Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork has homemade low-sugar barbecue sauce that makes the pork savory and delicious! There’s also a link for Instant Pot Pulled Pork if you prefer that method.

PIN Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork  to try it later!

Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork is my lower-carb take on a classic American dish, and pulled pork made in the slow cooker is a perfect make-ahead dish whenever life gets busy and you want easy meals. And for everyone who’s extra busy this time of year, I think this Slow Cooker Pulled Pork will be perfect for an easy dinner so I’m reminding you about it for my Friday Favorites pick this week!

One reason I decided to tackle making a lower-carb pulled pork recipe was because I find most barbecue sauce recipes to be too sweet. I wanted to see if I could come up with a low-sugar variation of Slow Cooker Pulled Pork that would suit my preference for more savory flavors, so if you try this recipe, be prepared for a sauce with plenty of mustard flavor, smokiness, and spice, and just the barest touch of sweetness.

I didn’t want a result that was super fatty, so I consulted my butcher for ideas about a lean cut of pork that would pull apart when cooked for a long time at a low temperature. I and ended up going with a pork loin roast that I cut into two pieces against the grain, so I had shreds of pork that were 3-4 inches long. 

And this was so delicious for a great low-carb version of slow cooker pulled pork! Family members who don’t care about carbs can eat the pulled pork on a bun and they’ll never know it’s low in carbs.

What ingredients do you need?

(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• boneless pork loin roast
• Olive Oil (affiliate link), for spraying crockpot (or use non-stick spray)
• sugar-free ketchup (affiliate link)
• tomato paste (affiliate link)
• Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link), or other sweetener of your choice
• apple cider vinegar (affiliate link)
• yellow mustard (not Dijon)
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
• Worcestershire Sauce or Gluten-Free Worcestershire Sauce (affiliate link)
• Liquid Smoke (affiliate link), optional but recommended

How did I make slow cooker pulled pork low in carbs?

I used G. Hughes Sugar-Free Ketchup (affiliate link) as the base of my sauce. And I sweetened it with Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (affiliate link).

Want Low-Carb Pulled Pork made in the Instant Pot?

I do think pulled pork is the kind of recipe that’s perfect for the slow cooker, but to see how to make this in the Instant Pot, check out Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork.

How to make Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork :

(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I trimmed the outside fat off my pork loin roast, and then cut in half against the grain. This roast was about 2.5 pounds after trimming, but next time I’d get one just a little bigger.
2. I use either Heinz Low-Sugar Ketchup (affiliate link) or G. Hughes Sugar-Free Ketchup (affiliate link) for my low-sugar barbecue sauce. If you don’t want ketchup with artificial sweetener, look for a natural ketchup without added sugar.
3. Mix the barbecue sauce in a measuring cup or bowl. I tasted a few times and added a little more of this or that until it tasted good to me. (The flavors will get more intense as it cooks.)
4. Spray the crockpot with olive oil, then put in the trimmed pork roast that you’ve cut in half, pour sauce over and cook the pork all day on low.
5. I used a 2.5-Quart Slow Cooker (affiliate link), so if you only have a big crockpot I’d double the amount of everything and make this a Weekend Food Prep recipe!
6. When the meat is done enough to pull apart easily, remove from crockpot with a slotted spoon, then shred with two forks. (I ate some before I took this photo, so a two pound roast will be a little more than this!) Pork should cook about 7-8 hours, on low, depending on how hot your crockpot cooks.
7. I thought the sauce seemed a little thin, so I took it out of the crockpot and simmered on the stove until it was reduced by about 1/3. This also concentrated the flavor just a bit more. (This step is completely optional.)
8. You can put the shredded meat back into the crockpot with the sauce to keep it warm, or serve the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork right away.

Make it a low-carb Meal:

Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork would be great on sandwiches of course, but for a low-carb meal try it with Spicy Lime Coleslaw, Easy Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion, Kale and Red Cabbage Slaw, Cucumbers Caesar, or Twice Baked Cauliflower. 

More Slow Cooker Pork Recipes:

• Slow Cooker Bavarian Pork Roast
• Slow Cooker Salsa Pork Chops
• Pork with Peanut Sauce
• Green Chile Pork Taco Bowl
• Slow Cooker Balsamic Pork Roast 

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 8 servings

Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 8 hours

Total Time 8 hours 30 minutes

This Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork uses sugar-free ketchup and your favorite sweetener to cut down on the carbs! If you have a large slow cooker, definitely double this recipe!

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. boneless pork loin roast (see notes)
• olive oil, for spraying crockpot (or use non-stick spray)
• 1/2 cup sugar-free ketchup
• 2 T tomato paste
• 6 T Golden Monkfruit Sweetener, or to taste
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup mustard (regular yellow mustard, not Dijon)
• 2 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (or 1 tsp. red Tabasco)
• 1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce
• 1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke (or more, optional but recommended)

Instructions

1. Spray slow cooker with olive oil or non-stick spray.
2. Trim most of the visible fat from pork loin roast, then cut in half against the grain and place in slow cooker.
3. Combine sugar-free ketchup, tomato sauce, Golden Monkfruit Sweetener (or sweetener of your choice), apple cider vinegar, mustard, Green Tabasco, Worcestershire sauce, and Liquid Smoke in measuring cup or bowl and whisk together, then pour over roast.
4. Turn slow cooker to low and cook 7-8 hours, or until meat shreds apart easily.
5. Use a slotted spoon to remove meat from slow cooker, and place on cutting board.
6. Check the sauce in slow cooker and if you’d like it a bit thicker, pour sauce into small saucepan and simmer at medium-low heat until reduced by 1/3, probably not longer than 10-15 minutes.
7. While sauce thickens, use two forks to shred apart the meat, placing back in slow cooker to keep warm if desired.
8. When sauce is as thick as you want it, pour over meat.
9. This can be kept warm in the slow cooker for an hour or two, or served immediately.
10. Low-Carb Slow Cooker Pulled Pork will keep in the fridge for quite a few days and quickly reheated in the microwave or in a pan on the stove. This also freezes well.

Notes

If you trim most visible fat, the pork roast should be about 2 1/2 lbs. after trimming. For this recipe I used G. Hughes Sugar-Free Ketchup, Green Tabasco Sauce, and Liquid Smoke (affiliate links).

If you prefer to make pulled pork in the Instant Pot, click here to see Low-Carb Instant Pot Pulled Pork.

This recipe adapted from Slow Cooker Pulled Pork from Prudence Pennywise; low-sugar barbecue sauce recipe created by Kalyn.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 363Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 136mgSodium: 369mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 46g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork recipe would be great for low-carb and Keto diet plans. If you’re making it for the South Beach Diet, follow the suggestions about using pork with only 10% fat and using sugar-free ketchup and an approved sweetener to sweeten the sauce. I’d probably limit this to Phase 2 or 3 for South Beach and use portion control if you’re actively trying to lose weight. 

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Slow Cooker Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This Slow Cooker Pulled Pork was first posted in 2009! The recipe has been updated a few times since then and was adapted to use Monkfruit Sweetener. It was updated with more information and featured for Friday Favorites in 2022 and was last updated in 2023.

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