r/slowcooking • u/Acrobatic-Let-9159 • 21h ago
Pulled pork won’t pull
I’ve tried making pulled pork in the slow cooker a number of times using a few different recipes, pork shoulder, pork butt, etc. Each time it comes out tasting really good, but it doesn’t really have that pull apart tenderness and it’s a struggle to actually shred it up before serving. Typically I’m just seasoning the meat and then slow cooking on low for ~8 hours. Is there something different I need to be doing?
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u/__nullptr_t 21h ago edited 13h ago
Take internal temp, if it's not above 200 it's not hot enough to shred. I usually cook pork shoulder/butt to about 205F, but if it's held around 200 for a few hours that is also usually good.
Also rest to to <160F before shredding for maximum juiciness. It can be very stringy if you shred at 200F.
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u/HaleBopp22 21h ago
If it hits 210F it is definitely done and probably starting to get a little dry. But it should shred really easily and you can always work some juices back into it.
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u/__nullptr_t 20h ago
Depends on the cut. A large bone in pork shoulder should be fine as long as you rest it before shredding.
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u/MalcomLeeroy 11h ago edited 11h ago
Care to explain what cuts are better or worse?
I've never heard any of this. But now i understand why my pulled pork is dry and stringy....too hot and I pull it apart entirely too soon, apparently!
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u/__nullptr_t 11h ago
Pork shoulder butt, sometimes called a boston butt, is usually best for pulled pork. It will be fatty, but just skim the grease off and it will be fine. I add seasonings before cooking, save sauce until after pulling. I usually smoke it these days, but oven or slow cooker also works great. Don't bother adding liquid it will make enough on its own.
Loin and tenderloin are best done as roasts cooked to 145 and sliced against the grain into little chops, a lot of people use them but it's not great for pulled pork.
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u/curiousplaid 19h ago
I used to slow cook it for 8 hours on low, but when I increased the time to 10 hours, the difference was night and day as far as shredding ease.
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u/rhinowing 18h ago
Cook it longer. The pork shoulder is done when the bone pulls out with minimal/no resistance
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u/Tudorprincess1 16h ago
I make pulled pork in the crockpot but if I do on low it’s for 12 hours, high is 8-10 hours.
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u/memaw_mumaw 18h ago
Pro tip: use a thermometer to test if it’s done, not by reading the temp but just how easily the probe goes through the meat. It should go through without resistance, and check it in multiple spots. If you’re not sure if it’s too much resistance, then it probably is. You’ll know when it’s ready. And again, you can’t necessarily go by temp, this is based on feel.
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u/I_trust_science 18h ago
Do not use loin, tenderloin or roast. Pork shoulder/ butt only for shedded pork. Pull on the bone and you will know when it’s ready. 225 to 250 about 1 hour per pound.
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u/redroomcooper 19h ago
This is going to sound crazy, but use a pork butt and one 12oz can of Coke. After 8-9 hours, pull the meat out, dump the liquid, put the meat back, pull it apart, and add some BBQ sauce. Put the lid back on for like 20 minutes, and you'll have awesome BBQ pulled pork.
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u/WacoNanna 14h ago
That’s the basis for my recipe except I I add a few spices and a handful of whole peppercorns. Those peppercorns pop when you chew them and are delightful, but not popular with children!
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u/lordmarboo13 18h ago
Use a tenderloin. Mix a half cup of brown sugar, spice blend, and a can of pop - I prefer something cherry , and about 2 tablespoons of butter, then find a package of clubhouse pulled pork seasoning and let it cook on low for 8 hours. The pop will help break the meat down as well
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u/Caffeinatedat8 17h ago
In my experience, pork butt shreds, much more easily and taste significantly better than the bone in pork shoulder-so I would start with pork butt and, as other have said cook longer and be sure you’re getting to an internal temp of 200-210F. I realize we are in the slow cooking sub, but I’m another vote for cooking low and slow in the oven instead. I do a dry rub of kosher salt and white sugar and put it in a bowl overnight, then brush off the dry rub and, fattier side up, cook at 250F until it’s done- usually covering with foil about 2/3 way through so the exterior doesn’t dry out too much. Then I use a mix of brown sugar with a little apple cider vinegar to coat the entire thing, broil for 5-7 minutes and then let it rest, covered. It’ the Bo Ssam recipe from David Chang ( with the addition of the vinegar)- and then the sauces are a plus if you want something different than standard barbecue, but it is so good. I now often serve it without the sauces. If there was a great slow cooker pulled pork recipe that wasn’t overly sweet or liquid or mushy, I would consider trying that again. My big slow cooker broke so I would need to use the slow cook function on my instant pot, which is probably not quite as good. Mentioning this in case anyone has advice!
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u/HaleBopp22 16h ago
Pork Butt is Pork Shoulder. It's the upper part of the front leg/shoulder of the pig. The lower portion is called a picnic roast.
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u/Caffeinatedat8 16h ago
The part that is marked pork butt and doesn’t have the thick skin and the big bone is what works best for me.
