Keto Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce
Martina Slajerova- Ready in 13h
- 3.8 g net carbs
- 497 kcal
- Serves 8
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Slow cooker aka crockpot is one of the must-have kitchen tools. There are plenty on the market. Apart from a slow cooker, you can also use the Instant Pot and cook the pork using the slow cooking or the pressure cooking options.
Here are just some of the great benefits of using a slow cooker and the Instant Pot:
- Money-saving. Most slow cookers are inexpensive. Additionally, you can use less expensive meat cuts that require longer cooking time such as beef brisket, pork or lamb shoulder.
- Time-efficient. You'll spend less time in the kitchen. Simply throw all the ingredients in the crockpot and set the timer.
- Healthy, especially if you're using the lowest setting. Low cooking temperature will help retain more vitamins and minerals.
- Energy-efficient. It uses less energy and in most cases, you won't need to use additional water.
- Easy & delicious. Apart from meat, you can slow cook vegetables too. Simply add the vegetables to the meat in the last 2-3 hours of the cooking process. If using cream, add it during the last 30 minutes.
Step-by-step
Preheat your slow cooker and set to high. Mix all the spices in a bowl. Score the skin of the pork by making cuts about an inch apart from one or both directions (and creating square cuts). (Note: I use a utility knife to score the skin. It's sharp, you can easily adjust the blades to the required depth and the blades can be replaced.)
Rub the spices into the pork. Peel and roughly slice the onion. Place in the preheated slow cooker and add bay leaves.
Place the pork on top of the onion and cover with a lid. You won't need to use any water - there is plenty in the pork. Cook on "high" for 5-6 hours, or on "low" 8-10 hours (exact time depends on the slow cooker).
When done, open the lid and let the hot steam out. To make the pork crispy, preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (fan assisted), or 220 °C/ 425 °F (conventional). Using tongs or two forks, place the cooked pork on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover the pork with the BBQ sauce and place in the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, instead of using the oven, place back in the slow cooker and cook covered for about an hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce made from the drippings and aromatics. Pour the liquid with the cooked onions and bay leaves into a blender. Place in a blender, pulse until smooth and set aside.
When the pork is cooked and crispy, remove from the oven and place in a bowl. Using two forks, shred the meat into smaller pieces. Pour in the blended sauce (made from the drippings and cooked aromatics) and combine well.
Serve immediately with roasted vegetables or with Keto Buns and Easy Russian Slaw. Otherwise, let it cool down and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in batches for up to 3 months.
Recipe
Keto Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce
★★★★★4.6Deliciously juicy and tender slow cooked pork shoulder flavored with homemade barbecue sauce. The ultimate ...
- Hands on
- 15m
- Overall
- 13h
- Servings
- 8
- 3.8 g
- Net carbs
- 35 g
- Protein
- 36.6 g
- Fat
- 497
- kcal
Ingredients makes 8 servings
- Pork:
- Spices for rubbing:
Instructions
Preheat your slow cooker and set to high. Mix all the spices in a bowl. Score the skin of the pork by making cuts about an inch apart from one or both directions (and creating square cuts). (Note: I use a utility knife to score the skin. It's sharp, you can easily adjust the blades to the required depth and the blades can be replaced.)
Rub the spices into the pork. Peel and roughly slice the onion. Place in the preheated slow cooker and add bay leaves.
Place the pork on top of the onion and cover with a lid. You won't need to use any water - there is plenty in the pork. Cook on "high" for 5-6 hours, or on "low" 8-10 hours (exact time depends on the slow cooker).
When done, open the lid and let the hot steam out. To make the pork crispy, preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (fan assisted), or 220 °C/ 425 °F (conventional). Using tongs or two forks, place the cooked pork on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Cover the pork with the BBQ sauce and place in the oven. Cook for 30-40 minutes. Alternatively, instead of using the oven, place back in the slow cooker and cook covered for about an hour.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce made from the drippings and aromatics. Pour the liquid with the cooked onions and bay leaves into a blender. Place in a blender, pulse until smooth and set aside.
When the pork is cooked and crispy, remove from the oven and place in a bowl. Using two forks, shred the meat into smaller pieces. Pour in the blended sauce (made from the drippings and cooked aromatics) and combine well.
Serve immediately with roasted vegetables or with Keto Buns and Easy Russian Slaw. Otherwise, let it cool down and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days. You can also freeze it in batches for up to 3 months.
Nutrition per serving, about 150 g/ 5.3 oz cooked meat
Carbs 3%Protein 29%Fat 68% of calories
- Net carbs
- 3.8 g
- Total carbs
- 5.7 g
- Fiber
- 1.4 g
- Sugars
- 1.3 g
- Protein
- 35 g
- Fat
- 36.6 g
- Saturated fat
- 12.9 g
- Calories
- 497 kcal
- Sodium
- 781 mg · 34% RDA
- Magnesium
- 47 mg · 11.9% RDA
- Potassium
- 760 mg · 38% EMR
Nutrition by ingredient
| Per about 150 g/ 5.3 oz cooked meat | Net carbs | Protein | Fat | kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pork (fatty shoulder, raw) | 0 g | 34.1 g | 35.7 g | 468 |
| Onion, white, fresh | 1.4 g | 0.2 g | 0 g | 8 |
| Bay leaf, dried | 0.2 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Spicy chocolate BBQ sauce | 0.6 g | 0.2 g | 0.7 g | 10 |
| Onion powder, spices | 0.6 g | 0.1 g | 0 g | 3 |
| Garlic powder, spices | 0.8 g | 0.2 g | 0 g | 4 |
| Paprika, spices | 0.2 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 2 |
| Paprika, smoked (spices) | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 1 |
| Salt, pink Himalayan rock salt | 0 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Pepper, black, spices | 0.1 g | 0 g | 0 g | 0 |
| Total | 3.8 g | 35 g | 36.6 g | 497 |
Serving size about 150 g/ 5.3 oz cooked meat
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Egg free
- Nut free
- Avocado free
- Coconut free
- Fish free
- Shellfish free
- Beef free
Goes well with
Add a side and it's a complete meal.
