A budget friendly twist on a traditional Carolina pulled pork recipe using Country Style pork ribs! A tangy vinegar based sauce coats the pork while pickled banana peppers bring just the right amount of heat.
Cooking pork low and slow makes it fall off the bone tender and using a flavorful cooking liquid infuses the flavors into the meat. This Slow Cooker Carolina Pulled Pork recipe combines both of those elements with an inexpensive cut of meat to make a delicious, easy and affordable meal idea!
What you’ll need to make Slow Cooker Carolina Pulled Pork
- Country style pork ribs (or a small pork roast)
- Brown sugar
- Paprika
- Salt & pepper
- Onion
- Sliced pickled banana peppers
- Cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- White sugar
- Dry mustard powder
- Garlic salt
- Sandwich buns (optional)
- Coleslaw (optional)
How to make Slow Cooker Carolina Pulled Pork
Affordable, easy & tasty
This one has been in rotation in our house since my kids were toddlers. Being a stay at home Mom meant we only had one income to work with so we started shopping differently. We started looking at more budget friendly proteins and thinking of ways to be creative with them.
Country Style Pork Ribs always seemed to be on sale at the grocery store. A little google research told us that while they are technically pork ribs, they are cut nearer to the pork shoulder so there’s more meat on them then on regular ribs.
A little experimentation taught us that if you put them in the slow cooker they shred up just as nicely as a boneless pork roast does… at about half the price! You can still use a small boneless pork roast if you prefer, but you sure don’t have to for this Slow Cooker Carolina Pulled Pork!
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and ground black pepper.
Stir the mixture together and then sprinkle mixture all over pork, covering as much area as possible.
Place onions into the bottom of the slow cooker and place pork on top of the onions.
Distribute sliced banana peppers over the top of the pork.
In a small bowl or a measuring cup, combine cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, white sugar, dry mustard powder, and garlic salt. Stir until well combined.
Pour 1/2 cup of the vinegar mixture over the pork in the slow cooker and refrigerate the remaining 1/4 cup for later.
Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
(Note: If using a pork roast, increase times to low temperature 8-10 hours or high temperature for 4-5 hours).
Remove meat, onions and peppers from slow cooker and drain the remaining liquid.
Set the onions and peppers in a medium bowl. Shred the meat into the bowl and discard the bones.
Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of vinegar mixture over the meat, onions and peppers and toss to coat.
Serve immediately. If desired, serve the meat on buns, topped with coleslaw. It is also delicious on it’s own. Enjoy!
Other Slow Cooker Recipes You May Enjoy
Slow Cooker Sweet and Sour Ribs – fall off the bone tender and wrapped in a delicious restaurant quality caramelized sticky sauce.
Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas – citrus and spices infused into little chunks of pork. So yummy!
Sweet Pulled Pork Sliders with Rootbeer Sauce – Sweet and tender slow cooked pulled pork served on slider buns with a delicious savory sauce with just a hint of rootbeer!
Crockpot French Onion Soup – Overnight French Onion Soup made easy!
Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Meatballs – easy and delicious as either a meal or as an appetizer!
Slow Cooker Carolina Pulled Pork
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, salt and ground black pepper. Stir the mixture together and then sprinkle mixture all over pork, covering as much area as possible.
- Place onions into the bottom of the slow cooker and place pork on top of the onions. Distribute sliced banana peppers over the top of the pork.
- In a small bowl or a measuring cup, combine cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, white sugar, dry mustard powder and garlic salt. Stir until well combined.
- Pour 1/2 cup of the vinegar mixture over the pork in the slow cooker and refrigerate the remaining 1/4 cup.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. (If using a pork roast, increase times to low temperature for 8-10 hours or high temperature for 4-5 hours).
- Remove meat, onions and peppers from slow cooker and drain the remaining liquid. Set the onions and peppers in a medium bowl. Shred the meat into the bowl and discard the bones.
- Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of vinegar mixture over the meat, onions and peppers and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
- If desired, serve the meat on buns, topped with coleslaw. It is also delicious on it's own. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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