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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Tisha says
Hi there. I am making this tomorrow and I was wondering about the honey. Does it matter if it is raw honey or clover honey? Thanks so much. I can’t wait to try this I LOVE balsamic vinegar.
Ashley Fehr says
I can’t say I’ve ever had clover honey so I can’t say for sure, but I think it would work fine!
Tisha says
This was absolutley delicious! My sauce didn’t seem to get very thick but WOW what flavor. This recipe is a definite keeper!! Thank you for sharing.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Tisha! I’m so happy to hear that!
Sandy Thomas says
I got an instant pot for Xmas and am thinking of converting this recipe for a dinner guest tomorrow night. Anybody want to help me estimate the timing? I love how tender meats turn out! And I’ve used my slow cooker for over 30 years, so no offense intended.
Ashley Fehr says
I love pulled pork out of the Instant Pot! I would probably cook for somewhere between 55 and 90 minutes, depending how large your roast is and if you cut it into smaller pieces.
Rachel says
I’m going to try this with a 3 pound roast in my pressure cooker today. So would you suggest 55 minutes?
Ashley Fehr says
I would cut it down into 1 lb chunks, and then cook between an hour and an hour and twenty minutes
Katherine says
I know it was a long time ago but how did this turn out in your instant pot & how long did you end up cooking it? I’m hoping to try the same
Ashley Fehr says
I usually cut pork roasts into 1 lb chunks and pressure cook on high for 60-80 minutes, so I would do that and then make the sauce on the stove
Anna says
What seasoned salt do you use? I’m also struggling to get hold of red pepper flakes, can I just leave them out?
Ashley Fehr says
I use Lawry’s seasoning salt. Sometimes red pepper flakes are called red chilis or something of that sort — you can definitely leave them out and add in something else for a bit of heat if you want it!
Megan says
Is it ok to use a bone in pork shoulder??
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, definitely! It just might take a little longer to cook.
Lynda Henshaw says
I found it a bit too vinegary I would put in a lot less balsamic next time, otherwise lovely
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks! You can definitely adjust to your tastes 🙂
Tia says
I have no other vinegar than distilled white will this work?
Ashley Fehr says
I wouldn’t use white vinegar in this particular recipe
Lacey says
This looks great! Thanks for sharing. I’m making it now. This might be a dumb question, but what do you use the extra sauce for after you split it in half? Do you think I could just halve the sauce recipe and pour all of it on the pork?
Ashley Fehr says
Definitely! It will just be extra saucy. I sometimes just serve the rest with the sandwiches for dipping, too!
Vickie Shepherd says
So I’m looking for a pulled pork recipe that I can use to serve 25-30 people and cook it in my roaster. I’m not sure how much meat to cook so I’m sure I have enough. Plus I am wondering if this recipe will be ok in my roaster instead of a slow cooker. Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
I honestly can’t say I’ve made pulled pork in a roaster — the slow cooker just gets it so tender! If it was me I would probably cook a few roasts in the slow cooker, then transfer to a roaster with the sauce and reheat on a low temperature. I think a good average is 1/4-1/3 lb of meat per person, depending on what else you’re serving.
Kaye says
Thanks for sharing! It may be a tad too sweet for my taste but I may try brushing it on some chicken wings I’m also grilling tonight. Thanks!
Ashley Fehr says
Oh great idea!
Nicole says
Hi Ashley,
I’m going to try this for supper tomorrow. I usually have a creamy dressing coleslaw with pulled pork. Do you think this will be ok with this recipe as well? If so, do you have a good recipe for that as well? 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
I think it would go really well! I’m not much of a cole slaw person myself so I don’t have my own recipe, sorry! I hope you enjoy it!
Mandy White-Rogers says
Oh my goodness. I just made this and followed the recipe almost exactly, EXCEPT I used pork tenderloin rather than pork roast, cooked it in an electric pressure cooker rather than a slow cooker, and added 1 cup of chicken broth instead of 1 1/2 cup water. I actually sprinkled the garlic powder and seasoned salt over the pork tenderloin and laid it in the pressure cooker after I poured in the chicken broth in (so the seasoning would not get rinsed off). I then pressure cooked it for 50 minutes and let the pressure release slowly rather than a quick release. While the pressure was releasing naturally, I made the sauce exactly as directed. Then, I shredded the pork tenderloin with 2 forks and poured half the sauce over it and mixed it well and used the remainder for . IT IS DELICIOUS!!! IT IS DEFINITELY KEEPER! SIMPLY DELISH! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, Ashley!