Side salad
Authentic Greek Salad
Roast vegetables
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Cooked vegetables
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Cauli mash
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Cauli rice
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Slaw / "potato" salad
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Side salad
Classic Tricolore Salad
Roast vegetables
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Cooked vegetables
Low-Carb Creamed Spinach
Cauli mash
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Cauli rice
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Slaw / "potato" salad
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Side salad
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Roast vegetables
Low-Carb Asian Spiced Broccoli
Cooked vegetables
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Cauli mash
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Comments & ratings (26)
Good grief, this is so ridiculously good! I had some leftover keto BBQ sauce lying in my freezer for months now and was looking for something simple to make this weekend. We seem to only have desserts at home and no actual food.. haha, so I needed to get my act together. I followed your recipe exactly as written other than using a different BBQ sauce, and it was delicious, really not difficult at all! We had these with keto tortillas today for lunch but I can just as easily have this on its own with some veg on the side or toppings like fajitas. This is a flavour bomb, I wouldn't change a thing! Thank you so much, Martina, your flavours never ever fail 😊
Thank you so much Anu, glad you enjoyed! ❤️
I love this recipe. So easy to make, i am not a fan of chocolate, however I am obsessed with Mole Sauce😸. I gave this sauce a try and I love it. As a registered nurse working nights (12-hour shifts), I am always looking for recipes I can work with while I sleep😹😹. Thank you Martina
Thank you for your lovely feedback Cecilia! ❤️
You never mention when you add the BBQ sauce. I read a comment below who mentioned the same, but still no answer. Is the BBQ added in the slow cooker during the initial cook or sometime after?
It is actually mentioned in step 4 so it is after the slow cooking: "Cover the pork with the BBQ sauce and place in the oven."
I was confused to about the sauces. I'm going to make this tomorrow. I believe I understand. Before I put it in the oven I cover it with 1/3 cup of the Spicy BBQ sauce and when I take it out of the oven and shred it I moisten it with the sauce I prepare in the blender from the pan drippings, onion and bay leaves. Right?
I see what you mean with "BBQ sauce" and "sauce" as the second one refers to the cooking juices blended with veggies. That is confusing. You got that right and I'll clarify. Thank you!
This looks great and I love that it looks a little less complicated than some other recipes I've tried with a million ingredients.
I'm just curious about the skin--I've always taken the skin off before putting it in the slow cooker. Does it actually shred up to be easily eaten with the rest of the meat?
Hi Maya, I think the skin is actually the best part! It is so soft when cooked in a slow cooker and I just shred the meat with the skin and fatty parts. Delicious! 😊
This is a great recipe. I made it a week ago and everyone gobbled it up. I just have one question. How many grams is one serving? Thanks!
Thank you Levi! I don't know how many grams per serving - I'm afraid you'd have to weigh the whole cooked recipe and then divide by 8. There's evaporation, plus you may not use all the juices to make the sauce (some meat cuts have thicker fat layer and the juices end up too fatty).
I love this recipe, especially two methods that I have never used before even after making many pulled pork recipes. Crisping up the pork after the crockpot and blending the juices into a sauce make all the difference and I'll never make pulled pork any other way now. Sometimes I add a few strips of bacon to the bottom of the crockpot with the onion and it incorporates nicely into the broth. I do skip the bbq sauce added before oven and it's still fabulous. The blended juice sauce keeps the pork so moist in the fridge. Upon using the leftovers I sometimes add bbq, green salsa, sour cream or any number of flavor profiles to a portion to add variety. Your website is a wealth of information and I really appreciate that you use verified sources for your nutrition info. I have your app and some cookbooks and am a big fan!
Thank you for your kind words Kim, I really appreciate your support!
This looks amazing but I don't eat pork & not much of a lamb fan - what cut of beef can I use instead?
Hi Rebekah, you can use beef braising steaks or brisket instead 😊
what kind of BBQ sauce do you use?
Hi Sandy, there is a link to another recipe in the list of ingredients - see "Spicy Chocolate BBQ Sauce".
Is the sauce that you mix in with the pork just the blended bay leaf and onion mix, or do you combine that with the 1/3 cup of Spicy Chocolate sauce and then mix it with the pork?
Hi Alex, the sauce is made with the meat drippings, onion and bay leaf which I blended. Then I pour it over the shredded pork which has the BBQ sauce on it.
Love pulled pork, and this looks incredible! Pinned.
Thank you Kristi! 😊
Pulled pork is amazing and I'm going to try this one with bbq sauce! Thanks for sharing 😊)
Thank you Mel, hope you like it 😊
This looks like the bomb!! Will definitely try that very very soon 😊
Thanks you! Hope you like it 😊