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Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork + VIDEO

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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.

Pulled pork sandwich.

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.

Bowl of sauce ingredients.

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

Pork in a slow cooker.

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.

Pulled pork in a bowl.

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

Pulled pork with sauce.

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.

Pulled pork with a bun.

Everyone is going to love every, single, bite!

Pulled pork with sauce.

Pulled pork in a bun.
Print Recipe
5 from 24 votes

Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork

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.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time8 hrs
Total Time8 hrs 10 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Instant Pot Pulled Pork, Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork
Servings: 12
Calories: 453kcal
Author: Cathy

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

*Removing the obviously visible fat on the pork is helpful for this recipe since it cooks in the sauce. The meat is as tender as if you cooked with the fat originally. 

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Slow Cooker Honey-Soy Pulled Pork
Amount Per Serving
Calories 453 Calories from Fat 110
% Daily Value*
Fat 12.2g19%
Saturated Fat 4.1g26%
Sodium 599mg26%
Potassium 51mg1%
Carbohydrates 38.1g13%
Fiber 0.5g2%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 43.9g88%
Vitamin A 1.3IU0%
Vitamin C 1.1mg1%
Calcium 11.4mg1%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Comments

  5. 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.

    Reply

  7. 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?

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    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 !!

    Reply

  10. 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.

    Reply

  13. 5 stars
    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!!

    Reply

  15. 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.

    Reply

  18. 5 stars
    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. 🙂

    Reply

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