I’m a huge fan of pulled pork (who isn’t really?) Succulent and tender, loaded with sweet and tangy flavor, it’s mmm… mmm…good!
Here in South Carolina you can pretty much find a BBQ joint that serves pulled pork on every corner. The problem with getting it at a restaurant is the sugar-laden BBQ sauce, which will knock you out of ketosis faster than you can say “Porky Pig.”
So what’s a low carbin’ BBQ lovin’ Yankee to do? Well you might think you need a smoker or other fancy equipment to make a decent pulled pork at home, but you’d be wrong. All you need is a crock pot, aka. slow cooker and you could be enjoying some keto-friendly pulled pork in just a few short hours.
It may not win you any fancy BBQ trophies over on the Food Network (or maybe it would), but trust me when I say that no one you serve it to is going to care whether it’s been slow smoked for 24 hours over reclaimed Noah’s Ark lumber that’s been cured with the tears of 1,000 Unicorns or not.
It’s luscious, and flavorful, and best of all, super easy!
[pinterest text=”Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – a low carb and gluten free main dish recipe from ibreatheimhungry.com” layout=”horizontal” image=”https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/pulledpork2small-500×665.jpg”]
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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – Low Carb and Gluten Free
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
Description
A simple and delicious keto-friendly pulled pork recipe made in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
For the pulled pork:
- 3lb boneless pork shoulder (aka. Boston Butt)
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp celery salt
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp mustard powder
- 1/2 cup water
For the BBQ sauce:
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
- 2 tsp hot sauce (I used Frank’s Red Hot)
- 3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 3 Tbsp low sugar ketchup
- 4 Tbsp granulated sugar substitute
- 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
Instructions
For the pulled pork:
- In a small bowl, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika, allspice, celery salt, cloves, and mustard powder. Mix well. Rub the spice mixture all over your pork. Add the water to a large crock pot. Place the spice rubbed pork in the pot and cover. Cook on high for four hours, or until tender and falling apart. Remove the meat from the crock pot, leaving the juices behind. Shred the meat with clean hands, or use two forks to “pull” it apart.
For the sauce:
- Skim the solids and visible fat from the top of the liquid and discard. Add all of the sauce ingredients to the remaining liquid in the crockpot, whisking until smooth. Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the meat back to the sauce and stir until fully coated. Serve hot.
Notes
Approximate nutrition info per serving: 265 calories, 16g fat, 1g net carbs, 20g protein
Nutrition
- Serving Size: Approximately 3/4 cup shredded meat and sauce
Serve with Keto Broccoli Slaw and Jalapeno Cheddar Muffins for the perfect BBQ dinner!
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Erika Demars says
FANTASTIC!!!! I did it in the instant pot. Seared the pork first, then added the ingredients and 1/4 cup beef broth, and BBQ Sauce and pressure cooked for 40 minutes. Let it manually release for 10 and then a quick release.
My family LOVED it
Thank you
★★★★★
Kim says
How can I modify this for the instapot?
Anyone know?
Kris Zuppa says
Don’t know what flavor the sauce is supposed to be, but definitely try it first before you add your pulled pork. Neither my husband nor I liked the flavor.
★★
Deb Nicholas says
Melissa I have an 8 pound pork shoulder for lots of company coming. I can easily double or triple the ingredients but what about the cook time in the slow cooker?
Thanks!
★★★★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
it depends – you can cut it into smaller pieces but you may need to add a couple of hours still.
Hank Shrader says
This recipe was absolutely amazing until I added the BBQ sauce and wasted my butt roast. Try this sauce recipe out first before you put it on your delicious roast.
★★
Janae says
Would this work in an pressure cooker (aka instant pot?)
Amy says
I thought this recipe was too heavy on the mustard. I ended up having to add liquid smoke and then some packaged BBQ sauce to make it palatable to my family. I’m all for keto but I thought this missed the mark. Sorry!
★★
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the feedback, sorry you weren’t a fan of it.
Robinson Rebecca says
Hi! I’m wondering what I did wrong – mine tasted very mustardy as well…but my main problem was all the fat – oh my goodness – globs Of fat everywhere, is that how it’s supposed to be? Thank you!
