Slow Cooker Pulled Pork with Low Carb NC BBQ Sauce
If you don’t have a smoker or live in an apartment but still want some barbecue, don’t fear. There are still ways to make some nice pulled pork indoors. While sous vide and a broiler combination might make for the best meat, using a slow cooker is definitely the easiest. Flavoring up the meat with a dry rub, and then leaving it for most of the day is the most simple way to meal prep for the week.
Nutrition
- Total Net Carbs per Serving: 4g
- Carbs: 5g
- Fiber: 1g
- Full nutrition information located at the bottom of the page
Pulled Pork
The pulled pork, the main feature of this dish is actually relatively simple to make. Using a crock pot for this recipe also allows it to be pretty hands off for as much food as you’ll be making. While you won’t get the beautiful barbecue crust through this method, the dry rub and liquid smoke still give it a great BBQ flavor. If you’re looking to maintain a high fat content, pull the pork in the crock pot around hour 8. Then allow it to simmer on low for another hour in the vinegar and the juices that have formed. This just allows the meat to soak back up some of the fat that had cooked off.
The Sauces
Sauces are an entirely different story when you’re eating on a low carb diet. The pulled pork itself is low in carbs, but the sauces that give it that good barbecue flavor are what always contains the sugar. Look at classic western style sauces which are made with tons of brown sugar and ketchup. That’s a lot of sugar even if you’re pretty sparing on the sauce. I personally prefer the Eastern North Carolina style of sauces. These are vinegar and pepper based and all pretty similar. The variety just comes down to the ratio of the ingredients and how you choose to add some heat. I’ve been known to even through a little habanero hot sauce in the mix instead of the classic Tabasco. The vinegar based sauces definitely maintain a more liquid consistency, but they’re effectively carb-free.
If you’re looking for a thicker, western style sauce, look no further than G Hughes Smokehouse Sugar Free BBQ Sauces. They all contain only 2g of carbohydrates per 2 tablespoons. I find that more than enough to give my plate of meat a good coating. I’m currently working on my own other barbecue sauce recipes, but it’s just a little difficult to locate some of the ingredients I’m looking for in stores. I’ll link those here as soon as I get them made, but until then I definitely recommend G Hughes sauces.
Recommended Tools and Ingredients
- 6 Quart Crock-Pot Slow Cooker
- Slow Cooker Liners (Really helps keep the cleaning time down)
- Heat Resistant BBQ Gloves (if you feel like pulling the meat with your hands. It’s very satisfying.)
- G Hughes Smokehouse Sugar Free BBQ Sauce – I use this if I’m looking for a thicker Western style sauce.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
A simple set-and-forget meal that will last all week. Just sticking to a dry rub keeps it low carb as well.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds Boneless pork shoulder/ Boston butt
- 1/2 cup Stevia powder
- 1/4 cup Paprika
- 1 tbsp Smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp Dry ground mustard
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- 1 tbsp Onion powder
- 1 tbsp Salt and pepper
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- 1 tsp Dried oregano
- 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Liquid smoke
Instructions
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In a small bowl, combine all dry spices. Lightly whisk with a fork to combine.
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Cover entirety of the pork with the dry rub.
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Place pork in slow cooker with 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar. Add a few dashes of liquid smoke to the pork now. Cook in a slow cooker on the low setting for 8-9 hours.
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Transfer pork to a large dish, and pull the pork to the desired consistency by hand or using two forks.
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For storage, spoon some of the liquid from the slow cooker into the storage container with the meat. This will allow it to retain some more of it's moisture when reheating.
Low Carb Eastern NC BBQ Sauce
Vinegar based sauces
Ingredients
- 1 cup Apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup White distilled vinegar
- 1/2 Juice of lemon (1 tbsp)
- 1 tbsp Crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Hot sauce optional
Instructions
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Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Whisk salt is dissolved completely.
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Let cool to room temperature. Store in a jar or squeeze bottle for easy serving.
Recipe Notes
Calorie count is for the entire batch/bottle. Cooking this is entirely optional. It can just be mixed in a bottle and served as is.
