These smoky BBQ pulled pork sandwiches can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker to create a tasty, pulled pork that falls apart.
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I love easy dinner recipes in my slow cooker or Instant Pot. This recipe is one of my favorites because I can make it in either appliance depending on my day. This smoky BBQ pulled pork is the perfect combination of sweet and savory.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make this smoky BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, you need the following ingredients:
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
- Garlic Powder
- Dry Mustard
- Liquid Smoke
- Pork Shoulder Butt Roast (boneless or bone in)
- BBQ Sauce
- Hamburger Buns
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Slow Cooker, if not using an Instant Pot
- Instant Pot, if not using Slow Cooker
- Non-stick Cooking Spray
- Mixing Bowl (Small)
- Fork
- Bear Claws
How to Make Smoky BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Spray the inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (or use a slow cooker liner).
- Combine paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard and liquid smoke in a small bowl.
- Rub all over the roast, covering all sides. (Optional: poke your roast with a large fork a couple of times to let the flavors really soak in).
- Place lid on slow cooker and bake on low for 8-10 hours (or high 5-6 hours).
- Shred meat when finished and add bottle of BBQ sauce.
- Serve on buns.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Plug in Instant Pot and turn on.
- Add pork roast to bottom of Instant Pot, then add paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, liquid smoke, barbeque sauce, and water.
- Twist lid on and turn lid knob to “sealing” not “venting.”
- Click “Manual” and set timer for 60 minutes.
- Let release for at least 10 minutes, then remove lid.
- If pork is too tough to shred, twist lid back on and cook longer as needed.
- Pick roast up with forks, shred, and serve on buns.
Recipe Notes
- Store any leftover pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- When the BBQ pulled pork is finished cooking, move the meat to a large mixing bowl. You can shred it the following ways: using two forks, using your fingers, using Bear Claws, or using an electric mixer or Kitchen Aid.
- A common question people ask, is how much pulled pork will serve a crowd. From our research and understanding, we have found that you should expect to prepare a half pound of meat per person. The meat shrinks as it cooks and the fat also cooks off the meat, so there is a lot of shrinkage.
Freezer Meal Instructions
- Place all ingredients except for BBQ sauce and buns in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed.
- Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last 60-90 days.
- When ready to use, spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker.
- Add 1 cup of chicken broth in with the frozen food.
- Place the lid on top and cook for 8-10 hours on low heat (you can cook it for 5-6 hours on high heat, but it will not be as tender as cooking it low and slow).
- Shred roast using 2 forks and follow the rest of the instructions as written.
Enjoy More Delicious Pulled Pork Recipes
From sandwiches to burgers, to wraps, hand-held meals are great for lunch, picnics, and family dinners. Check out our comprehensive collection of sandwiches, burgers, and wraps here.
- BBQ Apricot Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- BBQ Bacon Pulled Pork
- Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
- Pineapple Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Sweet and Sticky Pulled Pork
Smoky BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches
These smoky BBQ pulled pork sandwiches can be made in the Instant Pot or slow cooker to create a tasty, pulled pork that falls apart when done cooking
Serving servings
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dry mustard
- ⅓ cup liquid smoke
- 4 lbs pork shoulder butt roast, Use 3 lbs if cooking in the Instant Pot
- 18 ounces BBQ Sauce, 1 bottle
- ½ cup water, Instant Pot version only
- 12 Hamburger Buns
Equipment
- Slow Cooker, if not using an Instant Pot
- Instant Pot, if not using Slow Cooker
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Spray the inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray (or use a slow cooker liner).
- Combine paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, mustard and liquid smoke in a small bowl.
- Rub all over the roast, covering all sides. (Optional: poke your roast with a large fork a couple of times to let the flavors really soak in).
- Place lid on slow cooker and bake on low for 8-10 hours (or high 5-6 hours).
- Shred meat when finished and add bottle of BBQ sauce.
- Serve on buns.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Plug in Instant Pot and turn on.
- Add pork roast to bottom of Instant Pot, then add paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, liquid smoke, BBQ sauce, and water.
- Twist lid on and turn lid knob to “sealing” not “venting.”
- Click MANUAL and set timer for 60 minutes.
- Let release for at least 10 minutes, then remove lid.
- If pork is too tough to shred, twist lid back on and cook longer as needed.
- Pick roast up with forks, shred, and serve on buns.
Notes
Store any leftover pork in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
When the BBQ pulled pork is finished cooking, move the meat to a large mixing bowl. You can shred it the following ways: using two forks, using your fingers, using Bear Claws, or using an electric mixer or Kitchen Aid.
A common question people ask, is how much pulled pork will serve a crowd. From our research and understanding, we have found that you should expect to prepare a half pound of meat per person. The meat shrinks as it cooks and the fat also cooks off the meat, so there is a lot of shrinkage.
Nutrition
Calories: 333 kcal · Carbohydrates: 40 g · Protein: 23 g · Fat: 9 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Cholesterol: 62 mg · Sodium: 1609 mg · Potassium: 487 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 17 g · Vitamin A: 178 IU · Vitamin C: 5 mg · Calcium: 106 mg · Iron: 3 mg
Video
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Yum!
So delicious!!!!!! Made it minus liquid smoke/will try with next time.
Btw! I shredded the pork in my kitchen aid mixer/worked great!!!!
I’m made these! My family loved them!
Where could I find liquid smoke? I looked for it in the grocery store but didnt have much luck. Thanks!
I made this recipe today and it turned out fabulous. My husband and both kids LOVED it. Thats saying a lot for my picky eaters. Yummm!!!
I found it at Walmart with the bbq sauces on the top shelf. Little bottle for $1!
