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
- 1/2 Teaspoon Pepper
- 1/2 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup BBQ Sauce
- 1/3 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 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.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I shared this recipe over at The Weekend Potluck!
The most amazing pulled pork I’ve certainly ever made and up there with the best I’ve had. I sometimes don’t add bourbon and it’s just as amazing.
I made this for work a few weeks ago. Complete hit. Brought home the little bit left over. My teenage daughter who is going through the I don’t like meat phase ate it all.
Made it for my Kentucky Derby Party today. I was a hit!! I will definitely save this recipe. My husband is very picky about Pulled Pork & he loved it. I did use a very lean Pork Loin.
This was so so so good. Full of spices and flavour and sweetness.
Could I use pork shoulder instead of pork loin? If so, what changes would I need to make?
Yes, pork shoulder works great! You can up the seasoning if you wish depending on the size of your roast. The 8-10 hours cook time is fine for a 3-5 pound pork shoulder in my experience. Hope that helps 🙂
This has become a staple for us. We just love it!! Thanks for sharing!
How would you change the recipe if I used pork butt instead of pork loin? I plan to use a 4lb pork butt
If using a 4 pound pork butt the only changes are you will want to double the seasonings and plan to slow cook for 10-11 hours
I can’t have alcohol right now so what can I use to substitute the bourbon. Thank you.
You can just substitute with beef or chicken broth
Can i make this in my instant pit WHT would the adjusted time be 1hour ? Or 50 with 10 min rest
I want to make this for about 20 people, should I adjust the recipe, for the sauce particular?
Yes, if you are feeding 20 I would double the meat and seasonings. For the sauce I’d say you don’t have to double but can if that’s your preference but it would be fine as is.