Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork combines spices and beer in a crock-pot and is slow cooked all day infusing all those aromatic flavours into the pork. Served on a bun, it’s a quick and easy dinner!
Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork
There are many flavour combinations when it comes to pulled pork. Decide what you like, try a few different things until you end up with a recipe that you will make again and again.
For this recipe pick a beer with some flavour or bite. A light beer will not offer up much flavourwise. A fruity or sour beer is not recommended. A brown or amber ale is a good choice. We’ve used local beer Village Brewery Blacksmith a few tunes and have been happy with the flavour.
Cook once, eat two or three times
I’m a big fan of cooking once and turning leftovers into a second and third meal. That’s why we lean towards buying a larger roast (say four pounds) ensuring we have enough leftovers for new meals.
A few ways we use leftover pork: sandwiches or wraps for lunch the next day, pulled pork mac and cheese, or pork carnitas. One cook, three meals – BAM!
Pulled Pork Ingredients
Some people toss the roast in the slow cooker with a bottle of barbecue. We say whatever floats your boat! For this recipe, here are the ingredients we used.
- Spices: ensure your spices are fresh and not expired for the best flavour.
- Salt and Pepper: sea or kosher salt and freshly ground pepper if you have a grinder.
- Pork: a boneless pork shoulder or butt is nicely marbled and when slow cooked becomes moist and tender.
- Onion: it’s an aromatic flavour enhancer so use any kind of onion or shallots you have on hand.
- Lime: fresh is best if available.
- Beer: as mentioned, use a beer that has some flavour. This ensures flavour in your pork.
- BBQ Sauce: serve on the side and drizzle on top for extra flavour.
The Beer
I’ve touched on this a few times but let’s get down to the nitty gritty. The beer is a big deal as it’s going to infuse the pork with a load of flavour. That’s why picking the right one is so important.
We recommend any of the following choices: brown ale, amber ale, porter or stout, dunkel, warmly spiced ale or a dark lager. Some even like to use Guinness beer.
Avoid bitter beers like IPA’s. If you are not sure what beer to buy, go to a local liquor store and ask for recommendations. Buy a couple singles and give them all a taste then decide which one to put in your pulled pork and drink the rest!
Some people use cider, coke or root beer to flavour the pork. Whichever liquid you decide on remember it’s the long slow cook that helps break down the collagen and connective tissue in the pork.
Here’s a few other fun pork recipes to try:
- Pork Souvlaki with Cucumber Pineapple Salsa
- Pork Sausage Patties
- Grilled Honey Garlic Pork Tenderloin
- Moo Shu Pork in Wraps
- Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs
- Pork Koftas with Tomato Dill Salsa
If you made this recipe tag Wanda Baker on Instagram and hashtag it #bakersbeans or #wandabaker
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp oregano
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 2-4 lb boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
- 1 medium sized onion sliced thin
- 1 lime juice
- 1 bottle beer 2-3 cups
- Olive oil
- Pam
Instructions
- In a bowl mix together cumin, pepper, salt, oregano, garlic powder and chili powder. Rub all over pork and let set in refrigerator covered overnight or for at least an hour.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil and onions to a hot frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes until starting to soften.
- Using Pam spray inside of slow cooker. Add onions, pork, lime juice and beer. Drizzle olive oil over top and let it cook up to 8 hours for low or 5 hours on high. The pork is done with it flakes easily.
- Remove from slow cooker and let sit for a few minutes on a baking sheet. Shred with two forks and add to serving plate or bowl. Pour additional juices from slow cooker over top including onions.
- Serve with your favourite barbecue sauce and fresh buns.
- Since we didn't have a slaw to go with the pulled pork, we put out some fresh toppers including: sliced red onion, cilantro, sliced fresh jalapenos
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