Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Sticky BBQ Glaze

This slow cooker pulled pork does the hard work for you: a spice-rubbed pork shoulder cooks low and slow until it shreds with a fork. Finish with a sticky homemade BBQ glaze and pile it into buns for an easy crowd-pleaser.

Pulled pork is the ultimate hands-off feast. A well-marbled pork shoulder gets a quick spice rub, then eight hours in the slow cooker turns it silky and tender. All that’s left is to shred it, toss it in a glossy barbecue glaze, and serve. It feeds a crowd, reheats brilliantly, and needs barely any attention.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg boneless pork shoulder — rind removed, cut into 2-3 large chunks
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp light brown soft sugar
• 2 tsp garlic granules
• 1 tsp onion granules
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp fine sea salt
• 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 large onion — sliced
• 150 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp cider vinegar
• 150 g barbecue sauce — plus extra to serve
• 1 tbsp runny honey

Method

1. Pat the pork dry with kitchen paper. Mix the smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic granules, onion granules, mustard powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl, then rub all over the pork so every side is well coated.
2. Scatter the sliced onion over the base of the slow cooker and sit the pork on top. Pour the stock and cider vinegar around the meat, not over it, so the rub stays on.
3. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours (or High for about 5 hours), until the pork is meltingly tender and pulls apart easily when pushed with two forks.
4. Lift the pork onto a board and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Skim any excess fat from the cooking liquid and reserve a few spoonfuls of the juices.
5. Shred the pork with two forks, discarding any large lumps of fat. The meat should be soft and stringy with no firm or pink patches remaining; if any part still resists, return it to the cooker for another 30 minutes.
6. Stir the barbecue sauce, honey and a few spoonfuls of the reserved cooking juices through the shredded pork until glossy and coated. Loosen with a little more juice if it looks dry.
7. Return the glazed pork to the slow cooker on Low for 15 minutes to warm through, or serve straight away while piping hot. Offer extra barbecue sauce at the table.

Serve it with

• Soft white or brioche buns
• Crunchy apple slaw or coleslaw
• Pickled red onions or gherkins
• Corn on the cob or baked potatoes
• A green salad to cut the richness

Why this works

A fatty, collagen-rich pork shoulder needs long, gentle cooking to break down into that signature soft, shreddable texture. Cooking the rub on dry and adding the wet BBQ glaze only at the end keeps the flavour concentrated rather than washed out.

Common swaps

• Swap pork shoulder for boneless pork leg for a leaner (slightly drier) result.
• No smoked paprika? Use sweet paprika plus a dash of liquid smoke or chipotle paste.
• Use maple syrup in place of honey for a vegan-friendly glaze.
• Replace chicken stock with cola or apple juice for a sweeter, deeper flavour.
• Swap ready-made BBQ sauce for a mix of ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Lifting the lid to peek, which lets out heat and adds cooking time.
• Adding the BBQ sauce at the start, where the sugars dilute and the flavour fades over 8 hours.
• Rushing it, undercooked shoulder stays tough and won't shred, so give it the full time.
• Skipping the fat-skimming step, which leaves the finished pork greasy.

Storage, freezing & reheating

Storage: Cool leftovers quickly and refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Keep a little of the cooking juices to loosen it when reheating.

Freezing: Freezes very well. Pack the glazed, shredded pork with some juices into freezer bags or tubs and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost fully in the fridge before reheating.

Reheating: Reheat gently in a pan or microwave with a splash of stock or juices until piping hot throughout, stirring so it heats evenly.

Allergen notes: contains Mustard. Always check individual product labels.

Estimated nutrition

Per serving, estimated from typical ingredient values — not a substitute for precise dietary calculation.