Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Pork shoulder coated in a smoky, sugar-free dry rub and slow-cooked until it shreds at the touch of a fork. Toss it with sugar-free BBQ sauce or eat it straight from the pot.
Nutrition per serving
about ¾ cup with sauce- Net carbs
- 4.6g
- Calories
- 457kcal
- Protein
- 32g
- Fat
- 33g
- Total carbs
- 5.6 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Carolina vinegar sauce: Eastern North Carolina style: the shredded pork is tossed in a thin, peppery vinegar sauce instead of a thick tomato barbecue sauce.
- Stir the vinegar, pepper flakes, sweetener, hot sauce and salt until the sweetener dissolves. Toss the shredded pork with the skimmed juices and about half the sauce, then serve the rest at the table for splashing over.
BBQ pulled chicken: Boneless chicken thighs take the same dry rub and shred just as easily — in about half the time.
- Rub the thighs all over and cook on low for 4–5 hours (or high for 2½–3), until they shred easily and are well past 165°F (74°C). Moisten the meat with about ½ cup of the juices — chicken releases less fat, so there is little to skim.
- Sugar-free dry rub
- Pork
- To serve
- Sugar-free dry rub
- Pork
- To serve
- Also add
- Sugar-free dry rub
- Pork
- To serve
Estimated cost $21.00 for 10 servings ($2.10 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
-
Stir the rub ingredients together. Pat the pork dry and press the rub firmly onto every surface. If you have time, refrigerate it uncovered for 2 hours or overnight so the salt seasons the meat more deeply.
-
Scatter the onion and garlic over the bottom of a 6-quart (6 L) slow cooker and set the pork on top, fat side up.
-
Pour the vinegar, broth and Worcestershire around the pork rather than over it, so the rub stays in place.
-
Cover and cook on low for 8–10 hours (or high for 5–6), until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. It will be around 200°F (93°C) — far past the 145°F (63°C) safe minimum; the extra time is what melts the collagen into tender strands.
-
Transfer the pork to a cutting board, rest 10 minutes, then shred it with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat.
-
Skim the fat from the cooking liquid. Moisten the shredded pork with about 1 cup of the juices, then toss with warm sugar-free BBQ sauce or serve the sauce on the side.
Tips for success
-
Many store-bought rubs are a third to half brown sugar. This one gets its depth from smoked paprika, chili and mustard, so the crust stays savory and the carbs stay low. - For crispy edges, spread the sauced pork on a sheet pan and broil 3–4 minutes.
- Pile it onto keto buns with a scoop of creamy coleslaw, or serve in lettuce cups.
Nice to have, not needed
- No slow cooker? Braise it covered in a Dutch oven at 300°F (150°C) for 4–5 hours, until it shreds easily.
- A few drops of liquid smoke in the cooking liquid add a pit-smoked flavor — the smoked paprika in the rub gets you most of the way.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Warm covered in a saucepan or the microwave with a splash of the cooking juices, stirring halfway, until steaming.
Prep tip: Freeze the pork with its juices but without the sauce; toss with warm BBQ sauce after reheating.
Refrigerate with some of the juices up to 4 days, or freeze in 2-cup portions up to 3 months.
Variations
2 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosCarolina vinegar sauce
FlavorEastern North Carolina style: the shredded pork is tossed in a thin, peppery vinegar sauce instead of a thick tomato barbecue sauce.
- sugar-free BBQ sauce → apple cider vinegar
- + 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- + 1 tbsp granulated keto sweetener
- + 2 tsp hot sauce
- + ½ tsp salt
3 g net · 453 kcal · 32 g protein · 33 g fat · ≈$1.85 per serving (−1.6 g net carbs vs the original)
BBQ pulled chicken
ProteinBoneless chicken thighs take the same dry rub and shred just as easily — in about half the time.
- boneless pork shoulder (butt) → boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4.6 g net · 248 kcal · 37 g protein · 7.9 g fat · ≈$2.21 per serving (same net carbs as the original)
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