keto meals for many days for whole family.
Loved that the seasoning is easy and already available in pantry. Really great job Justin and nice that it’s easy to either incorporate juices or not, depending on how hard I want to hit the fat. (spoiler: all the fat)
Doubling recipe for larger meat was easy but I don’t think it changes the cooking time suggestions and did find that I could do up to 11 hours for tender 8lb pork shoulder butt.
Thanks Mike! Glad you found our recipe and have been enjoying it 😊
Amazing flavor so juicy and delicious! Love this spice rub!
I was really hoping to like this recipe, but it was not to my liking. With all the rave reviews I figure I would try it, and I ended on getting a 5 lb boston butt. This was very salty the the chicken broth did not add to the flavor it distracted from it. To save all this meat from going to waste, I added a BBQ sauce that I enjoy.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t enjoy the recipe.
I made this for a baby shower and it was a hit! Multiple people asked me for the link to the recipe. I followed the directions exactly but started it at midnight and let it cook on low for 11 hours. I also didn’t pre-season the pork, I just rubbed it on and turned on the crockpot. I actually doubled the recipe and every bit was gone after the party! It is truly delicious!
Glad everyone enjoyed it!
My husband said this is the best meal I’ve ever made. It’s so good with a sugar free coleslaw too 😋
This is one of our all-time favorite recipes too!
Do you have an Instant Pot cooking option?
You can follow the cooking instructions for our carnitas recipe, that will work!
The best ever!! I was skeptical this wouldn’t be great without a bunch of sauce but it’s incredible and my little ones can’t stop eating it!
Love hearing that your kids like it! This is one of our go-to recipes and a staple in our house.
Super easy and delicious! Doubled the recipe for a large group. Fed 14 with tons left over.
Glad you were able to feed the crowd and enjoy the leftovers!
Typically recipes call for low sodium chicken broth. Have you experimented with both low sodium and regular chicken broth?
We have used both and it’s just a matter of preference. Since the pork is seasoned well, you can use either. You can even use water and it will still turn out great, we do this all the time.
I want to make this recipe, but I am from the Netherlands and we are on the metric system. I searched for conversions chart but the ones I get don’t know pork butt or pork shoulder. Can you please tell how many gram/kilograms 8 lb is?
Thanks.
Thecla
Hi there. 8lbs is 3.62874 kg
This recipe is amazing! I’ve made it twice so far. I prepare it the night before and start it early on low heat to get super tender. Don’t skip letting the rub sit overnight.if possible. It makes a big difference. I did all the spices called for, plus I gave it a little sprinkle of adobo seasoning. We went to a family gathering and they had roast pork that was smoked all day, yada yada and my husband said the one I make tastes better 🙂 Thank you!
You’re welcome, thanks for the amazing review!
My pork roast has a rather large fat cap. Do I cut that off?
I like to cut some off if it’s pretty thick and easy to cut off. You can leave some on though, when it slow cooks it will break down and add more flavor. It’s kind of a matter of personal preference.
Love this recipe! It really is the easiest ever slow cooker pulled pork recipe. It had just a little too much salt for my taste, so I adjusted accordingly when I made it the next time. Thanks for sharing!
Love this recipe! I make it at least once or twice a month and with different cuts of pork (loin, shoulder). It’s so quick and easy, and the result is always delicious. Fool proof!
Happy to hear that!
Made this on a whim for my husband and kids to celebrate my son returning home and we have put it on our special occasion list. So tender and flavorful they all love it and with 3 kids it’s hard to find meals everyone loves. We are actually making this tomorrow for our Christmas eve meal with my nephew and his wife!
So happy to hear that Nicole! Thanks for coming back to leave a review, we really appreciate it 😊
I have made this recipe over and over again. I like to take pulled pork to potlucks and this simple, easy recipe is my go to. I put the ingredients in the slow cooker just before I go to bed and it is perfect in the morning to take to our lunch potluck picnic at the river.
We love hearing that! Thanks so much for coming back to share. We use this recipe for family get togethers often! 🙂
Made this for a group of builders and served on the building site. There was not a morsel leftover! Yummy!
Really love hearing that Stephanie!
A delicious meal I’ll definitely make this one again
I plan to use my ninja foodi slow cooker function this time as I need a new crock pot. Do you have a recommendation for time variation?
As long as the appliance is slow cooking it, the recommended time should be the same. There are different Ninja Foodie versions so it’s hard for me to answer with certainty.
No way this is only 220cals per
Serving. It has to be way more.
I re-ran the calculation and it did change the calories. Not every calculator is the same or perfect, so feel free to use a third party calculator if you wish.
What did it change to?
It’s reflected in the recipe card now.
Hi. I want to make this but my pork is 8 1/2 lbs. I know to double the spices but how long will I cook it in the crockpot?
I’d recommend cutting the pork into 3-4 chunks and keep the same cooking time.
Great recipe.
Really tasty but very tough to pull apart. I’m not sure if I got a bad cut of meat but unfortunately did not just fall apart like recipes I’ve made in the past. That being said, once shredded it was really good. I served over brown rice with black beans, avocado, pickled jalapeños, salsa verde and some lime juice.
Great recipe- made this today.
Two questions…..
1- how is there fiber in pork?
2- what is serving size?
The serving size is 1/8 of the total output. The fiber is from the chicken stock, which is generally made with various vegetables so that’s where you get a little fiber in the nutrition results.
So easy and so delicious! If you are in a Whole 30 rut and don’t know what to eat, make this! It is great as leftovers too!
Yay! Thanks so much for trying our recipe and sharing on IG! Appreciate you coming back to leave a review, too! 🙂
My pork is over 8lbs. If I cook it on high in the crockpot rather than low will it still be tender? I have doubled the ingredients for the rub
I highly recommend cooking it in low for tender pork. If you have to do it on high, I suggest cutting a roast of that sized into 6-8 smaller chunks. That will help everything cook through and tenderize more. I hope that helps.
Do you use bone in or boneless pork?
Either will work.
This sounds amazing! Could it be done in an instant pot?
Yes, but I recommend cutting the pork into smaller 2×2-inch cubes for cooking in the IP. You can follow the instructions in this Pork Carnitas Recipe.
Perfect! Making it tonight. Thank you for the recipe.
I had a pulled pork recipe that I loved, but it does not fit my new, clean eating lifestyle. I tried this recipe today and instantly shared with my mom because I loved it! It will definitely be a new staple for my husband and I!
So happy to read this review, thanks for coming back and sharing 🙂