suggestions for pulled pork in the... slow cooker..

beginner · Post by **beginner** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:00 pm

Alright guys this is a long shot but I'm asking for any cheats to pull off a semi decent pulled pork in an electric slow cooker, the type your aunt uses... My excuse for doing this is I don't have access to my smokers here, I do have the Q but I'll be in and out a lot during the day and the slow cooker feels like it might be the right choice... My strategy here so far is aus bbq smoke smokey rub, onions, apples, stock and cider for a broth sitting below the portion of beast.. 10 hours on "low" which I believe averages out at about 120c plus some resting time... Piece will probably be neck, no way a shoulders going to fit. Any suggestions from anyone or their wives would be appreciated!

titch · Post by **titch** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 10:19 pm

Rub of choice, no liquid, straight on low for about 8 hours, My Sil swears by it.
I believe she browns in a skillet first.
Makes a sauce from the drippings

Jars · Post by **Jars** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:05 pm

beginner wrote:Alright guys this is a long shot but I'm asking for any cheats to pull off a semi decent pulled pork in an electric slow cooker, the type your aunt uses... My excuse for doing this is I don't have access to my smokers here, I do have the Q but I'll be in and out a lot during the day and the slow cooker feels like it might be the right choice... My strategy here so far is aus bbq smoke smokey rub, onions, apples, stock and cider for a broth sitting below the portion of beast.. 10 hours on "low" which I believe averages out at about 120c plus some resting time... Piece will probably be neck, no way a shoulders going to fit. Any suggestions from anyone or their wives would be appreciated!

Have you got any sort of bbq that you could use to give it a blast of smoke for a hour or two before chucking it in the slow cooker to finish off? I imagine that would improve the flavour if you used titch's method.

chrisg · Post by **chrisg** » Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:07 pm

When it gets silly hot here, as it has past several weeks and firebans lurk slow cooker is our go-to, have a corned beef in there atm actually.

It's just another cooking environment, can't do smoke so much, liquid smoke is... okaay, but you do get a stable long, long cook.

You can definitely get pulled pork, and contrary to the many slow cooker books etc I agree with titch, no liquid needed and brown first

It's not bbq, but, its easy

Cheers

Mixin · Post by **Mixin** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 6:44 am

I do a 'cheat method' that was told to me by a Texan work colleague a couple of years ago. He reckons he can do it in Oz, but would be shot back home for sacriledge! There's no smoke involved, but it still turns out well as a great alternative. Adding some liquid smoke may be an option if you wanted to.

Put a layer of sliced onions along the bottom of the cooker's bowl. Chuck in some garlic if you wish (I always do).
Rub the meat well in paprika, cumin, salt & pepper. If you want stronger flavours, add some more of the spice mix to the onion bed.

Place meat on top of the onion bed. Set cooker on low to medium heat, depending on your unit's controls.
Pour in a can of coke, and an optional step - about 80-100ml of bourbon. The liquid doesn't have to cover the meat.
(the coke & bourbon can also be replaced by beer).

Cook away until it pulls - turn it over every couple of hours, and leave the lid off after about 4-6 hours, to help the liquid thicken a little & self-sauce the meat.

I've done it a few times, and it turns out quite well - the sugar in the coke negates the need for sugar in the rub, but if you want it sweeter, add brown sugar to your rub as well.

