Name: Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pulled Pork
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 7 h
Total time: 7 h 20 min
Yield: 16
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 lb pork shoulder; 2 Tablespoons dehydrated minced onion; 2 teaspoons garlic powder; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 Tablespoon grainy mustard, I used a stone ground honey mustard; 1 cup apple cider; 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 3 Tablespoons cornstarch; 3 Tablespoons water

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This apple cider pulled pork is a delicious twist on a family favorite. The house will smell so good the whole time it cooks too!

dinner plate with apple cider pulled pork, mashed potatoes and sliced carrots.

This pulled pork is flavored with apple cider, brown sugar and mustard. It smells great while it cooks and tastes great on sandwiches, mashed potatoes or even on waffles! It is a great fall dinner and a fun change from traditional BBQ pulled pork.

waffle with cider pulled pork and apple slaw

There is just something about fall that screams pork to me. I am not 100% sure why, because we eat plenty of pulled pork during the summer too. Maybe it is all of the braising options and homey flavors that make it seem like fall and pork just go together.

Another thing that goes with pork? Apples, of course! It is apple week after all, so that answer shouldn’t have been much of a shocker!

This pork is slow cooked in apple cider with a bit of mustard and seasoning to develop the flavors until it is so tender and delicious you won’t believe it. Before you thicken the sauce, be sure to skim the fat off.

You want it to be sumptuous but not greasy. I used my fat separator for that, but you can skim it with a spoon or refrigerate it and take it off that way too.

waffle with apple cider pulled pork and apple coleslaw piled on top.

I served it over savory apple cider waffles and topped it with a bit of apple slaw. The flavors were so good together and it was a hearty and delicious dinner. I wanted to switch it up a bit when serving the leftovers, so I put them over some slightly garlicky smashed potatoes.

It was so good again!! My husband also ate some on buns as a sandwich. No matter how you serve it, there are sure to be smiles all around!

apple cider pulled pork on mashed potatoes with carrots close up.

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Yield: 16 Servings

Slow Cooker Apple Cider Pulled Pork

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 7 hours

Total Time 7 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients

4 lb pork shoulder
2 Tablespoons dehydrated minced onion
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tablespoon grainy mustard, I used a stone ground honey mustard
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
3 Tablespoons water

Instructions

Optional: Rub you pork shoulder with salt and pepper and brown on all sides in a little oil on a hot skillet.
In your slow cooker, mix together the onion, garlic, brown sugar, mustard, cider, vinegar, salt and pepper. Place the pork shoulder in the braising liquid and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for about 4 hours.
Remove shoulder from the cooking liquid. Then degrease the cooking liquid. I ladled it into a fat separator, but you could skim it if your prefer. Or make it the day ahead and refrigerate the liquid separate from the meat. Then remove the layer of grease before re-heating.
Stir the cornstarch into a couple of Tablespoons of cold water. Add to the cooking liquid. Return the meat to the liquid, it is ok if it is falling apart.
Cook on high for at least a half hour, stirring occasionally to make sure the cornstarch doesn’t stick to the bottom. You want the cooking liquid to thicken into a sauce.
Serve with buns, cider waffles or over mashed potatoes or buttered noodles.