Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork [BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches]
BBQ is always something that I have preferred to eat at a restaurant. In Kansas City, we were surrounded by excellent BBQ. Not to mention, anytime we wanted to drive about an hour, we could have an excellent meal of pulled pork, burnt ends or ribs and sides at my Dad’s BBQ restaurant.
So, what to do when you move away from the BBQ capital and you are craving some savory pulled pork? You turn to your trusty friend the slow cooker and it’s side-kick beer.
It was our second Saturday in our new home. It was cold, we had house projects to tackle and just needed a little taste of home. Luckily, we had some Gates BBQ sauce in the fridge and some slow-cooked pork butt sounded just right.
The flavors in the pulled pork are simple – liquid smoke is my “secret” when it comes to cooking meat in the slow cooker – it gives it that “straight from the smoker” taste, without actually having to use a smoker. Add in lots of salt, garlic and onions and your favorite beer and in a few hours, your kitchen will smell amazing and the pork will literally just fall apart. It took me right back to Kansas City without so much as leaving my own kitchen.
If you aren’t a fan of BBQ sauce, feel free to leave it out and make pulled pork tacos, pizza, nachos, or even fajitas! I made the beer pulled pork on a Saturday. That night, we ate pork fajitas; served the pork with tortillas, sautéed bell peppers, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa and chips.
The following day, I reheated the pork in a large pot, added the BBQ sauce and we ate the sandwiches…and then still had leftovers for a couple of days. We ate the leftover BBQ pulled pork in quesadillas and on nachos. Next time I’ll try pizza!
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Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork & BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Yield: 8 servings + leftovers
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 8 hours
Pork butt which has been slow cooked with beer and lots of flavor and then shredded, smothered in BBQ sauce, and sandwiched between two buns with onions and pickles
Ingredients:
for the beer pulled pork:
1-2 Tbs. oil
5 pound bone-in pork butt roast
12 ounces beer
1 Tbs. soy sauce
2 tsp. liquid smoke
2 shallots, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cuminfor the BBQ sandwiches:
2 cups BBQ sauce + more for serving
sandwich buns of your choice
thinly sliced red onions
dill picklesDirections:
Trim the excess fat from the pork roast. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the roast on one side for 2-3 minutes, and then on the other side for an additional 2 minutes.
Place the roast in the crock of a slow cooker. Pour in the beer, soy sauce, liquid smoke, shallots, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and cumin and stir.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.
Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place on a rimmed baking sheet – mine started for fall apart on its own so if that happens, just fish out as much meat as you can. Discard the fatty pieces and the bone and then, using two forks, shred the meat. Ladle two to three ladles of the juice on the meat to keep it moist.
Combine the pulled pork with 1 cup of the BBQ sauce and stir to distribute. Add more (about 1 cup) until all of the meat is covered in sauce. Serve with sandwich buns, onions and pickles and extra BBQ sauce.
Cassie's Notes:
I made the beer pulled pork on a Saturday. That night, we ate pork fajitas; served the pork with tortillas, sautéed bell peppers, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, salsa and chips.The following day, I reheated the pork in a large pot, added the BBQ sauce and we ate the sandwiches...and then still had leftovers for a couple of days. We ate the leftover BBQ pulled pork in quesadillas and on nachos. Next time I'll try pizza!
You might like these recipes too:
Burnt End Grilled Cheese
BBQ Chicken Nachos
BBQ Sauce by Simply Scratch
BBQ Chicken Dip by Taste & Tell
Pulled Pork Stuffed Sweet Potato by The Novice Chef
BBQ Chicken, Brie and Platain Quesadillas by My Life as a Mrs.
The slow cooker is pretty much the only way I cook BBQ at home, otherwise I prefer to order it out as well. I love the idea of adding liquid smoke!
I’m so glad you got the Pork Sandwich Monday Memo!! 😉 PS: This looks insanely delicious!! I could eat BBQ pork any day of the week.
I wish it were lunchtime! It’s torture thinking about this food and not having any.
We have been craving tastes that remind us of summer around here (mojitos and indoor “grilled” chicken burgers last night), and BBQ pulled pork is a dish that transports me to warmer days. You know your BBQ, KC gal. I have no doubt this recipe is pure gold!
looks soooo good!
beer pulled pork! incredible!
Oh my goodness I could go for some bbq right about now. These look awesome Cassie!
I am making this next time we do pork in the slow cooker! I have always wanted to try KC BBQ, and now I feel like I have a chance! 🙂
These look delicious Cassie!!!
Can’t wait to try this version Cassie. I have been using my crock pot all winter and love doing pulled pork and chicken. 🙂
Wish I could pull this together for lunch today… maybe for tomorrow! Looks so good. 🙂
Yeysyeyseysyeyseysyesyeys.
My husband would love to be eating this today! Living in Texas makes you really cherish and love anything BBQ!
oh my! I LOVE that addition of liquid smoke, what a great idea! I want this so bad today now!
This looks wonderful! I do love barbecue and I think it is so awesome that your family has a bbq restaurant.
Mmmmm…I really need a couple of these bad boys! Love that we are both channeling the barbecue today!
I didn’t know your Dad had a restaurant- mine too! I bet this gave you a taste for amazing BBQ- which must make this amazing! I love love love making pulled meats in my slow cooker- this recipe looks outstanding!
Back when I still ate meat, I made slow cooker pulled pork quite a bit! It really is the only way to get good bbq at home!
We are major pulled pork fans and your sandwiches look delicious!YUM!
