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
Have you made this recipe?
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Editor’s Note: This recipe was originally published on May 7, 2012.
Can this be made with a couple of pork tenderloins in the crockpot? Like 2 or 3 of them?
Cheryl, I would start with 2 tenderloins and next time you’ll know if more is needed. 🙂
Do the calories include the bun and cheese?
No, the nutritional data is calculated for one serving of pulled pork.
My family and I LOVED this recipe… didn’t chane ga thing, will definitely be making again. Thank you!
Thank you, Lora! Glad your family enjoyed the recipe!
I noticed mandy asked if you meant passata or tin tomatoes i think you misunderstood her because passata isnt a type of pasta its sorta a liquid puree without any added ingrediants
Thanks so much for your help. I added a comment to my response. 🙂
Does anyone know what the serving size is? I know it says 1/8 of the recipe but just wondering if anyone has measured it out (in cups or grams) rather than having to divide it out
Liz, It’s approximately 1/2 cup per serving, give or take a little depending on the size of the chops. 🙂
Is the calorie count of 221 with or without the bun and cheese? What type of bun is it?
Tina, That’s without the bun.
Has anyone made with this a pork shoulder roast? That’s what I usually use when I make pulled pork. Just can’t imagine pork chops would get tender enough to pull apart. And, I am making this tomorrow for dinner company so I can’t afford to the meat to not come out correctly.
Cindy, Pork shoulder roast should work just fine! 🙂
Hi,
I was wondering what kind of bun you use? I want to make this for my husband
LaDonna, We used multi-grain seeded rolls and sliced them open. It’s been a few years since we came up with the recipe so I don’t remember the exact brand. 🙂
I am pretty sure, being in the 21st Century, there should be an option for me to send this to my email? Instead, all I can do, is share it to social media. Not everyone is on social media. Get with the programme.
Hi Amy, We’ve added an email funtion in the past which caused issues with the print function.
I forwarded your comment to our web developer who is once again looking into getting an email button
that doesn’t interfere with the recipe functionality.
We are grateful for our loyal audience and their feedback. Thank you, Amy, your request is at the top of my “get done” list. 🙂
If I double the meat to 3 pounds, would I have enough of the sauce or would I need to increase that as well?
Amy, I would suggest increasing the sauce as well.
I’m in Aussie and unsure what exactly a can of tomato sauce is. Is this a tomato puree? Thanks
Naomi, Tomato Sauce is a litte thinner than Tomato Puree. Try adding a little water to the puree and thin out slightly.
Tomato sauce can be poured.
If you just want to use the barbecued pulled pork as a main course without a bun or cheese, what would you suggest as sides to go with it??
Linda, This is my favorite side with any barbecue. https://skinnyms.com/classic-cucumber-tomato-salad/
This is in the crockpot right now! A little nervous that I didn’t get think enough pork loin chops so praying it turns out! It smells good so far! haha
I just made this tonight. We ended up eating later than I anticipated so it ended up cooking for the full 6 hours on low.
The pork was melt in your mouth tender. The sauce was super easy to make, which is a definite plus for my busy life.
The only thing is the cinnamon. I have heard of cinnamon being put into things like chili, but never actually tried it before, so I was hesitant.
I only used half of what the recipe called for so it was 1/2 tsp instead of 1 tsp.
It was still too much!
The taste was lovely but I kept having this strong after taste that tasted like hobby lobby during Christmas time…haha
My daughter didn’t like the after taste either. Some people may love that flavor, but next time I make this I’ll omit the cinnamon altogether. And I will definitely be making this recipe again and again!!! Sooooo good!! ❤️
Sarah, Thanks so much for the feedback. I’m sure our readers will appreaciate your tips. 🙂
I made this and found it quite sweet, a bit less honey next time i think