This Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork yields high returns for minimal effort. The pork is slow cooked in a mixture of sweet, salty and tangy ingredients until it pulls apart effortlessly.
Serve this delicious pulled pork on your favorite crusty bun, with a side of pineapple coleslaw and the best spoonbread.
Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork Recipe
Honey, soy sauce, garlic and vinegar are the flavor boosters behind these no-stress sandwiches.
These pulled pork sandwiches deviate in the best way from your pulled pork made with barbecue sauce.
The sweetness of the honey and the brown sugar come together with the complexity of the soy sauce and the tangy vinegar in the best way. The fresh garlic adds a savory note and turns this into an unforgettable meal.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork
Pantry Ingredients
- honey – I prefer clover honey for this recipe for it’s mild flavor
- soy sauce – make sure it’s reduced sodium
- white vinegar – I prefer white vinegar for its sharp, intense flavor that adds to the tanginess of the sauce
- brown sugar – use golden brown for its mildness
- dried basil leaves – not powder
- cornstarch – thickens the sauce in the end
Fresh Ingredients
- fresh garlic – adds to the savory background flavor
- pork shoulder – often called a Boston butt
How To Make Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork
Step one: Trim pork shoulder of all extra fat and place meat in slow-cooker.
Step two: In a separate bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, basil and garlic. Pour on top of meat.
Step three: Set slow cooker on low for 8 hours. When done, remove meat and pour sauce into a large pouring vessel bowl. Let sit for about 20 minutes and skim off any visible fat from the top. Pour sauce into sauce pan over medium heat. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and add slowly to the sauce. Continue to stir, making sure there are no clumps. Sauce will thicken once mixture is hot enough, make sure not to boil over 1 minute as the cornstarch will break down.
Step four: Shred meat with two forks, removing any other visible fat and pour sauce over the meat. Eat as is or make it into a sandwich.
What Kind of Pork To Use For Pulled Pork?
The best cut of pork for pulled pork is pork shoulder.
Pork shoulder does go by different name and varies from place and location. Look for…
- pork shoulder
- pork shoulder roast
- picnic roast
- pork butt
- Boston butt
- blade roast
- pork steaks – sliced pork shoulder
Difference Between Pork Butt and Pork Shoulder
Both the pork butt and the pork shoulder are cut from the shoulder of pig.
The pork shoulder comes from the lower end (upper leg) whereas the pork butt is the upper part near the back, which is why the shape is more of a rectangle block.
Either cut is perfect for this recipe.
Everyone is going to love every, single, bite!
Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 (6-7 lb) pork shoulder/Boston Butt
- 1-1/4 cups clover honey
- 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/4 cup golden brown sugar
- 1/4 cup dried basil leaves
- 3 tbsps minced garlic
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- Trim pork shoulder of all extra fat and place meat in slow-cooker.*
- In a separate bowl, combine honey, soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, basil and garlic. Pour on top of meat.
- Set slow cooker on low for 8 hours. When done, remove meat and pour sauce into a large pouring vessel bowl. Let sit for about 20 minutes and skim off any visible fat from the top. Pour sauce into sauce pan over medium heat. Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup water and add slowly to the sauce. Continue to stir, making sure there are no clumps. Sauce will thicken once mixture is hot enough, make sure not to boil over 1 minute as the cornstarch will break down.
- Shred meat with two forks, removing any other visible fat and pour sauce over the meat. Eat as is or make it into a sandwich.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sandy Sandmeyer says
This was such an original and delicious way to make pulled pork!
Cathy says
Thanks Sandy!!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
Love everything about this!!! The site looks great too!
Jessica says
The was a beautiful recipe, not to mention delicious!
Amy @ What Jew Wanna Eat says
This looks awesome! Nice looking site too!
Linda says
Saw the new format yesterday, and I love it. Yours is still one of my top 5 favorite blogs, not only for recipes, but also your posts are so readable and engaging.
Suzanne says
One of my fav recipes on your site.
Laura Lee says
This looks great and would love to try it…just wondering about the ingredients. The pix looks like a ketchup/tomato base but isn’t called for in the recipe. Does it get that color from the brown sugar?
Cathy says
The recipe is correct as written!
Tess says
I L O V E your recipes – I have followed you forever (okay, maybe not forever) and look to you for marvelous ideas and recipes. You have never failed me. This pulled pork was amazing! We love pork !!
Cathy says
Thank you for the note, I really appreciate it.
JD @ Trader Joes Recipes says
This was AMAZING!
Pamela says
Thanks for this recipe. We are planning a “cul-de-sac” graduation party for five high school seniors on our street, in two weeks. The parents of the graduates are preparing pulled-pork, among other things, to serve the (so far) 150+ invited party guests (that’s the kids’ friends!). Your recipes always work so well for me, I bet this will be a hit also. I already have two “butts” in the freezer just waiting to be cooked.
Jenifer says
This is the best pulled pork I’ve had! It is so nice to have something different than your typical bbq flavor.
maxine says
your pulled pork recipe is the best,i tried different ones before trying yours glad i found you!!!! brrriiilll.xxx
Jean Denham says
We’re on the road, so always looking for easy cooking ideas. Made this recipe earlier this week and it is certainly a winner. I did add a little red pepper flakes to the mix, left it in a 2 lb. chunk so it could be sliced later. Had sandwiches one night and leftovers went so well with a couscous, feta & chickpea salad. Thanks for a delicious recipe!!
Aggie says
Mouthwatering! I haven’t made pulled pork in forever…perfect football food!
Josh says
Hey i was wondering if that was really a half cup of cornstarch. I haven’t cooked a whole lot witg it but seems like compared to other recipes, that’s a lot of cornstarch.
Josh says
Oops a 1/4 cup
Cathy says
It’s correct for this amount of sauce.
Theresa Y. Andrews says
Made this tonight for dinner; added 1 tsp. red pepper flakes; my three boys, and one daughter gave it 5 stars. Definitely a keeper!
Christine says
I made this for work with rave reviews. It immediately replaced my old go-to recipe for pulled pork. As bonus it’s tomato free so a friend with a tomato allergy will be able to enjoy it as well.
Thank you so much for this super easy, and yummy recipe. 🙂
Ben says
I bet this would work really well for Bahn Mi sandwiches
Susie says
Hi, Do you think that Blackberry honey would work ??
Cathy says
You can always try anything, I just can’t say one way or another how the final dish will taste with different ingredients.
Lauren Kelly says
There’s nothing better than these! My kids love this on kaiser rolls!
Cathy says
Perfect combo!
Toni Dash says
This is really good!! Everyone at my house loved it!!
Cathy says
So happy about that.
wilhelmina says
This flavor combo is where it’s at! So incredibly yummy! This is a super easy recipe that I will make again and again!
Cathy says
Glad you love it.
Lindsay Cotter says
This pulled pork made in the slow cooker was a big hit for dinner! It will definitely be happening again!
Cathy says
Glad you loved this honey glazed pulled pork!