Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Pulled Pork is the perfect way to feed a crowd. This slow cooker pulled pork is easy, tender, delicious and everyone always loves it!
With just 5 minutes of prep, this pulled pork crockpot recipe is ready to go before heading off to work. You’ll come home to a slow cooker full of tender juicy pulled pork perfect for sandwiches or topping Baked Potatoes or Mac and Cheese.
Crock Pot Pulled Pork is Easy to Make
This easy Crock Pot Pulled Pork is an easy family favorite! Let the Slow Cooker do all of the work, and then pile this pulled pork on crusty buns and top with some fresh homemade coleslaw for a dish everyone raves over! This slow cooker pulled pork is perfect for Sunday supper, tailgating or even for parties (on slider buns) or piled on top of baked sweet potatoes!
The best part about this dish is that it cooks in the slow cooker and is ready when you are, which means it’s easy to make.
Pulled Pork Bar: If you are serving a crowd, you can easily turn your slow cooker pulled pork on low to keep it warm until guests are ready to eat. We just set out a basket of rolls and a bowl of slaw and our guests can create their own sandwiches!
What Kind of Pork for Pulled Pork?
While some people use a tenderloin for pulled pork, it’s so lean that it easily becomes dry and tough (it’s more suited to roasting to medium). Like most slow cooker recipes, a pork roast with lots of nice fat marbled throughout becomes very tender in the Crock Pot!
The best cut of pork for pulled pork is pork shoulder. It can go by different names (and names can vary by location). When looking for pork, I choose boneless (bone in still works just fine, may need a little bit extra time but not much). Any of the following will be great:
- shoulder butt roast
- shoulder roast
- blade roast
- pork butt
- boston butt
- picnic roast
- pork steaks (which is slices of pork butt)
Any of the cuts above benefit from cooking low and slow to break down the tissues and make it buttery and tender. Pulled pork crock pot recipes are ideal because of the cooking temperature.
How to Make Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot
- Line the bottom of the Crock Pot with sliced onion.
- Rub the pork roast with seasoning and add to the slow cooker (per recipe below).
- Pour Dr. Pepper (or Rootbeer) on top and let the Crock Pot work its magic.
- Once cooked, shred with 2 forks and stir back into the juices. Add additional BBQ sauce if needed and serve on crusty rolls!
How Long to Cook Pulled Pork in the Crock Pot
The following is for a 4lb boneless pork roast. If you are short on time, cut the pork into 3-inch cubes.
- Cook on High for 4-5 hours
- Cook on Low for 7-8 hours
Slow cooker pulled pork needs just a few simple ingredients to create a dish that is so juicy and delicious.
To tell if the pork is done, use a fork and pull off a small piece. It should be easy to remove and melt in your mouth tender. If the pork isn’t fall-apart tender, it’s not quite done yet so cook it a bit longer!
What to Serve with Crock Pot Pulled Pork
- Classic Coleslaw Recipe – Fast!
- Dill Pickle Coleslaw
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Crock Pot Corn on the Cob
- Baked Beans
- Fresh Corn Salad
Did your family enjoy this Pulled Pork Recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pork butt/pork shoulder roast 4-5 pounds
- salt, pepper, & garlic powder
- 1 onion sliced, optional
- 1 can Dr. Pepper
- ¾ cup barbecue sauce or to taste
- Rolls & coleslaw for serving
Instructions
- Place the onion in the bottom of the slow cooker. Rub the outside of the roast with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
- Pour the Dr. Pepper over the pork and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 7-8 hours.
- The meat will be very tender. Using 2 forks, shred the pork and place back in the juices.
- Add barbecue sauce to taste. Allow to cook an additional 30-60 minutes if desired.
- Serve on crusty rolls with coleslaw.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Main Course
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New to this! Are we supposed to take off the string cage wrapped around the pork before cooking? During? Before shredding?
If the pork is wrapped in a net or tied with string you can leave it on while cooking and remove it before shredding once the pork is cooked.