Ashley Fehr says
I am so happy to hear that! I’ve only had my pressure cooker a few months so I haven’t made this in there yet, but I’m definitely going to try now!
Theresa says
I can’t stand balsamic vinegar so almost didn’t try this. Wow! It is so good! I couldn’t decide what to do with a pork roast I made in the crock pot a few days ago. I am not a fan of barbecue sauce and didn’t care for the pork plain. This was soooooo good. I saved to my Pinterest “tried and liked it”. It is definitely a keeper.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Theresa! I’m so glad you liked it! This is definitely our favorite way to do pork these days 🙂
Ilse says
Hi, this looks so amazing. How can you make it without a slow cooker?
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Ilse! I’m not sure that I would. The slow cooker makes the pork so, so tender. Do you have a pressure cooker of any kind? That would also make some pretty tender pork. Chicken would also be good with the sauce and a little easier to make without a slow cooker.
Chi Chi says
I have made this several times and I thought I left a comment but I guess not. I am terrible at remembering recipes so I always have to come back here. Anyway, I wanted to add that this pulled pork is KILLA as a pizza topping! I always have sauce remaining so I ladle a little bit of that onto the dough in place of sauce. Add whatever else you think may be good; we add a mild cheese, caramelized onions and it’s amazing. Please do not ever delete this recipe from the internets, as I would probably cry. LOL Just kidding, I am going to print it out this time!
Ashley Fehr says
Lol! I’m so glad you like it! I can’t believe I’ve never put it on a pizza — that sounds amazing!
Heather W Williams says
Such a great sauce!! I made it with only a cup of balsamic, all I had, and it was delicious. I seasoned the meat like a dry rub and seared the roast in olive oil on all sides then put it in the oven on convection roast at 300* for 30 minutes then reduced the heat to 225* for 3 hours. I replaced 1/2 cup of water with apple cider and added a bunch of fresh rosemary to the cooking liquid. When I opened the lid, the meat fell apart it was soo tender and moist. I am making a broccoli slaw with apples, cranberries and pecans as a side. Then leftovers will be making pulled pork nachos!! Can’t wait…
Ashley Fehr says
THanks Heather! It is my favorite pulled pork recipe!
Darci says
Do you have the nutritional information for this recipe by chance ?
Ashley Fehr says
I don’t, sorry! I’m hoping to be adding more in the new year, but this is a great calculator in the meantime: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/calculator
julia says
Hi Ashley,
thank You very much for Your advice! I think I will start with a 6 qt.
I am looking forward very much to trying Your recipe 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
I hope you like it!
julia says
Hi Ashley,
this recipe sounds delicious! Would You tell me how large Your crockpot is? Because I am about to buy one. I need one for a large family (maybe 8 liters) and I am wondering if I can use it for smaller amounts for, let´s say, 2 people, too, with a smaller amount of ingredients.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Julia! I actually have a 2.5qt, a 4qt and a 6qt. For this recipe I always use my 6qt and it’s a great size! I think the 6qt would be big enough to feed most large families, but I really love having a variety of sizes for options. I would maybe start with a 6qt (or 8, depending on how many servings you want to make at once!) and then add another to your collection if you need.
Rachel says
Hi! I’m just wondering if it would be okay to leave it in the crock pot for closer to 11 hours instead of 10. I leave for work at around 7:15am and don’t get home until around 6:10/6:15pm.
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Rachel — sorry I just saw this! You can absolutely leave it longer. There are a few ways to help adjust cooking time. If your slow cooker is generally cooler (meaning, you usually find you have to add time to most slow cooker recipes), then the extra hour won’t matter. If your slow cooker is hotter (meaning you usually find recipes are done sooner than the recipe calls for), you can add the roast frozen to the slow cooker and it won’t dry out if it’s left for longer. I’ve done this lots when I worked away from home and it worked so perfectly! If you have a cooler slow cooker I wouldn’t recommend a frozen roast though. It all just depends! I hope that helps!
Rachel says
Yes, that definitely helps! Thank you very much!! 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Awesome! Let me know how you like it!
Maggie says
This was SO, SO, SO good. Oh my gosh. I’ll make this often. Thank you so much for sharing such an easy and delicious recipe.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Maggie! It is by far our favorite way to do pork!
Leigh says
Can you cook it on high to do it a little faster? If so, how many hours? 6?
Ashley Fehr says
You could but I never really recommend that with a big chunk of meat like a roast. I would break it down into smaller pieces and try cooking on high for half as much time.