Slow Cooker Carolina Pork BBQ Recipe

Craving a good summer barbecue, but it’s still a little too chilly in the early spring? This slow cooker pork barbecue really hits the spot for me- no charcoal required. Set it and forget it while you work on making all the tasty fixings. Tangy, rich, and flavorful, this recipe will have you out of the summer blues in no time. 

Ingredients:

5 lbs. bone-in pork shoulder or pork spare ribs

3 tbsp salt

2 tbsp black pepper

1 ½ tbsp paprika

2 cups apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp red pepper flakes

1 onion

Water to fill 

Instructions:

Thinly slice and chop your onion. Add it to your slow cooker. 

Roughly chop your pork if needed to fit in your slow cooker. You want it to lay flat in the pot so it can be fully covered by the vinegar and seasonings. 

Add your brown sugar, salt, paprika, red pepper flakes, black pepper to your apple cider vinegar and stir until mostly combined. Pour it into the slow cooker. 

Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the pork. It’s ok if the top of it sticks out, but you want it to be almost completely submerged. 

Set the crock pot on low for 12 hours overnight, or first thing in the morning on high for 8 hours. 

Flip the pork over after 4-6 hours if the top looks a little dry. 

Once it’s done cooking, remove the pork from the pot and shred it. You can discard any bones or gristle that didn’t cook down while you do this. 

Keep about 1 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and set it aside. You can drain the rest. To avoid pouring the pork fat down your drain, I recommend pouring the discarded liquid into a cup and setting it in the refrigerator. Once it’s cooled, the fat will solidify and you can throw it in your garbage, then pour the rest down the drain.

Put your shredded pork into a serving dish with the saved liquid. 

Serve immediately and enjoy on your favorite sandwich buns with sides of your choice.