Pulled Pork with Orange Juice
This easy slow cooker pulled pork is bursting with bright orange flavor thanks to fresh orange juice and zest. A simple set-it-and-forget-it recipe that delivers tender, juicy pork in a citrusy homemade BBQ sauce—perfect for sandwiches, tacos, or meal prep.
Servings 8
Calories 759kcal
Ingredients
- 4 lb boneless pork butt roast
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 small onion sliced
- 1 cup orange juice freshly squeezed preferred
- 6 oz tomato paste
- ¼ cup cider vinegar
- 3 tablespoon honey
- 3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1 ½ teaspoon chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 8 kaiser rolls
Instructions
- Trim off the large chunks of fat from roast and season with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Place pork roast in a 6-quart slow-cooker with onion slices.
- In medium-sized bowl whisk together orange juice, tomato paste, cider vinegar, honey, worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, paprika, orange zest, garlic cloves, chile powder, cumin, onion powder and molasses.
- Pour barbecue sauce over the pork roast and cover the slow-cooker. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours. For the last hour, remove the roast from the slow-cooker.
- Use two forks or your fingers to pull pork apart until the entire roast is shredded. Discard any excess fat. Return shredded pork to the slow-cooker and continue cooking for one hour.
- Place pulled pork into serving dish and mix in with some of the juices from the slow-cooker. Serve with kaiser rolls.
Notes
Serving Suggestions: Got picky eaters? You can also cook the pork without the barbecue sauce. Just serve the sauce on the side for those who want to mix it in!
Cooking Tips: Don't have a slow-cooker? Heat your oven to 300º F and cook the pork without the water and bbq sauce in a roasting pan, fat side up, covered with aluminum foil, for 4 hours. Remove the foil and continue to bake until roast is tender, about 2 more hours. After shredding the pork, add bbq sauce and serve.
You can also smoke the pork roast on the grill and serve with this orange barbecue sauce.
TO STORE: Store any leftover pulled pork in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 759kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 195mg | Sodium: 812mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 14g