Joyce says
I made this and it was delicious. I made a double batch and am so glad I did. The whole family loved it. I usually have to tweak recipes and was all set to do the same with this one. I started with the BBQ sauce thinking I only need half the amount of sugar substitute. Nope. The recipe is perfect the way it’s written. We had it on Romain Lettuce leaves rolled up. Thank you so much for this recipe. It’s a keeper.
★★★★★
Talin Mirzayan says
OMG this was delish! we ate without the sauce..so so tasty and full of flavor, i also add some red pepper flakes! THANK YOU!
★★★★★
DAE says
Loved this. The pork was great even before the sauce. That spice rub really did a nice job. I used a little less substitute sugar and a little less hot sauce and really love how it came out. Thank you!!!
★★★★★
Rita M Carmona says
I have made this 3 times now and really love it!!!
★★★★★
Alison says
Delicious, thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★
Dave says
I made this but for some reason the sauce ended up tasting like each individual indgredient rather than a unified flavour; any ideas as to why or how I can rectify it?
Jay says
The meat in its own definitely lacks flavor but once added to the sauce its delicious.
I added a bit of Bai pineapple juice and more water and it came out fantastic.
★★★★
Meredith Wachter says
Does this freeze well, or have you tried? I want to do a month long meal prep with smaller portions.
Dalanra says
I followed the recipe and I found it terribly dry. There was not enough liquid in the crockpot. I expected the assortment of spices were going to create a great flavor. No.No.No. Very disappointing.
KC says
How much water do put in the crock pot with the meat?
Barbara says
Hi
I’m curious about what the prepared mustard is? Did I miss something?
Love love love your recipes.
Kathy Shires says
Can you cook on low? And for how long?
Mellissa Sevigny says
6 – 8 hours on low I’m guessing, depending on the size of your roast!
Rowena says
This is my third time making this! Its awesome, thank you! Along with your blueberry streusel cake – I”m sorted for dinner tonight!
★★★★★
cimmaryn says
Hey, I want to cook this, but I gave my crockpot to my son! Any suggestions for cooking this in the oven?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can cover it and cook it in the oven for about 4 hours at 350!
De says
Made this a few days ago because it’s been a long time since I’ve had BBQ. I had a 6 lb Boston butt roast so I doubled the rub ingredients but I didn’t double the sauce. Unfortunately it did not seem to have much flavour. It’s sitting in my fridge till I figure out what to do with it. Should I mix up another batch of bbq sauce and add it in?
Tim says
Huge thank you! for all the recipes not just this one!!!! you are a legend!
JQ says
Melissa, what do you think about using a pork loin roast instead of pork shoulder? I happen to have one on hand. Will it dry out too much?
Peggy Hughes says
Wow! This is delicious barbecue! I didn’t have the ketchup, so I used tomato paste. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Put it on for dinner some morning. Your whole family will love it!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for the endorsement Peggy! We loved this recipe too!
Alicia says
What sugar substitute do you use? I have an Erythritol/Stevia blend that I use, but I want to make sure of my measurement conversion before I make the sauce. Do you use Erythritol, Xylitol, Splenda, Truvia? All of them measure differently against what I use. Thanks!
Kelly says
Do you think it would be possible to sub chicken breasts for the pork?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You could, but chicken thighs would be even better!
Jana says
I made this pork over the weekend for Father’s Day and it was a HUGE hit! Everyone said it was delicious and we have some left over to put on top of salads for the week. I made this and the chocolate covered strawberry cheesecake from Carolyn and it was just the PERFECT weekend. I’m not one for caps… this is serious business. :) Thank you for this delicious recipes! It will become a regular staple around here.
Jana says
Just coming back to say thanks again. Just made this to give out to a friend who had surgery, another with a baby soon coming, and had enough left for me and the husband. This is the most amazing meal… it comes out perfectly every time. Thank you so much.
Erik says
Being in Kansas City, BBQ is king. I have mastered a low carb bbq rub for the smoker. I start with a 8-10 lb pork butt
1 tblspoon
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Paprika
Cheyanne
Salt
Pepper
3 Table spoons of Chili powder
3 table spoons of the splenda equavilant of brown sugar
Rub the mixture on liberally and let rest over night, then cook (preferably smoke) at about 225 for 1.5 hours/lb.. Cover with foil about half way thru… NOM NOM NOM
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for sharing this recipe Erik! We’ll have to try it when we finally get a smoker this summer!!!
