Slow-Cooker Barbecue
November 24, 2008 
I live in North Carolina, one of the few real homes of authentic barbecue. So I feel like I'm risking getting kicked out of the state for what I'm about to tell you.
I just cooked pork barbecue in a slow cooker... using liquid smoke. Please give me a chance to explain before you start hurling your hickory wood chips at me.
Any barbecue expert (and I'm definitely not one) will tell you that the biggest key to good barbecue is SMOKE. Low and slow with lots and lots of smoke to permeate the meat and make it into amazing-fall-off-the-bone goodness. I don't have the patience or the smoker for that. Blurg.
The other day I was listening to The Splendid Table on iTunes and heard a guy talk about cheating at barbecue by putting a big piece of pork in a slow-cooker with some spices and some liquid smoke. Liquid smoke is exactly that - smoke that's been concentrated and turned into a liquid. It smells like SUPER smoky barbecue sauce. Go figure. The husband is obsessed with pork barbecue, so I wanted to surprise him by trying it myself. And it actually turned out pretty good!!!
Slow-Cooker Barbecue
*Adapted from The Splendid Table's recipe
First, buy a BIG piece of pork. Shoulder, butt, or even ribs if you want. I got a Boston pork butt that was about seven pounds. Cut the one big piece into several 3-inch chunks, and put those in your slow-cooker. If you use ribs, don't worry about cutting them up.
Next, make a spice rub. Use 1/4 cup of paprika, 2 tbsp. each of salt and black pepper, and 1 tbsp. each of garlic powder and dry mustard. Mix all of that together and coat the pork on all sides with it. Then pour a 1/3 cup of liquid smoke into the cooker. I thought I'd have to search high and low, but I found mine at Wal-mart right next to the barbecue sauces.
Put the lid on, crank the level up to high, and cook for six hours. You could also cook it on low for 12 hours if you're going to be gone all day. And DON'T REMOVE THE LID. You'd be amazed at how much heat you lose, and it will definitely throw off your cooking time. Just trust it. Live in harmony with your slow-cooker.
When I pulled the pork out with tongs, it was SOOO tender and just fell apart like good barbecue is supposed to do. Then I just shredded it up a bit with a fork. Super easy.
A note. North Carolina barbecue uses vinegar in its sauce, and this pork needed a shot of vinegar to cut through the richness and smoke. So drizzle your freshly shredded pork with a good amount of regular vinegar (apple cider would probably be good, too) until it tastes like you want it.
I mean, I'm not going to be entering any barbecue contests anytime soon, but this was a nice change of pace, really easy, and a great way to satisfy the man's carnivor needs. Give it a shot, and taste it before you yell at me.
Reader Comments (25)
YUM! And I will keep your secret. DOn't want you getting kicked out of the state!
I love your blog and will be foll
owing you from now on!
I just discovered pork roast in crock pot too, but I just poured on bbq sauce. It was too hot on 4th of July, so our BBQ came from indoors. Next time, Im trying your recipe.
This last week, I put the roast in with brown sugar and apple cider vinegar and then made green enchiladas with the leftovers...yum!
Yea - you are officially a slow cooker connoisseur now. I remember reading one of your earlier posts when you mentioned that you hadn't really used a crock pot much. I LIVE for mine, and this sounds like a great recipe. I have done a lot of barbeque in mine but not with the liquid smoke. Sounds great!
This looks awesome! We are big fans of pork in the crockpot and we use liquid smoke and it is so good! I definitely want to try this rub with it. Thanks for sharing - your site is great!
LOVE THIS. One of my cooking goals is to make pulled pork someday because my husband and I are FIENDS for it. We have a slow cooker that we've never used for slowcookin and it's time.
Very yummy..I just made something similar! Happy Thanksgiving to you! Love your blog and all your cooking ideas!
-sandy toes
Howdy!
Thanks for the link to Design Sponge! You're right - those moustache glasses are right up my alley! Very cool...
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
XO
Anna
YUM!! I'm hoping to get a crockpot (it's on our registry), then I can make this!! Also, have a GREAT Thanksgiving!! I'm sure your T-day dinner will be unparalleled with your cooking, so I hope you all enjoy!!
Kendra,
Thanks so much for the recipe. My husband has been begging for barebue pork the last few weeks. We went to Lexinton BQ festival a few weeks ago but he wants more. LOL. I'm going to try the liquid smoke. I had never heard of this before!
Fantastic recipe, great on cold winter nights!
