You'll love this healthy take on barbecue pulled pork!
Looking for a slow cooker recipe for barbecue pork that won’t sabotage your healthy eating goals? Look no further than our Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork! This barbecue recipe is ideal for those who love the taste of southern barbecue but want to avoid the calories and fat found in most barbecue recipes. In our recipe, we swap out several of the high-calorie and processed ingredients for healthier, whole food options.
This Pulled Pork Recipe is So Delicious
This fork-tender, pull apart pork will literally melt in your mouth, and it tastes incredible in sliders, sandwiches, and tacos. Ingredients like honey, cumin, and cinnamon add impressive depth of flavor to this recipe. Meanwhile, apple cider vinegar gives pulled pork a tangy kick that’ll keep your taste buds on their toes.
And the best part? This slow-cooker pulled pork is a snap to whip up. Thanks to our favorite appliance, the slow cooker, it doesn’t take much effort to throw this delectable barbecue recipe together! You can even transport it with you and serve it at someone else’s home. Simply prepare the recipe in advance and plug in the slow cooker when you arrive!
We Use Clean-Eating Ingredients
This delicious pulled pork recipe is filled with nutrient-rich ingredients. Apple cider vinegar, for example, gives pulled pork a tangy twist that’ll truly stimulate the taste buds. Meanwhile, this superfood delivers antibacterial, antimicrobrial, and anti-inflammatory properties that can boost the immune system and your overall health.
Conventional recipes call for brown sugar to give pulled pork its lightly-sweet touch. In our recipe, we use honey instead of sugar, lowering the recipe’s overall glycemic index and offering anti-inflammatory properties. This cleaner swap still delivers that sweet flavors you crave.
A Waistline-Friendly Nutritional Profile
This clean-eating recipe tastes incredible, and it carries a nutritional profile your body will love! One serving of our savory pulled pork clocks in at just 156 calories and 5 grams of fat. This represents a fraction of the calories and fat you’ll find in conventional recipes. As a bonus, our pork packs a protein punch at a whopping 15 grams per serving. This means our mouthwatering pulled pork will keep you satisfied while warding off cravings that might strike later on.
How To Make BBQ Pulled Pork
This recipe is a breeze to make. It just takes a few simple steps and the help of the slow cooker. Start by mixing the tomato sauce, apple cider vinegar, garlic, onion, chili powder, honey, cumin, cinnamon, and salt together to create the sauce. Then, place your chops in the sauce and cook on low for four to six hours, or high for two to three hours, depending on your schedule preferences.
Check to make sure the meat’s internal temperature is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit before turning off the slow cooker. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’ll know the pork chops are finished when they pull apart easily and feel fork-tender.
For a fabulous BBQ feast that’ll give your friends and family will rejoice over, dish up your pulled pork with one of these savory sides!
- Easy Baked Beans
- Creamy Southern Style Coleslaw
- Avocado Tomato Cucumber Salad
- Cheesy Mexican Cornbread
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 15 ounces tomato sauce can
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon cumin ground
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon ground, less to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt
- 4 boneless pork loin chops
Instructions
- Mix together all of the ingredients in the slow cooker, except the chops. This will create the barbecue sauce.
- Please note that this makes a lot of sauce. If you feel it’s too much, simply save some of it for another use, but do not reduce by more than half. Place the chops in the sauce and cook as directed.
- Cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours or high for 2 to 3 hours, or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches at least 165 degrees. Meat should easily pull apart when done.
- Optional: Garnish with red onion and add a slice of provolone cheese to each sandwich.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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Editor’s Note: This recipe was originally published on May 7, 2012.
Does this recipe freeze well? I live alone, so would be keen to be able to freeze portions for later in the month. Also, I wonder if you could give a weight for the pork loin chops, please? I’m in the UK, not sure if there’d be much of a size difference in the chop portions.
Laura, Sure, this freezes well. I’m not sure about the size difference. I would eyeball the loins, a little more or less is fine. 🙂
The pork chops were tough and wouldn’t pull apart and the sauce tastes nothing like bbq. Yuck!
Hi Melissa, sounds like your pork needed a longer cook time. Please feel free to adjust the recipe flavors to fit your personal preference.