Slow Cooker Pulled Pork With 5-Spice Recipe

Name: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork With 5-Spice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 250 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into very large chunks (3 to 4 inches); 2 1/2 teaspoons of Chinese 5-spice powder*; 1/4 cup hoisin sauce; 3 Tbsp soy sauce; 3 Tbsp honey; 2 Tbsp dry sherry or Shaoxing cooking wine; 2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger; 2 Tbsp minced garlic; 12 Hawaiian dinner rolls; 1 large scallion sliced

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Have you ever had those steamed Chinese dumplings with the savory barbecued pork inside? They're called cha siu bao and they're absolutely addictive.

This slow cooker pulled pork recipe is inspired by the filling in those dumplings. This is one of those recipes I couldn't stop making or eating, it's so good! Seriously. Easy to make too.

Slow Cooker Chinese Pulled Pork — Elise Bauer

We start with big chunks of well marbled pork shoulder rubbed with Chinese 5-spice powder. Chinese 5-spice is a common spice rub for Chinese cooking. (If it's not available at your local market, you can make your own. We've included one recipe below, and there are several others online to choose from.)

What Is Chinese Five-Spice?

Keep the Fat on for Flavor

Put the spice rubbed pork into a slow cooker, top with a sauce mixture of hoisin, soy sauce, honey, sherry, ginger, and garlic, and set it for 4 hours on high or 8 on low.

One thing about cooking pork shoulder in a slow cooker is that a generous amount of fat is rendered in the process. You may be tempted to either cut off all the fat before cooking, or ladle off most the fat afterwards.

Here's a tip. The fat is where you'll find the flavor, and it's needed to keep the meat from drying out. I suggest ladling off excess fat after cooking, and then adding some back to get to the consistency, taste, and texture you want.

Simple Tip!

Have an Instant Pot? Make this recipe on fast-forward in a pressure cooker: Instant Pot Pulled Pork with Chinese Five-Spice

Ways to Use This Pulled Pork

You can put the pulled pork in tacos, burritos, or if you want to mimic the dumplings, serve them on a sweet Hawaiian dinner roll.

More Pork Recipes to Serve a Crowd

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork With 5-Spice

Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 4 hrs

Total Time 4 hrs 10 mins

Servings 6 to 8 servings

To make Chinese 5-spice powder, toast 1 teaspoon peppercorns in a skillet until fragrant. In a spice grinder, grind the roasted peppercorns with 2 whole star anise, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, 1 teaspoon of fennel seeds. Stir in 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon.

3 to 3 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into very large chunks (3 to 4 inches)
2 1/2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons dry sherry or Shaoxing cooking wine
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
12 Hawaiian dinner rolls
1 large scallion, sliced

Season the pork with 5-spice powder:

Rub the 5 spice powder into the pork chunks, all over, and let sit while you prepare the sauce in the next step.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Whisk together the sauce ingredients:

Whisk together the hoisin sauce, soy sauce, honey, sherry, ginger, and garlic in a medium bowl.
Place pork and sauce in slow cooker:

Place the seasoned pork shoulder pieces in a slow cooker, cover with the sauce.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Slow cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low:

Cook until the meat easily pulls apart. About halfway through the cooking, turn the meat over in the pot.
Ladle off excess fat:

Use a ladle or a large metal spoon to remove excess fat that has risen to the surface while the meat has been cooking. Don't discard it yet, you may want to add some of it back.

Elise Bauer
Shred the pork:

Use two forks to pull apart the pork into shreds. If the pork still seems dry, add back some of the fat.

Elise Bauer

Elise Bauer
Serve over sweet Hawaiian dinner buns:

Top with sliced green onion or cilantro.

Elise Bauer

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
761	Calories
46g	Fat
34g	Carbs
51g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6 to 8
Amount per serving
Calories	761
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g	59%
Saturated Fat 16g	82%
Cholesterol 181mg	60%
Sodium 848mg	37%
Total Carbohydrate 34g	12%
Dietary Fiber 2g	9%
Total Sugars 10g
Protein 51g
Vitamin C 2mg	12%
Calcium 141mg	11%
Iron 5mg	26%
Potassium 784mg	17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.