Hi Kendra, Thanks for trying our recipe for cheater pulled pork from our new book Cheater BBQ that you heard about on the Splendid Table. Yes, we didn't know much about liquid smoke either until we started doing the recipe testing. It really is just smoke in a bottle. You need to try a cheater oven brisket next! And anyone can make their own quick fantastic bbq sauce while the meat is cooking. Here's a great way to start--equal parts of cider vinegar, brown sugar and ketchup flavored with sauteed onion, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper and hot pepper sauce. Folks in NC may want to up the vinegar! Thanks.
Hi Kendra!
I have been stopping by your spot here for the past few months. I tried this recipe this past week and ohmygoodness was it easy and such a winner! I'm a full-time working gal, so crock-potting is a real blessing to me. We had so many leftovers that found another great recipe on line to make a stew out of the left-overs! It was delicious!
Here is the recipe for the stew: http://www.cookingbytheseatofmypants.com/recipes/pulled-pork-stew/
Thanks! I love your site!
Many blessings on you and yours this Christmas season,
jessica
I'm a native NC girl who has been transplanted in coastal GA. I've probably gone without Carolina BBQ for 2 years, but not any more!! Thanks so much for posting this!! I love my slow cooker and making BBQ...it doesn't get any better. I mean we don't even have a Smithfield's down here, that's just cruel. I'm trying this one this weekend, with vinegar of course :)
-Hayley
I am so gonna try this!
Yummmmy! I'm a Texas bbq lovin' girl and this sounds great! I love slow cook reciepes!
Oh yum! I have tried several BBQ recipes unsuccessfully. This one sounds like a winner. And extra points that I can do it in the crock pot.
Great idea! Sounds like a winner. i've done lots of pork in the crockpot & end up pouring BBQ sauce on it to use for leftover sandwiches & it's always very tender too, but this sounds like a great way to begin.
I've been wanting to try some pork in the crockpot and this looked like a winner. I cooked a 3.5# Boston Butt using the recipe given (I cut back on the garlic and mustard just a bit) for about 17-18 hours on low. Delicious. I'll be making this again. Thanks!
this is a favorite method of mine, so easy and really simple to change up the flavors by adding things to the cooker (mango, maple syrup, you name it).
I also do this w boneless skinless chicken thighs and it turns out wonderfully! (Takes 3-4 hours depending on amount of chix.)
I've done this before with good results. I'm a fan of using liquid smoke whose ingredients are smoke and water and nothing else (Wright's brand and some others). I've also done this with the rub, very little liquid (apple cider, broth...) and store-bought smoked ham hocks to provide the smoky flavor.
Another great 'smoked' pullled pork recipe comes from the Test Kitchen of a competitive magazine/TV show that uses liquid smoke in the brine, rub and uses smoked paprika. It does it in a reasonable time in the oven and even develops a good bark. I agree that a good NC vinegar based sauce (such as George's) or homemade and maybe a tangy mustard sauce (and cole slaw and bread and butter pickle chips) will enhance this sandwich further. OMG my mouth is watering and I supposed to be on a diet right now!
I would love to find such a (sliced) indoor smoked brisket recipe. I imagine it would take longer to cook.
Try the new crock pot liners - they are great. I am on my 3rd. box. They are very inexpensive and clean-up is so much cleaner. Here in Alabama they come 4 to a box for $2.19.
Having a BBQ stand in the family for over 40 years and more than a passing knowledge of smoking all kinds of meat I have to say that using a 1/3 of a cup of liquid smoke is massive overkill. I can't see anyone coming up with an edible dish!
Just made this today - it came out great! I used a 5 lb. bone in pork roast and just cut the amount of spices a bit. I used about half the amount of liquid smoke and cooked it on high for about 6 hours. I added 2 capfuls or so of apple cider vinegar at the end, and served it with homemade corn tortillas and coleslaw. What a great recipe! Thank you so much!!!
Very yammy tastable great posting..
Microwave Rice Cooker.
I heard the same Splendid Table show. We've had great fun easily making real bbq in the slow cooker! We're in North Alabama, another area with a long deep tradition of real pork bbq.
As a single dad I've relied on slow-cookers for years to provide easy, healthy home-made meals for my family. The crockpot/slow-cooker community on the internet is great. We're all in on a special secret of how how to easily make great-tasting healthy meals.
I found some good Liquid Smoke recipes on the Colgin Liquid Smoke Recipes website.
I agree with previous poster Shef G, 1/3 cup Liquid Smoke is too much. I use a couple of tablespoons at most for a 4 lb roast.