Turn a pulled pork sandwich inside out with these slow-cooker pulled pork bowls. Whether you need to serve a crowd, get a weeknight meal on the table, or do a little meal prep, this recipe is a nutritious and delicious dinner idea.
BBQ pulled pork is a southern American classic and a great way to turn a hearty pork shoulder into moist, tender, and flavorful meat. While most recipes use pre-made BBQ sauce, I opted to make a quick homemade barbecue sauce that balances sweet and salty with less added sugar and salt.
These pulled pork bowls are a crowd-pleasing dish that works well for a picnic or gathering where you need to serve a lot of people with minimal effort.
Why You’ll Love It
- Easy to Make – Made in a crockpot, these BBQ pulled pork bowls make dinner prep simple.
- High in Protein – With over 50 grams of protein per serving, these bowls are incredibly filling.
- Keep Well – Once cooked, the pulled pork keeps well in the fridge for days and the freezer for months, making it a great meal prep idea.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Pork Shoulder – To make the pulled pork, add some protein, and healthy fats. The recipe calls for a boneless pork shoulder, also known as pork butt or a Boston butt, but you can use a bone-in pork if preferred. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Rice – To make the bowls and add some complex carbohydrates. The recipe calls for white rice, but brown rice will also work. See the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Tomato Paste – To make the homemade BBQ sauce. The recipe calls for tomato paste, but ketchup will also work.
- Apple Cider Vinegar – To add some acidity to the sauce, lime juice will also work.
- Brown Sugar – To sweeten the BBQ sauce, maple syrup will also work.
- Spices – A mixture of smoked paprika, ground cumin, and mustard powder to flavor the pork.
- Onion – To flavor the pulled pork. You can use onion powder if preferred; see the notes section of the recipe cards for details.
- Cabbage and Carrots – To make the coleslaw and add some veggies. You can also you a pre-made coleslaw mix if preferred.
- Cilantro – To add some brightness and flavor to the bowls.
- Green Onion – To serve, although optional.
- Salt and Pepper – To season.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make Them Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free Worcestershire sauce or omit it completely.
To Make Them Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed; this recipe is dairy-free.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
While the inclusion of refined sugar in this recipe may be worrisome to some, it is not cause for concern. Not only is the 1/2 cup of brown sugar spread across the entire recipe, resulting in just over 1/2 tablespoon per serving, but in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, added sugar can be consumed without concern.
Serving Suggestions
These pulled pork bowls are a balanced meal with protein, carbohydrates, fiber, and fats; however, they can easily be adapted to suit your personal calorie or macro needs. For example:
- To make them lower in fat, trim all excess fat from the pork shoulder or use pork tenderloin instead, and swap the mayonnaise for non-fat Greek yogurt.
- To make it low-carb, swap the white rice for cauliflower rice.
- To make it higher in fiber, swap the white rice for brown rice and add more high-fiber foods such as black beans, avocado, or sweet corn.
Storage + Reheating
To Refrigerate: Once cooled, any leftover pulled pork and rice can be stored assembled or in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. The coleslaw can be stored in a separate airtight container for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: Once cooled, the pulled pork and rice can be stored assembled or in separate airtight containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. The coleslaw and dressing cannot be frozen.
To Reheat: Once thawed, the pulled pork and rice can be reheated in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or until warm. The coleslaw can be added to the bowls once reheated.
More Pork Recipes:
- Pulled Pork Tacos
- Spicy Pork Noodles
- Honey Garlic Pork Chops
- Spinach Stuffed Pork Chops
- Spanish Pork Chops
- Pork Souvlaki
Slow-Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Bowls
These BBQ pulled pork bowls are easy to make and full of flavor. Enjoy them as a crowd-pleasing dinner or a fun meal prep idea.
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Prep Time: 30 minutes -
Cook Time: 5 hours
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Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes
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Yield: 12 servings 1x
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Category: Dinner
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Method: Slow Cooker
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
Pulled Pork:
- 5–7 pound pork shoulder, boneless
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 cup (1 can (5.5 ounces)) tomato paste
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Coleslaw:
- 4 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- Salt
- Pepper
Bowls:
- 4 cups white rice, raw
- Pickled onions, to serve (optional)
- Green onions, thinly sliced, to serve (optional)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add the smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic powder, mustard powder, salt, and pepper, and stir to combine. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the water, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
- Place the pork shoulder on a cutting board, sprinkle the spice mixture all over it, using your hands to rub it into the pork, and ensuring it’s well covered on all sides.
- In a cast-iron skillet or pan on medium-high heat, warm the olive oil, then add the pork shoulder roast and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until browned. If your slow cooker has a removable stove-safe insert, you can do this directly in the insert on the stove.
- Add the seared pork shoulder to the slow cooker, add the diced onion, scattering it around the pork shoulder, and pour in the tomato paste mixture.
- Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 10-12 hours until the pork is tender and can easily be pulled apart with two forks.
- Once cooked, transfer the pork shoulder to a cutting board and, using two forks, shred the pork into small pieces. At this point, you can remove any chunks of excess fat from the pork, if desired.
- Transfer the remaining liquid from the slow cooker to a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer for 5-10 minutes until the liquid has reduced by at least half and thickened significantly. If your slow cooker has a removable stove-safe insert, you can do this directly in the insert on the stove.
- Once complete, return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, tossing it in the reduced BBQ sauce, then taste the pulled pork and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- When there are 20 minutes of cooking time left on the pulled pork, prepare other ingredients for the bowls.
- In a large pot, combine the rice with 8 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook covered for 15 minutes, or as per package directions, until it can be fluffed with a fork.
- In a medium bowl, add the mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar, whisk until well combined, then add the shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, and chopped cilantro, and toss until well coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- When all of the ingredients are ready, assemble the bowls with a layer of cooked rice, BBQ pulled pork, and coleslaw.
- Any leftover pulled pork and rice can be cooled and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months, and the coleslaw can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
To Use a Bone-In Pork Shoulder: Use a 6-8 pound bone-in pork shoulder.
To Use BBQ Sauce: Omit the BBQ sauce ingredients (water, tomato paste, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and spices), skip steps #1-3, and add 1 1/2 cups of BBQ sauce in step #5 instead.
To Use Onion Powder: Swap the onion for 1 teaspoon of onion powder and add it to the sauce in step #1.
To Use Garlic Cloves: Swap the garlic powder for 2 minced garlic cloves and add them in step #5 with the diced onion.
To Use Coleslaw Mix: Swap the cabbage, carrots, and cilantro for 2 cups of coleslaw mix.
To Use Brown Rice: Swap the white rice for equal parts brown rice and increase the cooking time to 40 minutes in step #10.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 665 calories
- Fat: 18 grams
- Carbohydrates: 65 grams
- Fiber: 3 grams
- Protein: 56 grams
This was a perfect recipe and made delicious pulled pork!!
Yay! So happy you liked them, thank you for sharing, Stephanie. 🙂