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Slow Cooker Boston Butt Recipe (Instant Pot Option)

April 30, 2012 by Katie Wells
Slow Cooker BBQ BOston Butt Recipe

Growing up in the south, I’m pretty familiar with pork barbecue. I’m also familiar with the fact that most commercially available versions from barbecue places have high fructose corn syrup or other non-foods in their sauce.

Boston butt is one of the easiest cuts of pork to cut and it is also one of the cheapest to buy. I’ve been able to find Boston butt from pastured pork at great prices, and slow cooking this recipe makes it incredibly tender. It’s also an easy recipe to make on days when you are out of the house all day and need dinner to be ready when you get home.

For our family, one Boston butt will easily spread to 3-4 meals of leftovers and the kids love it. We’ve even done barbecue omelets with leftovers. If you’ve never tried Boston butt before, I’d encourage you to try this recipe.

Slow Cooker BBQ BOston Butt Recipe

Slow Cooker Boston Butt Recipe

Katie Wells
An easy slow cooker barbecue recipe with flavors of pineapple and spices.
3.73 from 37 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 12 hrs
Total Time 12 hrs 5 mins
Course Main
Cuisine Barbecue
Servings 8 +
Calories 585 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 large sweet onions
  • 4-5 lb Boston butt roast
  • 1 TBSP chili powder
  • 1 TBSP paprika
  • 1 TBSP garlic powder
  • 1 TBSP sea salt
  • 1 TBSP celery salt
  • 1 TBSP basil
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 (15 oz) can crushed pineapple (or one whole fresh pineapple)
  • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups barbecue sauce

Instructions
 

  • Thinly slice the onions and place them in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
  • Rinse the Boston butt and place it on top of the onions.
  • Sprinkle with spices.
  • Pour the whole can of pineapple over it. If using fresh pineapple, peel, core, and thin chop the pineapple and place over pork.
  • Add the apple cider vinegar.
  • Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low for 10-12 hours or until fork tender. Don't open until at least 8 hours and then check for tenderness.
  • Shred with two forks to make pulled pork and top with barbecue sauce if using.

Notes

For the Instant Pot: Follow steps 1-3 as written. Instead of using a slow cooker, put everything except the barbecue sauce in the Instant Pot and set on manual for 60 minutes. Let cook and let steam release naturally after cooking. Mix in the barbecue sauce after shredding. 

Nutrition

Calories: 585kcalCarbohydrates: 30.9gProtein: 44.1gFat: 30.8gSaturated Fat: 11.3gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1196mgFiber: 1.9gSugar: 23.9g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Are you a barbecue fan? What is your secret recipe? Please share below!

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Category: Pork Recipes, Recipes

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder and CEO of Wellness Mama and Co-Founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (40 Comments)

  1. Dennis

    February 13, 2015 at 2:15 PM

    Hey there Wellness Mama, you rock! Whenever I go on Google to look for a recipe yours is always the best. So now I just look for your recipe and ignore the others. Thanks for your great taste.

    Reply
  2. Helen

    June 23, 2014 at 1:58 AM

    Love it.

    Reply
  3. Judy

    May 18, 2014 at 2:05 PM

    How do you eat the pulled pork – by itself? We would normally eat it on a bun, so just wondering. It sounds really good!

    Reply
  4. Ashleigh

    February 6, 2014 at 12:03 AM

    Do you have a barbecue sauce recipe?

    Reply
    • Kelly

      April 12, 2014 at 9:39 AM

      I would love a homemade recipe for BBQ sauce too 🙂

      Reply
      • Christie

        May 3, 2014 at 5:40 PM

        Blue Sky BBQ sauce is all natural if you can find it in your area.

        Reply
  5. Amy Taylor

    October 20, 2013 at 11:15 PM

    This is a huge tease for someone who is allergic to pineapple. Was planning on making a variation that uses apples/apple juice instead.

    Reply
    • Gavin Thomann

      September 11, 2016 at 12:25 PM

      It would probably be delicious with Apple! You might want to swap out the basil for parsley, and use red onions.

      Reply
  6. Catie Meyer Schamel

    June 8, 2012 at 7:12 AM

    I’m making this today, and really looking forward to it. Your directions didn’t mention when to add in the ACV, so I just tossed it in with the pineapple juice…was that right?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      June 10, 2012 at 11:32 PM

      That was right! Thanks for the heads up, I’ll try to edit that!

      Reply
      • Catie Meyer Schamel

        December 12, 2012 at 9:13 AM

        Delicious! I’m making it again this morning!

        Reply
  7. Jife

    May 10, 2012 at 7:44 PM

    This was delicious!  It’s our new favorite pulled pork recipe.  😉

    Reply
  8. Katie

    May 10, 2012 at 11:10 AM

    Thank you sooooo much for this recipe! I made it the other day and it was spectacular! This will become a staple in my house for sure.

    Reply
  9. Kelly

    May 6, 2012 at 9:30 AM

    I’m a little confused.  Are you supposed to use a 15 oz can of pineapple or pineapple juice.  The ingredients say one thing, but the directions imply another.  Thanks.

    Reply
    • Kelly

      May 6, 2012 at 9:32 AM

      *The 2nd sentence should have a ?

      Reply
    • Froukje Gillespie

      December 29, 2017 at 10:38 AM

      I was wondering the same thing

      Reply
  10. Brianne

    May 1, 2012 at 1:42 PM

    Looks delish!

    Reply
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