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u/Don-Tomcatte 16h ago
Cook on high - I had this same issue trying to braise beef, low and slow it was still chewy, flicked it to high for a few hours and it broke down nicely
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u/explodinggarbagecan 13h ago
I wonder if your slow cooker is broken. Or is some one repeatedly opening it early to check on it. I caught my mother in law doing that to my slow cooker pork but. I’m going to have her committed to an insane asylum one day.
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u/Fragrant-Top2962 11h ago
I made some today, since it's slow cooker Sunday in my house. I made a 4 pound roast, 8 hours on high, and it shredded beautifully!
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u/bigbambooz 9h ago
Try this, the juice from 2 oranges, the juice from 2 limes, and season as you like. The acid from the fruit will give you what you're looking for.
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u/Islanduniverse 8h ago
Use an internal meat thermometer.
195°F will shred.
200-205°F is perfect. 210+°F and it starts to get dry, but let it rest before shredding and it should be fine too, especially if you are adding a sauce.
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u/nouns 4h ago
To get the easy pulling, you need to hit time/temp to start breaking down the collagen/connective tissues in the meat. There's a lot of online discourse on this, but the bottom line is that you're going to need to reach some temperature threshold for some duration for this to happen. There's probably a gradient of how high the temperature gets vs. duration, as well as variance per piece of meat.
I find with my slow cooker, running on high for 2-3 hrs and then low for the remainder accelerates this process. I also find there's variation between slow cookers, so don't hesitate to experiment with what works for yours.
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u/Illadelphian 3h ago
I know this is the slow cooking sub but using a pressure cooker instead of a slow cooker changed my life. Takes about an hour once it's at pressure to do a whole big pork shoulder and it's literally falling apart.
I can send you what I have as a recipe if you are interested but what you are doing will work if you switch it over as long as there is some liquid in it to start.
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u/ADrPepperGuy 18h ago
This is something I learned when I upgraded the Ninja Foodi to one that had an internal thermometer.
The first time I tried chicken breast to shred, it wanted to heat them up to 225°F degrees. I thought the chicken would be ruined, but it took me 5 seconds to shred.
I imagine you have to watch the meat to make sure it does not dry out in other methods but I have not gone back to another cooking method since.
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u/HaleBopp22 16h ago
It is really unlikely the internal temperature of the chicken breast was 225F.
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u/ADrPepperGuy 16h ago
I am just going by the reading being shown. It seems to be correct with other temperatures.
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u/HaleBopp22 16h ago
Sure. It's probably reading the air around it, but if it's consistent for your equipment and works for you that's all that matters.. The chicken breast isn't going to get above 212F until almost all of the water is cooked out of it. It would be like trying to shred a thick piece of leather at that point.
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u/ADrPepperGuy 15h ago
Doubtful that it is reading from the air around it, otherwise that would make other readings inaccurate of the internal temperature when used.
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u/HaleBopp22 14h ago
Ok, I'm really curious about this. What do you mean when you said "it wanted to heat them up to 225°F degrees?" Most guides will say cook chicken breast to 160F "to be safe" which is already pushing the boundary of getting too dry. A well done steak is 160 which most people would find dry and chewy. Imagine pushing the steak another 65 degrees.
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u/ADrPepperGuy 14h ago
It had some default settings - well or shred. I chose that option and let it do its thing.
Once the internal temperature hit the 225°F mark, the unit turned off and started to depressurize naturally, usually about 45 minute.
I have never used the well option in that setting though. I'll use the internal thermometer occasionally if I decide to air fry salmon or something, but then to only 140°F while the temperature around the fish is usually 400°F.
I definitely like the Slow Cook function better than the Crock Pot.
That is what I thought - but no one was complaining about the possibility of being overcooked on any group, etc. It is tender and juicy, even without other people's permission.
Occasionally, they make a good product, one that I probably have to have a friend from overseas send me when this one dies.
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u/HaleBopp22 14h ago
Ok. I get it now. It didn't realize it was a pressure cooker. Yes, the internal temp will be 225 because of the increased pressure. That will keep the chicken from drying out and make it easy to shred.
Thanks for explaining, I was very confused!
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u/jamesgotfryd 21h ago
I add a quart of chicken broth when I start cooking it. Put on high for 2 hours, when it's simmering good I put it on low for another 4. When the bone pulls out clean, it's done. Use a slotted spoon to pull out all the meat, dump the broth. Can mash the pork with a spoon. Add favorite BBQ sauce to keep it moist.
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u/Material_Disaster638 20h ago
If you get a pork roast bone in just use your knife to cut the roast into pieces removing the bone. Lay into crockpot sprinkling with your favorite pork rub and include 2 tbsp of minced garlic sprinkled over top of meat.
Then add 1 cup of either beef or chicken broth over it. Cover cook for 6 hours on high.
Remove lid using a meat fork spear the largest meat hunk and twist it a half turn and if the meat easily pulls apart it is great to go and take from pot. If not cook another hour.
Reserve at least a cup of pot liquor. Start shredding and chopping the meat. If it seems a bit dry add some of the pot liquor to the shredded meat the add your bbq sauce and blend it all in adding more liquid if needed.
Enjoy
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u/HaleBopp22 21h ago
Cook it longer.