Crockpot Bourbon Bacon Pulled Pork - An easy recipe for the BEST ever crockpot pulled pork! This pork is slow cooked to perfection with BBQ sauce, spices, bourbon, and the addition of bacon for even meatier barbecue flavor. We love this BBQ pulled pork recipe that makes slow cooker pulled pork tenderloin the most tender and flavorful!
Ok, can I please make myself sound a little "official" here and just say if there is one thing that I know well, it's good BBQ.
A lot of people attribute BBQ with Kansas City - which is the right thing to do because it's amazing there.
It's also amazing everywhere in Kansas!
I'm 99.9% certain that everyone here grows up eating BBQ on a weekly basis. It's a mouthwatering staple around here.
Pulled pork is one of the first things I ever started making - It's really simple and honestly our fave dinner in my house.
Since it was one of the first things I attempted to cook, you can imagine by now that I've made it about a trillion and a half different ways over the years.
I'm telling you, I'll never switch up my recipe again. This one is just right. And I'll tell ya why!
I want my pulled pork to have MAX flavor!
For that to happen, I do a simple spice rub and massage it right into the meat first.
Then, a simple sauce - brown sugar, bourbon, apple cider vinegar, and your favorite BBQ sauce.
The apple cider vinegar helps to make the meat extra tender!
This sauce turns out so rich - not too sweet, just right on the tang. It's perfection.
After the pork has cooked and shredded, we add in about 1 cup of cooked crumbled bacon.
More if you want - never enough bacon.
It's a meaty sandwich, tender, tons of flavor, rich and tasty!
Enjoy this pulled pork! It couldn't be easier to make or more melt in your mouth to eat!
Note: Don't be intimidated by the ingredient list - it's mostly all seasoning!
~Nichole
Crockpot Bourbon Bacon Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 2 Pounds Boneless Pork Loin
- 1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Paprika
- ½ Teaspoon Pepper
- ½ Teaspoon Cumin
- ¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
- ⅓ Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- ½ Cup Bourbon
- 8 Slices Bacon, Cooked and Crumbled
Instructions
- Place the pork loin in the bottom of the slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, and cayenne. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the meat and massage into all sides for 1 minute.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the brown sugar, bbq sauce, apple cider vinegar and bourbon. Pour over the pork loin. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
- Shred the pork using two forks. Mix in the cooked and crumbled bacon. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to use.
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Nutrition
I shared this recipe over at The Weekend Potluck!
Hi not sure if this was asked but can I rub the spices on the pork loin the night before and cook in crockpot the next day and add the liquids then . I don’t like to have crockpots on while I sleep
Yes you can 🙂
Can this be adjusted for IP ?
She has an IP recipe specifically. Just search the site for it.
This is, hands down, the best pulled pork I have ever had. It was an instant hit in my family! I doubled the recipe, kept some of the extra sauce in the fridge, and then added it back in after shredding the meat. Delish!
Did you need to adjust the cooking time?
No I did not. I left it in the crockpot on low for 10 hours.
I am going to use this recipe for a weekend gathering. Is it ok if I assemble the seasoning/ sauce the night before and leave it to marinate in the fridge until morning?
Yes, that will work fine 🙂
Thanks
Perhaps I should have assembled everything. Stored the pork in its marinade and spices overnight in the fridge and then in the morning pop it into the slow cooker! Would That have been alright?
Love this recipe! Everytime I make it my guests request the recipe! I do have to ask though, when doubling the batch would you also double the amount of apple cider vinegar ? Thanks!!
So flavorful and SIMPLE!! This is my new go-to recipe for pulled pork in the slow cooker. Thanks so much for sharing!
What kind of bourbon do you use? I have Maker’s Mark on hand, but that is technically a “bourbon whiskey.” Do you think that it would taste ok with this recipe? Can’t wait to make it!
Maker's Mark will work great! 🙂
Great, thank you! I’m not a bourbon expert so wanted to make sure ;). Starting this puppy up to get cooking overnight - can’t wait to try! 🙂
I used Old Forester bourbon whiskey and made my own bbq sauce. Also picnic pork from Walmart. Turned out FANTASTIC!
I use a local distillery and use their Maple Bourbon
OK to use pork shoulder - bone in?
Yes
Wouldn’t sauce be diluted from juices and fat from shoulder?
Hello! This sounds delicious, but I don't have a Crock Pot. How would I make this in an Instant Pot?
How many does this serve?
Thanks!
Oops just reread it, thanks
We love this recipe. Quick tip for quick, hassle free shredding just remove the meat to a bowl, and shred with a mixer, it is perfect! Then just put the meat back in the suace
My husband can be hard to please - he raved about this recipe and it’s for sure a keeper. I used 1/2 C spicy bbq sauce and 1/2C regular bbq sauce and it was great. I didn’t have time for the 8-10 hours so I did 1 hour on high and 5 1/2 on low and it was very tender. Will definitely make this again! Super easy way to feed a crowd!!
Can you omit the bourbon?? Or substitute?
Yes, just use more broth instead 🙂
Thank you! It turned out phenomenal even with the substitution!
Thank you!
This recipe has been a favorite in my household. We eat the leftovers on salads, in grilled cheese sandwiches, and cold from the fridge!
Have you ever converted this to Instant pot directions?
This is so good!! I made this for our New Year's Eve party, and am making it again today. It is really easy and tastes like you paid a fortune for it!
Making this for the second time by request - looking forward to it -thank you for sharing this recipe!
Could I use a Boston but instead of pork loin?
Delicious! Several of our guests returned for a second helping. The extra sauce to meat ratio evened out the longered the meat simmered. I checked the meat mixture at six hours (too much sauce) and then at eight hours (the ratio evened out) when I turned off the crockpot. We had a maple bourbon on hand and used diced garlic and fresh onion in the recipe. We made the recipe the day before and warmed the meat in the pot the next day. It was mouthwatering. I'm sure the flavor and sweetness of the sauce will change depending on the choice of barbeque sauce.
I've commented here before. Over a year since I found your recipe, family and friends go back for 2nds and 3rds. Our friend Ben just came home from college, heard I was making this tonight and literally skipped lunch so he could gorge on it. You're amazing. Thank you! (Note: i can put it on high for 4-5h and it's fine).
Super delicious, but the ratios were off. I doubled the recipe for a 4lb roast and had waaaaay too much sauce at the end. I had to syphon off 4 cups of extra liquid and still had saucy meat. Next time I’ll double the meat and keep the sauce amount the same as a single batch.
Best pulled Bourbon pulled pork ever!!! Hope I am able to leave some for my guests!
This was delicious! I love eating them like sliders, but my husband doesn’t and he ate it straight. It was really good. Smoky flavor. Perfect spice proportions. I did 3.5 lbs in my 6 qt crock pot for 9.5 hours, and added 12 strips of think peppered bacon. Part of the pork wasn’t covered so I flipped it over. it turned out nicely shredded. Will definitely keep this recipe and use for a big family dinner night.