In this slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork recipe, a pork roast slowly cooks until so tender it falls apart. You’ll get the heat and the sweet! SO good!
If you’re like me Cinco de Mayo is all about the yummy of food.
Last year I went all out and made pork carnitas and stuffed them along with homemade refried beans into the ultimate double-decker tostadas and washed them down with few margaritas. Overkill? Maybe.
This year I hadn’t planned to really do anything, but then my mom texted me asking if I was making anything for Cinco de Mayo and then suddenly the mood struck and there I was pulling out and literally dusting off my trusty slow cooker. I rifled through my pantry and whipped together this little ditty. One thing is for sure I always keep a can of chipotle peppers on hand. You never know when you’ll need them.
In this recipe a hefty pork shoulder slowly simmers away in a delicious concoction of broth, chipotle peppers, honey and spices until it’s so tender you can pull it apart with two forks. I did this only a few days prior to the quesadilla making and kept it in a container in my fridge and we literally ate it here and there over the entire weekend… annnd never grew tired of it.
This slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork is remarkably moist, tender and extremely flavorful without being over the top spicy. I saw you eyeing chipotle in the title. Don’t worry… it’s good, promise! It’s super versatile and can easily be put to use in enchiladas, flautas, tacos or as you see above… stuffed into crispy, cheesy quesadillas.
You’ll want around a 6 pound pork shoulder, bone-in and have it sit out on the counter for about thirty minutes to take the chill off.
Then pat it down with some paper towel to absorb any moisture still clinging to it. Doing this will allow a better crust to form when searing.
Generously season it with copious amounts of kosher salt and coarse black pepper. It’s a big hunk of meat so you don’t have to go easy on either one.
Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat and measure out about one heaping tablespoon of lard. Bacon fat or even olive oil will do.
Throw it into the pan to melt and once it melted and you see a glossy sheen to it… it’s time to sear the shoulder.
Simply lay the big pork roast into the hot pan. You’ll know it’s time to turn it when it easily releases itself from the pan.
Continue to sear all sides… about 5-6 minutes each to form a good crust.
While that’s all going on, go on ahead and peel, halve and dice up one medium yellow onion.
And mince up 2 large cloves of fresh garlic.
Continue to sear all sides… yes, even the ends… until the whole pork shoulder is crusty and gorgeous. PS. The fact that I managed this shot surprises me. Because of it, I’m fully aware that my left arm lacks the muscle needed to hold up a 6 pound pork shoulder while my other hand holds a camera. THIS is where I would confess that an assistant would come handy. Any takers?
Remove it and place it back onto the cutting board for a moment.
Reduce heat down to medium and add in the diced onions and scrape up any brown bits still clinging to the bottom of the pan.
Once the edges of the onions start to turn golden, add in the minced garlic and cook for one minute.
With a slotted spoon, remove the onion and garlic to a clean plate.
Measure 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth into a two-cup measuring cup. To it, add in two to three large minced chipotle peppers in adobo.
Measure and add in two heaping tablespoons of honey…
… one teaspoon of cumin. I had some toasted cumin that I had ground myself… but regular cumin will work just fine.
Next add in a teaspoon of ground {toasted if you have it} coriander.
Then I threw in a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. If you’re unsure about this, go ahead and add in a 1/4 teaspoon.
Pour in 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar…
… and the cooked onions and garlic.
Give it a stir and you’re good to go.
Place the seared pork shoulder into your slow cooker.
Cover it with the chipotle honey liquid…
Cover, set your slow cooker to high and let it go for 4 hours.
Man-o-man does this smell scrumptious! Once the time was up I used tongs to remove and transfer it to a large cutting board. Make sure you remove and discard that bone!
I cut the slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork into larger chunks and then used two forks to shred it up. Sneak a couple bites… you know you want to!
Depending on the shoulder, it should yield roughly about 8 cups of meat.
I poured the remaining liquids from the crock pot into a large bowl. Once the fat rose to the top, I skimmed it off and spooned the chipotle/broth over top of the shredded pork. You can now do one of two things; you can use it right away in any recipe your beautiful mind can dream up… or place the shredded pork into an air-tight container with all of the skimmed juices and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.
To reheat; I simply pulled out pieces of pork {the liquid solidifies and cling to the pork and will melt when heated} and reheat it in a skillet over medium heat until hot.
