Boston Butt Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I am a huge fan of a potato roll for my pulled pork sandwiches! If you have never had a potato roll with your sandwich, do yourself a favor and try one next time. Feel free to add your favorite BBQ sauce, Vinegar Based BBQ Sauce or coleslaw to your sandwich.

I just strain the pork drippings through a mesh strainer getting out the larger bits. Keep the juices in the refrigerator, allow the fat to congeal and remove it when it solidifies. I use the drippings to help add moisture and layers of additional flavor to the pulled pork when I heat it up for service.

When cooking a Boston butt in a slow cooker for pulled pork allow a minimum of 8 hours and up to 12 hours for the meat to cook fully. The meat will fall apart easily in your hands when you pull the pork.

Both come from the upper shoulder area of the pig and are used interchangeably in most recipes. The Boston butt sits higher on the shoulder and has slightly more intramuscular fat and marbling, making it the preferred cut for pulled pork. The picnic shoulder comes from lower on the leg and has a little less fat. Either works in this slow cooker recipe; Boston butt is the better choice when available.

A boneless pork butt can be used. There are no bones to work around and the price may be higher for this convenience. But I feel like you are sacrificing flavor for convenience. Everyone has their preference.

As you know, I am a big advocate that color equals flavor especially when it comes to meat. By searing meat you are caramelizing the surface, giving it another layer of flavor to add to the pulled pork.

If you do not have time to sear the pork in a screaming hot pan before transferring the meat to the slow cooker, your pulled pork will still be delicious. Just like salt enhances the taste of food, searing pork before cooking it will enhance the flavor of the pulled pork. But you are able to do without salt and you are able to do without searing.

The USDA minimum for pork is 145°F, but at that temperature, a Boston butt will not shred - it will be cooked but firm. For fall-apart pulled pork, cook to an internal temperature of 195-205°F. At that range, the collagen has fully converted to gelatin and the fat has rendered completely. If the pork feels tough, it simply needs more time.

No, but I encourage you because the sear adds significant flavor the slow cooker cannot replicate. The high heat creates a deeply browned crust through the Maillard reaction. Skipping it gives you tender, juicy pork with a milder flavor. Including it gives you that extra depth that makes people ask what you did differently.

Two reasons: it creates steam that keeps the pork moist during the long cook, and its acidity gently tenderizes the meat and connective tissue over time. It also adds a subtle tanginess to the cooking liquid that balances the richness of the pork. The vinegar flavor mellows completely over 12-18 hours and is not detectable in the finished pulled pork.

On low, it is very hard to overcook a Boston butt. The minimum is 8 hours for a smaller cut, but 12-18 hours is ideal for a full bone-in butt. Cooking beyond 18 hours on low can cause the meat to become mushy and lose structure. On high heat it is easier to dry out - always use the low setting for this cut.

Two common causes - not enough cooking liquid in the slow cooker, and/or the lid being not tight enough, or not adding the reserved cooking juices back when shredding. Always save the liquid and pour a generous amount back over the pulled pork as you shred it. If it is already shredded and dry, warm some chicken broth or apple cider vinegar in a small pan and toss the pulled pork in it over low heat until it comes back to life.