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, nachos, 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!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast or pork butt
- salt
- black pepper
- garlic powder
- 1 onion sliced, optional
- 12 ounces Dr. Pepper 1 can
- ¾ cup barbecue sauce or to taste
- Rolls for serving
- prepared 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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I’m cooking this for the second time as I type. The first time I followed the recipe exactly. I had to drain off the juices for sure, defatted some and added just enough of it back in to moisten the meat to our liking. I shredded enough for our sandwiches that night and added a little BBQ sauce with extra on the side (We like Stubbs sticky sweet, which has no corn syrup). I kept the leftovers in bigger chunks. The next day I seared these with some adobo seasoning and served as “carnitas” with rice and beans. I just love easy-peasy, cook-once-serve-twice, delicious crowd pleasers! A winner on all fronts. Thanks so much!
I love how you repurposed the pork, what an awesome idea. Thanks for sharing!
I made this recipe a few weeks ago but used Rootbeer & it was AWESOME!! My husband and I absolutely loved it. Definitely a “Keeper”. Thanks so much. :)
This sounds great! I have A 6.8 lb. shoulder so I’m thinking 16 oz of Dr. Pepper and 8-9 hours on low. I’m wondering if after I shred the meat and get my sauce how I want it can I freeze the leftovers (it’s just my husband and myself.) Or should I shred, set some aside to freeze “pre-sauced” and just sauce what we think we want to eat? And if I need to freeze pre-sauced, would you add the juice or freeze juice separate and add once thawed? Thanks in advance!
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.
I have a 4.5 quart crockpot, is that okay to use for this recipe ?
Hi Emily, you should have enough room in a 4.5-quart slow cooker. If you haven’t already purchased a cut of meat, I would just choose one on the smaller side :)
Not bland; that will depend on the bbq sauce you use. I had a 4.9 lb Boston Butt Roast my husband bought on sale (“$7.00! You can make something with this!”). He found your recipe. I knew it would work because I use Cola when making Baby Back Ribs. I cooked at low for 6 hours and had every intention of letting it cook for another 2, but hubby was nervous so I cranked it up to High for the home stretch. Easily pulled apart with two forks. Slathered with our favorite sauce and served over cornbread with a vinegar coleslaw. Delish! Only thing I will do differently is cut off the layer of fat before pulling apart – duh! Thank you, this is a keeper :)
Would not recommend. Very bland. Better recipes out there.
Sorry that you didn’t enjoy the reciep Aerub.
aerub you obviously did something wrong. Give yourself one star…not the recipe.
I put best Crock-Pot recipe for Boston butt and your recipe had over 300 reviews. I am trying it today but I have wait for Dollar General to open to get a Dr. Pepper. My daughter and usually brown the meat first then lay it on a bed of onions with fresh garlic in the meat then cook it in the Crock-Pot. I will let you know.
Making this tomorrow! My question is if making tomorrow and do t need till Saturday do I have to freeze it u til then?
Pulled pork only lasts 3-4 days in the fridge so it should be okay, but you can freeze it to be safe Denise.
Delicious!!!
Almost none of the liquid evaporated and I cooked it over 8 hours. So before I added the meat back into the slow cooker I emptied 3/4 of the liquid. After adding the meat back it was still too runny for my tastes. Taste was good but too runny.
Liquid doesn’t evaporate much at all in the slow cooker. Some cuts of pork produce more liquid than others so you can certainly discard some of the juices if needed.
Absolutely amazing…my son had three sandwiches! I used a six pound pork shoulder, which I found on sale for $.99/lb. and a can of root beer because that’s what we had. I cooked it all day on low. It was so tender and delicious. We ate it as pulled pork last night with coleslaw on the side. I’m thinking of pork tacos and pork nachos next. Thank you for a fabulous recipe. After this winner, I will definitely need to try out some of your other ones!
Another super recipe. Made exactly as written and cooked on low overnight. Used a 4 1/2 pound pork butt and between 3 people it was gone in a day and a half. Have not found a recipe on your site yet that didnt come out delicious. Thanks so much again for sharing Holly.
So glad you enjoyed it Jeff, our family loves this one too!
Hi Holly, Love your recipes & blog. Where I live, they don’t have dr. Pepper, what can I replace that with please? Thank you so much.
Root beer or cola would work as well.
Thank you & your are the best
Thank you so much for your kind words Ferryal!
I’m planning this for tomorrow,,, but don’t wanna go to the store for a can of DP,,, I have some Vernors Ginger Ale,, what do you think?? :)
We have only made this recipe as written, Mary. Maybe another reader has tried this and could help!
Mr Pibb or Root Beer
does diet dp work the same?
Yes, you can use diet Dr. Pepper Kimberly!
I don’t really have any other Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Recipe to compare to, but this recipe turned out very good. I will admit it was modified as I didn’t have enough salt or garlic, so I added an onion soup mix packet to my pork instead. The pork was very tender and the BBQ sauce really completed this dish.
Next time I will make sure to have all the proper ingredients, and maybe drain 80% of the juice out of the crockpot.
I only had diet Dr. Pepper at the house and decided to give it a shot anyway! It’s still cooking, but so far it seems to be working! I’m just hoping it doesn’t end up tasting like artificial sugar.
You will have to let us know how it turns out Lauren!
Hi. Does this end up tasting like Dr Pepper?
Hi Lisa, Dr. Pepper mostly tenderizes the meat as it cooks. It does provide some flavor but the majority of the final flavor comes from the barbecue sauce you choose to use. You can replace the Dr. Pepper with Coca Cola or Root Beer if you prefer :)
I started it this morning so it will be done by dinner time! My pork was 7.5 pounds so I added a half a can more of Dr.Pepper! Hopefully it turns out great, I’ll let you know. I can’t wait to try
Hi Becca, I just put mine in.. trying for the first time.. the recipe calls for 4-5 lb. Smallest my store had was 9! I see that you did 7lb, did you add a lot more time? I put mine on high because it is so big and will keep an eye on it but just wondering for reference since I see you also used a larger size.
Hi Kelli, it will probably take closer to the full 5 hours if not a little longer for a 9lb pork shoulder. Definitely check it with a meat thermometer to make sure it is fully cooked.
I would like to make this for a family gathering of 16. Would you recommend doubling the spice recipe for a 10 lb roast?
Yes, you can double up on the seasonings (or add a little bit more). You want enough to coat the outside of the roast. Enjoy!
Can I use a pot roast to make this recipe
The best cut for this recipe is pork shoulder but a pot roast should still work Denise :)
My family loves this! I make it at least once a month. Thank you for sharing it!
How much Dr Pepper 1 bottle -20 ounce or a 64 oz.
Hi Kevin, we used one standard size can for this recipe so about 12 ounces of Dr. Pepper.