Alexia says
Hi There! I made this yesterday, except used about 3 lbs of pork ribs because that is what I had on hand. I also added a teaspoon of liquid smoke to the bbq sauce. My bbq sauce took much longer to thicken, but the end result was fantastic. I was so impressed with the depth of flavor. The pork was so good! And my bestie/roomie loved it! That’s how I knew it was good lol.
Thanks for these really tasty recipes! Who knew you could eat so well on a low-carb diet! :-)
Eric says
This looks great! Can’t wait to try it. My slow cooker is a 1990 vintage model, but it does have a high and low setting (just haven’t a clue what the temperature it gets to at each setting is). Seems to work fine, though, so haven’t felt the need for a new one.
One request, though. Could you reduce the size of the photo so that the recipes would print out on only one page instead of two? Or make printing the photo optional? Many thanks.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for letting me know Eric, I changed the photo to a much smaller one which should fix the problem! And yes, any slow cooker that still works should do the trick for this – especially because this cut of meat is so forgiving! Hope you like it! Hope you like it!
Tracy says
I cooked this yesterday and put it on low for 8 hours. Turned out perfect.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Awesome, thanks for letting us know Tracy!
Eric says
I made this yesterday, and WOW! Is it good! The crockpot worked fine, and the meat was falling off the bone as I tried to remove it from the pot. I’m a bit of a hot sauce junkie, so I think I will use something with a bit more kick than Frank’s next time, and I did add several drops of Liquid Smoke to to the sauce, but that is just my taste. This is a fantastic recipe – easy and tasty. Put it on a low carb roll, or over mashed cauliflower, and have a bit of cole slaw on the side, and you’ll have a real treat! Now if Melissa would only come up with a low carb pecan pie to end the meal… ;)
Tracy says
Can you cook on low for 8 hours instead of high for 4 hours? Would like to put this on to cook while away at work.
movita beaucoup says
Awwwww, yah! This looks amazing!! AND EASY! Slow cookers are the bestest…
Mellissa Sevigny says
I know right? I don’t know why I don’t use mine more often! Now that the warmer weather is coming (it IS coming right? RIGHT???) it will go back into storage for another 5 months. Oh well – now I can GRILL ALL OF THE THINGS!!!!
Jen says
Oh man, I still use my crock pot in the summer! It doesn’t generate nearly as much heat in the kitchen as a real oven. :)
Melissa says
Can you sub guar gum for xanthan gum?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Absolutely!
Sarah @ Sarah Cooks the Books says
Love Southern food in a slow cooker! Thanks for this recipe.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Low and slow – it’s the best! :)
Lisa says
Hi,
Great recipe.l May I ask what is the purpose of using xantham gum?
I’m not familiar with this ingredient…
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hi Lisa! The xanthan gum acts as a thickener and gives the sauce that traditional thick texture of BBQ sauce that adheres to the meat. Usually you’d get that stickiness from all of the sugar in a sauce, but since this one has no sugar, the xanthan works perfectly as a substitute. You can omit it for sure, but instead of sauce it will be more like an au jus – still delicious though!
Betty says
And where do we find this?? With the spices
Carolyn says
It looks wonderful, Mellissa. My husband actually bought me a smoker for Xmas and the added flavour is awesome. But I would highly consider popping it into my slow cooker once it’s smoked!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Carolyn! It’s true that you can’t beat a smoker for flavor – especially in ribs which I much prefer smoked to any other method!!! For pulled pork though, the crock pot is a great alternative! I want to get a smoker this year too – then I’ll be experimenting with smoking my own fish and jerky! Yum! Can’t wait to see what you’ll be cooking up with it over at your place this summer! :)
McDonna says
This looks tantalizing! I’m assuming it would work equally well with its *beef* counterpart – Boston Butt? I try to steer clear of pork. Except bacon. Bacon is not pork. It’s bacon. LOL
ben says
Um, what? Boston butt *is* pork shoulder.
Dawn says
Melissa you are hysterical. I can’t wait to try this. Thank you
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Dawn, hope you like it! :)