Commander Cody · Post by **Commander Cody** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:40 am

i thought the onions and garlic were to lift it off the floor so it does not stew in it's juices.

another way to lift it is...............roll up some foil and sit the pork on that, it gets it up out of the juices and still low and slows it.

you can still make a sauce or gravy out of the juices, and the pork should "bark" up a bit........well, at least i think so anyway.

kevin

aussieant32 · Post by **aussieant32** » Fri Mar 20, 2015 8:54 am

I have done it a couple of times, not for a while. But I used to always pour a can of coke in mine. I always found it hard to use a slow cooker to start with as you are kind of guessing the temp its at

beginner · Post by **beginner** » Mon Jun 08, 2015 6:22 pm

Hey forgot to let you guys know what happened! I tried this, was unhappy with the results, and am scared to try it again, think I ended up with too much liquid and the thing didn't even really fit properly anyway, I also neglected to brown, a lot of mistakes on my part. When I'm out of town I have the WSM which produces far better eating so I'll be leaving these types of dishes to that. The slow cookers a handy device and can do some things nicely, I get great silverside from it, but this one didn't work out for me. With winter on its way I might just have another crack at it, it's just the Q here in an uncovered area so sometimes compromises need to be made, if anyone tries again before me please put up some pics!!

jazzyj · Post by **jazzyj** » Mon Jun 29, 2015 10:46 am

I swear by this recipe for cheats pulled pork.
it is so good i have never been tempted to do one on the smoker

PORTER PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon mustard powder
1/2 tablespoon coriander
1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
Generous pinch of salt
2 pounds pork shoulder or pork butt
2.5 bottles of Sierra Nevada® Porter (or any dark beer)
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, 12-14 ounces
4 buns
1.5 cups coleslaw

Mix all dry spices in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture onto all sides of the pork. Place the pork in a slow cooker with 2 bottles of Porter. (The pork should be just more than half submerged in the beer.) Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Remove tender, finished pork and flake apart with a fork. Move the flaked pork into a large skillet with high sides. Pour the slow cooker’s remaining liquid into the skillet, adding an entire bottle of BBQ sauce and 1/2 bottle of Porter. (Take a guess at what to do with the other half!) Under high heat, bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer the pork for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is gone.

Top hearty buns with a large scoop of pork, layer on some coleslaw and, at risk of stating the obvious, enjoy. This pork is also great in grilled cheese sandwiches, quesadillas, tacos, or just by itself.

alimac23 · Post by **alimac23** » Mon Jun 29, 2015 6:45 pm

If you can get your hands on a pressure cooker then you can do pulled pork in 2.5 hours, I've done it a few times before, might be worth the investment if you are going to be without your smokers for a while.

chrisg · Post by **chrisg** » Mon Jun 29, 2015 7:08 pm

Yeah, or a combination of the two, an hour under pressure and then into the slow cooker.

It does work pretty well, but nothing really matches the long slow in the BBQ.

Slow cookers and pressure cookers are great though, especially when the weather is less than friendly

Cheers

Lostdriveway · Post by **Lostdriveway** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 12:51 pm

I know this is cheating but my method for slow cooked Pulled Pork is

Pork Shoulder in slow cooker - whatever size will fit
Fill with Dr Pepper, Coke or Vanilla Coke to 3/4 up the side of the pork
Sprinkle top of Pork with Rock Salt
Pour some Hickory Liquid Smoker over the top

Put on Low for 10-12 hours.

Pull when finished and cover in favourite BBQ sauce!

Works a treat every time!

wedwards · Post by **wedwards** » Thu Sep 03, 2015 1:16 pm

Lostdriveway wrote:I know this is cheating but my method for slow cooked Pulled Pork is

Pork Shoulder in slow cooker - whatever size will fit
Fill with Dr Pepper, Coke or Vanilla Coke to 3/4 up the side of the pork
Sprinkle top of Pork with Rock Salt
Pour some Hickory Liquid Smoker over the top

Put on Low for 10-12 hours.

Pull when finished and cover in favourite BBQ sauce!

Works a treat every time!

Holy crap that sounds good! Ive done it in the slow cooker without the coke, but that would add another dimension of flavour and juiciness. This weekend's meat bill looks to be adding up quickly.

Lostdriveway · Post by **Lostdriveway** » Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:31 pm

I forgot to mention - after you shred the pork - scoop out a couple of cups of the stock left over from the slow cover and pour over the pork. Helps keep it moist and adds more flavour!

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