What will you do with your slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork?
Whether you make quesadillas or enchiladas, tostadas or flautas; this pork is fantastic. My family LOVES it and it was just the thing for our impromptu Cuatro de Mayo {since we feasted on Sunday} dinner. Don’t you worry… I saved the margs for Monday.
Cheers!
Slow Cooker Chipotle Honey Pulled Pork
Ingredients
FOR THE CHIPOTLE HONEY PORK:
- 6 pounds bone-in pork shoulder
- kosher salt
- coarse freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lard, or bacon fat or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 chipotles in adobo, minced
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted coriander
- 1 teaspoon toasted cumin
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
FOR THE CHIPOTLE HONEY PORK:
- Pull the pork should out and set it out on the counter for 30 minutes to take the chill off. Pat it down with paper towel and season it generously with kosher salt and black pepper
- Heat a large 12-inch skillet over medium high heat. Measure and add in a heaping tablespoon of lard. Once hot sear each side [including the ends] of the pork shoulder for 5-6 minutes or until a nice, dark golden brown crust forms. Remove the seared pork to a nearby cutting board or plate.
- Reduce the temperature under the pan to medium and add in the diced onions. Stir, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan and cook the onions until they start to turn translucent and golden around the edges. Add in the minced garlic and cook for one minute before transferring the onion/garlic mixture to a clean plate.
- Measure out the cup of chicken broth and to it add the minced chipotles, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons of honey and the cooked onions and garlic. Stir to combine.
- Place the pork shoulder in your slow cooker and pour the chipotle/honey broth over top. Cover and set it to high and let it go undisturbed for 4 hours.
- Using tongs, remove the pork shoulder to a large cutting board. Pour the remaining liquids from the slow cooker into a large bowl. Once the fat has risen to the top, use a large spoon and skim it off the top and discard.
- Use forks to shred the pork and place it into a bowl and add spoonfuls of the chipotle/ honey broth over top if desired.
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THANK YOU in advance for your support!
Confesion: Recipes with pork usually bomb for me.
But you’ve won me over with this honey pork chipotle deal.
Looks just too good to be food even!
Yum! The sauce of this pork looks amazing!
It’s like you live in my head!! GAH!! I want this for breakfast!
amazing step-by-steps as always, but what I’m really dying for is the chipotle/honey combo!! sweet and spicy is my ultimate weakness, and when you throw a little cheese in the mix, I’m powerless 😉
Looks amazing, my husband would love this!
Love the honey chipotle flavor! Perfect pork for quesadillas!
I’m a huge fan of pork done in the slow cooker. I’m going to have to give this a whirl!
Your little ditty looks amazing. I’m swooning over that moist, tender pork. Love me some quesadillas. Yeah, I skipped right on over Cinco de Mayo this year. Bad blogger!
I’m always looking for new pulled pork recipes! I’ll have to give this one a try!
Let me know how it works out for you David! Enjoy!
My quesadillas are always so boring! These look awesome!
Dear God Almighty.
Thanks Laurie, it’s funny but I’ve never made any other type of quesadillas than chicken, kinda sad really. But this looks really tasty, and I mean every picture..lol
I’ll definitely be trying this out very soon, it does look awesome.
I have made this so many times it is magical… Everyone I have shared this meal with loved it and demanded the recipe…
Thanks much,
Jim
This sounds delicious, thanks for posting this recipe.
Simon
I’ve been making this recipe for years now. This meat makes the best street tacos ever! I only use one chipotle pepper, but I add 2 to 3 tbsp of the adobo sauce.
I serve mine with all your toppings, but I add shredded cabbage, sour cream and lime wedges along with street taco size tortillas that have been lightly fried in oil.
I’ve taken this meal to many of my friends as a their “new baby meal”, and I’ve made it for many of our guests. Everyone goes back for thirds or fourths or they ask for the recipe!!! Absolutely the best recipe I have ever encountered….my husband has been a chef for over 20 years and he agrees!
BEST REVIEW EVER! Thank you, Rita! I’m honored you give it to friends and glad you and your husband love it! xoxo
I have tried so many slow cooker pork recipes and this one takes the cake. WOW!! The flavors are so good, the meat just falls off the bone. It is great for making carnitas and you could even add barbeque sauce to make bbq pulled pork sandwiches. I will no longer be trying any other recipes, thank you so much!