Take your taste buds to the tropics with a family favorite recipe for Slow Cooker Hawaiian Pulled Pork that can be piled atop buns, inside tortillas or enjoyed simply with a fork!
Three words: Hawaiian Pulled Pork. If the title doesn’t kickstart your cravings, allow me to expand upon the beauty you see piled high up above and shredded down below.
This slow cooker recipe embodies everything I need in a family-friendly meal:
- It’s impossible to mess up.
- It’s just as great (if not better) as leftovers.
- It cooks itself.
That right there is the trifecta, folks. Add the fact that this pork is so insanely moist after slow-cooking in a bath of pineapple juice, soy sauce, garlic and ginger, and I guarantee this will become a mainstay on your hectic weeknight or laidback weekend menus.
How Much Pulled Pork Per Person
Depending on how you serve pulled pork (and what accompanies it), aim for about ⅓ pound per person. If heartier sides like mac and cheese and homemade rolls are also on the menu, you could definitely get away with slightly less.
Can You Freeze Pulled Pork?
Absolutely yes! The key to freezing it is to retain as much moisture as possible, so don’t let a single drop of that tangy, sticky-sweet sauce go to waste. It’s also important to let it cool completely before packing it into an airtight container and popping it in the freezer.
How to Reheat Pulled Pork
To reheat frozen pulled pork transfer it to a large skillet set over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to thaw. If additional moisture is needed, add ¼ cup of your liquid of choice (beef stock, water or even beer!) and cover the skillet. Continue cooking until warmed through and then let the feasting begin!
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Ingredients
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 1 (3.5- to 4-pound) boneless pork shoulder
- 1 cup diced pineapple
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
Equipment:
- 6-quart slow cooker
Instructions
- In the bowl of a slow cooker, whisk together the soy sauce, chicken stock, pineapple juice, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic and ginger.
- Trim a majority of the fat from the pork shoulder and place it in the slow cooker. Add the lid and set it to LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours.
- Once the pork shoulder is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of at least 145°F, transfer it to a cutting board and pour half of the liquid from the slow cooker into a medium saucepan (discard the rest of the liquid).
- In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water.
- Once the sauce has come to a boil, whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue boiling it until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon and is the consistency of syrup.
- Using two forks, shred the pork shoulder then transfer it to a large bowl. Add the pineapple then pour in the sauce and toss to combine.
- ★ Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
I am planning on making this on the 4th. The recipe does not specify wheather the pineapple is to be fresh or canned
Either works, Lucy!
Served as part of a Hawaiian themed BBQ for work. Everyone loved it! I used all of the liquid to make the sauce (using 1 TBSP of cornstarch for every cup of liquid when thickening) and added 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper before serving and it was perfect!
I had the same problem as Alexis getting the sauce to thicken but it eventually did after roughly 20 minutes. However, it turned out amazing and everyone in the house enjoyed it! I paired with a Hawaiian style coleslaw that had pineapple and mango in it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ryan!
Everything was great! We had issues with the end making the broth the a syrupy consistency. The recipe calls for half the broth so we just eye balled it and it never got nice and thick. So was wondering if anyone has a solution or suggestion on how we can get it right for the next time. Thanks for any help.
So glad you enjoyed it, Alexis! Did you add the cornstarch and bring the mix to a rolling boil? It should thicken within 3 to 5 minutes if you do that.
Yeah cornstarch and water. So not sure what we did wrong lol
And it came to a rolling boil for several minutes?
Yes. Is there a measurement of the broth you have to use?
Yep! It’s listed in the ingredients: 1 1/2 cups chicken stock.
Is the measurments right? I’m doing 2 9.5 lbs Pork Butts. thats 19 cups of liquid!
Hi Bret! Doing 19 total pounds of pork butt would be roughly 5x this recipe, which is about 15 cups of liquid (not including ketchup, which is measured as a dry ingredient). Hope that helps!
Looked and tasted great at 1st… but we let it continue on low in the crockpot throughout the buffet lunch and it turned to mush… almost the consistency of refried beans. Perhaps adding the sauce right before serving is the key. And reheating in the microwave? Or I used fresh pineapple… maybe it’s too acidic and I should have just used canned pineapple. Either way, the sandwich texture caused this to be a fail for us.
This also happened to us! We are so disappointed ☹️
Measure your liquid and use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for each cup of liquid.
The best pulled pork that i’ve ever tasted! I seared the pork first and your recipe did the rest. Thanks so much for sharing!
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Elle!
I doubled this recipe for a 7# roast, added the pineapple at the time of cooking, and left out the ketchup (personal taste). It was amazing. I made it the day before so I had plenty of time to chill and skim the juice. I added a good deal of the juice back into the meat as I was serving it over rice. My grandson liked it so much I had to teach him how to make the dish.
Menu: spinach strawberry salad with strawberry vinaigrette and feta, coconut rice, Hawaiian pulled pork and mango sorbet for dessert.
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe, Kerri! And that your grandson enjoyed it as well!
It’s in the crockpot now, I just turned it on, I hope it is as good as it sounds, I will update when it’s done and has been eaten, til then.
Hope you enjoy the recipe, Kimberly!
Looks like a great recipe for a potluck!
Husband says any way you slice it this is a home run. Also said he could happily eat himself sick it was so delicious. I loved it too!!! No changes needed; just make it!
OMG!! This was the most amazing pulled pork I have ever made and I’ve made a lot! This was perfect as shown and it went great with my luau menu. I made Hawaiian cole slaw and put them on a brioche bun. Incredible!
Love reading this, Janis! Thanks so much for sharing!
This was a great dish. I think because I subbed ginger paste instead of fresh ginger and the reduction of salt (I used unsalted, store-bought stock), I lost some flavor. I will make this again and again though, the same way as I really liked it. I def feel like it would be amazing if I used all scratch ingredients instead of shortcuts. It’s perfect for us liw-sodium