Cassie, I just made us pulled chicken sandwiches last night. Why oh why didn’t I add beer to the mix? I love pulled chicken and pulled pork so much. We didn’t have pork in the fridge, so that’s why we went with pulled chicken. This is our kind of meal!! I love how it smells when it cooks 🙂
I am all over this recipe. We make slow cooker pork all the time, but I always stick to my basic HAwaiian style Kalua pork. Adding in beer – my husband will LOVE!!! Me too!
Beer and pork, what’s not to love?
KC bbq is the best! 🙂 These sandwiches sound amazing! I am totally going to add beer next time! Thanks, Cassie!
This is absolutely one of my favorite crock pot meals. I have never made the pork with beer though. I think that is going to be my next adventure 🙂
Girl I am drooling. Want. Now. Badly.
This is pretty much the kind of thing I crave, like, every day, all the time. So yeah. SO making this ASAP!
Beautiful Cassie! I have to try this and maybe my slow cooker and I will be friends again 🙂 Looks delicious.
We had Carolina pulled pork at OK Joes last week Cassie. I am thinking that they have nothing on you. 🙂
I love pulled pork and this has given me a serious craving. It looks incredible.
Mmmm, we love pulled pork. Love all the flavor in this recipe!
Love pulled pork! I need to remember the liquid smoke next time I make it.
I’m now officially craving BBQ!
This is my husband’s FAVORITE meal. I can’t wait to make this for him!!
How cool to have a BBQ joint in the family! I’m a little jealous! 🙂 This sound fabulous Cassie! {ps thanks for linking my sauce XO}
i am seriously obsessed with pulled pork lately! i usually stick to sandwiches but i’m dying to try it on nachos!
Pulled pork is my very favorite thing to make in my slow cooker! Those sandwiches look so good, I’m totally craving bbq pork now 🙂
How stinking cool are you guys? I’m totally wishing we were having this for dinner.
these sound great. I need to dust off my crock pot and use it more often!
These are my favorites at parties. So easy to make, and so yummy to eat!
Oh girl, I miss KC BBQ. The North Carolina style sure is different!
I love slow cooker BBQ!! It’s so easy and the best. i swear the meat is just so moist and juicy! i love that this always makes a ton too so you can make so many variety of dishes with it!
I could eat bbq pulled pork every other day. Love that texture and flavor – yours looks delish!
I love good BBQ but can’t find it for the life of me up here. I need to give this a shot to fill the void! Gorgeous!
How would we ever get by without our slow cookers? This pork looks fabulous!
I love making pulled pork in the slow cooker! I need to add some beer next time, haven’t tried that yet!
Oh my – this is definitely my kind of sandwich! I just stocked up on my FAVORITE bbq sauce (from Phil’s BBQ in San Diego) so you know I’ll be making these very soon!
Being a flexitarian I very rarely eat pork, but when I do, I always have it as bbq. I actually made it at home for the first time a few months ago. Your recipes looks absolutely devine!
I’ve got lasagna on the menu for tonight’s dinner…but now that sounds like poo. I want these instead!!
Gotta love a good bbq sauce, Cassie this one looks so goooood! I think I need to pull out my slow cooker…and some chicken….and get to making THIS asap! 🙂
I love slow-cooker pulled pork! So easy to make and SO delicious. YUM!
YES!!!!
I love bbq sauce… I can bath in it… I know that is weird..LOL
Anyways this looks fantastic…. I really need to pull out my slow cooker!
Slow cooker pulled pork is the only way I’m going to get it here! So yeah, liquid smoke! Woohoo. I have eight bottles stashed away. 🙂
This looks amazing! I haven’t used beer before. Sounds like it’d add an interesting twist.
Love bbq pork – I use liquid smoke too, amazing flavors. Your sandwiches look wonderful!
Super…super..yum. One of my fave things to eat.
Love that you give alternate ways to serve the beer-pulled pork. My biggest problem is that I can’t think of alternative ways to serve the leftovers. Thanks so much. Can’t wait to try this.
I am a huge Pulled Pork girl! But I usually make mine in Coke and then smother it in Sweet Baby Rays…it’s the FL way 😉
I just made some pulled pork in the slow cooker last night! It’s the only way to do it. I’m jealous you live in Kansas City. There is no good BBQ joints in Seattle but I guess that just means I’ll have to save my pennies and make it at home.
Cassie, your dad has a barbecue restaurant? Fantastic! What a smart idea to add liquid smoke. We do lots of pulled pork, although none of it ever quite compares to getting the good stuff in KC. I’ll have to try this trick next time though.
Drippy bbq sauce!! Ohhhhh How I love bbq sauce dripping down my pulled pork sando! Great recipe! I find crock pot pulled pork using beer as the liquid is the best pulled pork I’ve made. Love this!
I NEED this pulled pork in my life now! Looks so good!
Mmm… my favorite way to make pulled pork! Love how the slow cooker does all the work for me! 🙂
I love using liquid smoke! Adds such great flavor to meat and baked beans. This looks yummy!
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I’m from Kansas City too now living in Vegas. Nobody knows real BBQ out here! I’ve made my friends out here this pulled pork and country ribs and BBQ chicken and BBQ turkey they can’t get enough!! The best BBQ sauces I would say are Jack Stack original, KC masterpiece original, and Gates BBQ!! You CAN NOT go wrong with some KANSAS CITY BBQ!! Trust me you NEED it in your life lol. Thank you for a great recipe :).
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I was just wondering if this would be just as good using a bone in pork shoulder I make a great pulled chicken but I am trying my first pulled pork and that is the cut of meat I have to work with? Thanks in advance