What a great recipe! Thanks for sharing it! My husband’s comment was, “the only bad thing about it was that there wasn’t enough left over!”
I wonder if I could use this same recipe but with chicken instead?
I was wondering how many this recipe serves?
thanks!
So…you don’t put any other liquid in for the while 8-hour cooking time? I always thought slow cookers needed liquid to cook properly.
No other liquid, just what the recipe calls for. Liquid smoke and the other ingredients. Watch it carefully, could be done in seven hours if your roast is a little smaller.
Hello ! Ilove your receipes.I live in Panama, and i don´t know what is Liquid smoke ? Can you helpme out ? thanks a lot ! blessings
Liquid smoke is a concentrated seasoning used to give meat a smoky or woody taste. It is found on the store shelves by the BBQ sauce. It just adds a little smoky taste to your food. Just a little goes a long way.
I have this in my crock pot as we speak and it smells delicious!
All of our images are copyrighted. You would need to buy the rights to our picture if you want to use it.
Looks delicious in the picture, but unfortunately I am not much of a pork eater! 🙁 anybody know if this recipe will work with chicken? If so, would any instructions need to change? Would love to try it!
wondering the same thing!
Hi, does this work with pork loin too?
Pork Loin will work great with this recipe too.
This seems like a whole lot of spices and liquid smoke and I’m using a 6lber I normally use only a couple TBS of liquid smoke when cooking my other pork butt crock pot recipe (kalua pork). I thought maybe 3tsp not Tbs would be good. But I went ahead and followed your recipe as is any ways so we will see, it’s in the crockpot as we speak!
I noticed that your written crock pot
recipe says to add the bbq sauce after the pork is cooked but you said that the instant pot recipe is the same and the video shows that you put the sauce in at the beginning. I’m
not sure which way to do it or if it matters. Help!!
Hi just wondering if the liquid smoke makes a huge difference if I don’t add it? I’ve never cooked with it before so any advice would be appreciated!
We absolutely love Liquid Smoke. You don’t need a lot, but it adds the perfect touch to any bbq or slow cooker meat dishes. It’s a smoky flavor enhancer. It’s found in most grocery stores. We use the Colgin brand. You can find it on Amazon too.
It actually doesn’t matter! As long as you have enough liquid in the instant pot to let it pressurize!
YOU BET!!!
Your video does not match r ingredients
Just found your recipe for slow cooker BBQ pork sandwiches and made it last week. It is seriously the best BBQ pork I have ever made! Thank you! My family loves it!
Does liquid smoke have an expiry date?
I’m sure it’s good for a while. If it expires it would be somewhere on the bottle or the lid.
For the instant pot method is it 60 minutes on LOW pressure/30 minutes HIGH? I noticed both times mentioned but didn’t see whether it wad high or low pressure. Thanks!
Did you return the meat to the juices in the crockpot before adding barbecue sauce?
We placed the shredded meat in a bowl and added the bbq sauce. You could add it back into the slow cooker, but if it’s a lot of liquid, it may make your pulled pork sandwich too runny. You could drain some of the liquid and keep a little liquid to add some extra flavor.
What kind of bbq sauce. I really want the liquid smoke to come through and i feel a lot of bbq sauces will just mask and cover up the seasonings
Which method do you prefer for this recipe…slow cooker or instant pot or does it make a difference? I’m throwing an afternoon football party and didn’t know if I could just throw it in the instant pot or needed to wake up early to get it in the slow cooker.
Either way is delicious. You don’t say how familiar you are with your Instant Pot. We love how tender and moist the instant pot makes our pork. It’s totally up to you. Both ways are yummy!We also love this Dr Pepper Pulled Pork in the Instant pot. Here is the link if you ever want to try it. https://www.sixsistersstuff.com/recipe/instant-pot-dr-pepper-pulled-pork/
Have a terrific week.
The video says to cook the pork for 60 minutes in the Instant Pot, but the written directions say 30 minutes. Which is correct? Thanks!
You’ll want to cook your pork for 60 minutes. If it’s cut into small pieces you could cook it for 30 minutes.
Finally commenting, but I have made this four or five times since I first found it. I have never added the barbecue sauce, it’s amazing without it!
Delish! This was easy to make and so good. I used a pork shoulder butt roast.
This turned out great! The easiest pork sandwiches I have made.
Made this a few weeks ago and it came out perfect! The pork was so tender and the flavors were spot on! Thanks for another great recipe! I’m making it again tomorrow night and my mouth is already watering.
My go to bbq pulled pork recipe! I’ve used it for years! Love it!
You don’t find that 1/3 cup liquid smoke is too much w/out BBQ sauce?
I don’t have regular Paparika but I do have smoked paparika. Can I use it in the place of the regular paparika?
Yes, smoked paprika will taste great in this recipe.
Can I prepare the whole thing inside the crockpot insert and then put it in the refrigerator overnight so that it’s just ready to pop into the crockpot cooker in the morning? Or would that change the flavor of the meat? Or would that just make the cooking time longer since the insert would be cold from the refrigerator? Trying to save a little time but it might not be worth it
I would prepare it in a bowl and then add it to your slow cooker in the morning. We have had slow cookers crack with extreme temperature changes. Slow cookers will crack due to drastic temperature changes. It has happened to us more than once!
Thank you! I will do that 🙂
Great flavor! One good tip is to cut the pork butt into smaller pieces before placing in the IP. If you try to pressure cook it whole, it won’t be tender in an hour.
Have you made this in the oven? I need to make a lot for a gathering and wondering what the time and temperature would be for this recipe. It sounds great! Thanks.
We haven’t tried making this in the oven, but I would recommend a temperature of 300 degrees F for 2-3 hours, checking half way through to add more liquid if needed.