The BEST pulled pork! Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork with an incredible thick, sweet and tangy honey balsamic sauce! Easy crockpot dinner. Includes step by step recipe video.
PIN IT FOR LATER
So I like to think I’ve come a little ways since my days of quickly snapping a picture of my supper for the blog before diving in. But I have to admit, the though of photographing a big hunk of brown meat makes me a little nervous.
It didn’t help that I laid down on the couch when the girls went for a nap and opened my eyes at 5:00.
Luckily, I didn’t have much work to do on this incredible pulled pork.
It’s always a little interesting trying to get some photos of something we’re eating for supper before it’s totally cold and unappetizing, especially as I’m rushing and trying to make it look like I didn’t just sleep until 5:00pm when the hubs gets home from work.
“Girl, go and start cleaning up your toys!”
“I can’t mom, I have to take pictures!”
Things get a little crowded in our dining room as we’re both maneuvering around the toys on the floor, trying to get a good shot of our supper in between periods of dark cloudiness and too-bright sunshine.
Anyway. We made it.
Am I the only one out there who can’t stand the smell of balsamic vinegar? That is some powerful stuff. It makes my head hurt a little bit.
When I make this honey balsamic sauce, I think the exact same thing: “That sauce smells potent — how can it actually taste good?!”
The truth? It’s incredible. INCREDIBLE.
This is my favourite pulled pork recipe out there.
Ever.
In the world.
It is so easy just to throw a roast in the slow cooker in the morning, and then when suppertime rolls around the only thing you have to do is make the sauce. I mean, you could make a side to serve with it, but we don’t.
When this pulled pork is on the table, I don’t need anything else getting in my way. Just some fresh buns and allllll that dark, drippy sauce!
Try it. Maybe it’ll be your favourite pulled pork, too!
Looking for more slow cooker pork recipes? Try this Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin!
*Post and photos updated May 28, 2015
Slow Cooker Honey Balsamic Pulled Pork
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 3 lb boneless pork roast
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 tsp seasoned salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 tsp salt
- a pinch of black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp minced garlic
Instructions
- Add the roast to a slow cooker. Add the water, seasoned salt and garlic powder. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until falling apart.
- Just before your roast is ready, add the rest of the ingredients (vinegar through garlic) to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
- Boil over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes, until thick and syrupy.
- Drain juices from pork. Shred your pork and stir in half of the prepared sauce. Serve the rest of the sauce alongside the pork with buns.
Nutrition Information
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Rosanne Stewart says
This one of our family favorites! Have you tried freezing this? With the sauce? If not, do you think it would freeze well? I’m prepping ahead of time for all our Christmas company and thought I might save some time by freezing and reheating.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rosanne! Although I haven’t tested it out, it should freeze really well with the sauce. If you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
TruthbTold says
I’ve actually made this recipe a few times and I really love it. However, I’m not a huge fan of meat in a slow cooker. (I have followed the recipe using my crockpot multiple times).
I have actually seared the roast and used a large dutch oven to cook the meat in the oven with the lid and it came out just as tender and pulled just as easily.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for sharing! I love that idea!
Veronica says
I cheated with the meat and bought pre seasoned pork from Aldi. Seasoned the water with a bit of chicken salt. Cooking instructions were spot on! The meat was so tender and delicious, I could’ve eaten the whole thing by myself.
I personally found the sauce to be veryyyyyy overwhelming. I think I only used about 4 small ladles and kept some of the flavoured liquid. perhaps a little too much vinegar? And as someone who suffers from a bit of reflux, the smell alone was enough to trigger me. I ended up discarding almost the whole batch. I served it in a bun with slaw mix and thousand island dressing which was a great combo. It’s not a bad sauce, just not the one for me, so won’t rate it poorly on a personal preference! It was easy to make – I would however recommend halving the amount for that much meat. Even for a “saucy” dish, half would be more than sufficient.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks for your feedback Veronica! We love anything with balsamic vinegar, but I know it’s not for everyone 🙂
Jes says
This was the BEST pulled pork I have ever ate. I doubled the batch because I have a a family of 6. I was lucky to have left overs for work the next day after my growing boys finished up. I paired this with your one pot Mac and Cheese. Wow!!! Thank you for taking the time to share all of these indomitable recipes! I try at least 1 new one a week and I have yet to be disappointed. You rock Ashley!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Jes! It is our favorite too!
Jo says
Hi, can I make the sauce before hand and warm it when it’s ready?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes absolutely!
Lisha says
For the first time, in the 8 years of his life, my kid shut up and ate his entire dinner and only stopped to comment on how good it was. For that, I give this 10 stars.
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a win for sure! Thanks Lisha!