Love how easy this crockpot recipe is & really appreciated the extra guidance on best cut of meat to buy. (I’m vegetarian but served it for a football party group of meat lovers) I used a Dr. Pepper copycat, Dr. Thunder, with great results. Your recipe was a hit!
So when you throw it back in the pot after shredding it, you throw it in with the onions? You don’t take the onions out or anything?
Yes, you can leave the onions in the shredded pork. Hope you enjoy the recipe Ryan!
Awesome, thank you. I’m actually making it today so I’ll let you know how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe!
Can I use a more natural Dr Pepper substitute like Zevia? Or do you recommend sticking to a tried and true cola? Not sure what the taste expectancy is.
Zevia should work just fine in this recipe!
I was wondering how it turned out with using the sugar free drink?
My daughter made this, and it was absolutely delicious. The best pulled pork I have ever had. She used a picnic roast.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. It was easy to prepare and let be. The meat was tender, juicy, and delicious.
soooo easy and so delicious!
After years of making pulled pork as a new years tradition, this is the official winner for both taste and ease – SO fantastically easy AND so delicious! We are on our third round making this after discovering it for last new years celebrations, and it has been wonderful each time!
We pop it in the oven for a bit before eating g to crisp it up some, mostly because that was how my mom did it growing up.
Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I am so happy to hear you loved this recipe Julie!
How much salt, pepper, garlic powder is used?
Hi Kelly, You just want to add a light sprinkling to the outside of the roast. So depending on the size of your roast, it will depend on how much you end up using.
How much salt, pepper and garlic powder should I use on a 4 lb boneless pork shoulder? Thx!
You just want to add a light sprinkling to the outside of the roast Kat. Enjoy!
Super easy and delicious. The onion was an excellent touch. Thought I made enough for leftovers but the kids went back for thirds. This is a keeper.
Can this be frozen once cooked and shredded?
Leftovers can definitely be frozen with the juices. If the sauce thins out upon defrosting, you can add a bit more bbq sauce to your liking. Hope that helps, Carla!
I was thinking of making this on Xmas eve, but I have 3 pork tenderloins and I’m wondering if I could use those instead?
Pork tenderloin is much leaner than a butt/shoulder roast. You may need to adjust cooking time so it doesn’t dry out! Let us know how it works out for you! :)
Make this all the time the only thing added is sliced onion garlic and chili sauce to Dr Pepper or Coke or Root beer.Id cook a bit longer if not shredding easily But big hit on hard rolls.Yum.
These were tasty! I used a 5.3 lb Boston Butt and cooked on low for 8 hours. Checked the temp: it was at 197, took it out, tented it with foil for 20 min, shredded, then added back to the liquid(I did remove about 1 3/4 cups of liquid and ending up removing more because it was too liquidy). Added 3 cloves chopped fresh garlic cloves(to the crockpot), and paprika, and onion powder(to the rub) d/t others reviews thinking it was “bland”(although literally not one of your recipes has ever been even remotely close to that word for a description). I marinated with the rub overnight and stored in a ziploc bag. Thank you for yet another wonderful recipe!
my daughter in law thanked me profusely after she made this pulled pork recipe that I gave her. It’s so simple and delicious.
So easy and soooo good. I use Hawaiian buns, add the pulled pork and top it with the coleslaw and it is so yummy! Messy but worth the mess!
Hi. If I’m feeding 12 people should I double the pork and all the other ingredients?
Hi Chana, we have had readers double it with success. It does make quite a bit of liquid though, so you may want to add a little bit of extra BBQ sauce.
came out great!
How do I crisp the pulled pork to use in tacos and nachos? How long would you put them in a hot oven(450) on a cookie sheet?
I haven’t tried it Ellen, but I think that would work just fine. I would put the pulled pork on a baking sheet, pour 1/2 cup of the sauce from the crock pot over the pulled pork, and broil for 5 minutes or until it begins to crisp. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turns out!
just spread it out on a sheet pan and broil on high for a few minutes. I usually do this when I crock pot my ribs. if you add some bbq sauce it will caramelize on top making it perfect for nachos