Italian Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Shoulder

The most tender and good Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Shoulder made with fennel seeds, preserved lemon and fresh herbs. This pork could not be easier to make and tastes good. Serve it with olive oil potatoes and veggies or on a focaccia sandwich with homemade salsa verde.

Here it comes, our first ever slow cooker recipe and it's pretty solid if we do say so myself. This slow cooker pulled pork shoulder has all the flavours of a classic Italian porchetta but in pulled pork form and it's seriously good!

The best thing about it is that it takes about 10 minutes to prepare and then you set it and forget it. Make this in the morning and it'll be ready for dinner with zero effort involved.

The seasonings

We chose seasonings that we love in a classic porchetta: fennel, lemon, oregano, thyme and garlic. The herbs are rubbed all over the pork shoulder with a little olive oil and a generous pinch of salt. It's important to season with salt to enhance all the good flavours.

In Italy, we'd sometimes get preserved lemon in our porchetta sandwiches and they were always our favourite so we added it in here. Be careful though they're strong and fragrant so you need a little and although you can also use fresh lemon we find it too acidic for this recipe.

How to lock in flavour

Ok, so an IMPORTANT step to making the best slow cooker pulled pork shoulder is to sear the meat before adding it to the slow cooker. Why? because searing locks in a ton of good flavour and created the most good crust on the outside.

The slow cooker will give you the most beautiful and tender meat on the inside but you need to sear it on a skillet or frying pan for the best results and it only takes 5 minutes.

How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Shoulder – Step By Step

If your pork shoulder has the fatty skin on remove it first. Rub all the herbs and salt all over the pork shoulder on all sides (photo 1 & 2).

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan on a high/medium heat. Brown the pork on all sides (roughly 30 seconds each side). Add it to the slow cooker (photos 3 – 5).

Add the wine to the pan to deglaze and scrape any brown bits with a wooden spoon then pour it over the pork in the slow cooker. You won't need to cook the wine for more than 1 minute in the pan.

Add the peeled, whole garlic cloves to the slow cooker, cover and set on low for 10 hours (photos 6-8).

After 10 hours, turn the slow cooker off remove the pork to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Serve with sides of choice or in sandwiches.

Serving suggestions

We love to serve this pulled pork on sandwiches made with homemade rosemary focaccia and salsa verde it's simple but one of the best things you'll ever eat. Another great way to serve this is with roasted potatoesgrilled veggies or with a fresh salad.

P.S If you have leftovers our Leftover Pulled Pork Ragu is easy and tastes good, suited to a quick and easy weeknight dinner!

Top tips and recipe FAQs

• You can easily adapt this recipe with your favorite herbs and spices.
• Don't skip the searing of the meat as it locks in a lot of flavour.

What can we use instead of wine?

To make this recipe alcohol free you can replace the wine with chicken stock.

How do we store leftovers?

Leftover meat can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen in suitable containers/bag for up to 3 months. If freezing we recommend shredding it first.

More Italian recipes you might like

• Veal Saltimbocca with Prosciutto and Sage
• Classic Beef Lasagne with Spinach Pasta
• Classic Beef Carpaccio
• Italian Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
• Simple Saffron Risotto

Ingredients

Makes 6 -8 servings

• 2.8 lbs pork shoulder (skin removed (1.3kg))
• 3/4 cup white wine ((200ml))
• 6 garlic cloves (whole)
• 2 tbsp fennel seeds
• 1 tbsp preserved lemon peel
• 1 tsp chilli flakes (red pepper flakes)
• 1 tbsp oregano (dried)
• 1 tbsp fresh thyme (finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (fienly chopped)
• 2 tbsp sea salt flakes
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method

1. If your pork shoulder has the fatty skin on make sure to remove it first. Rub all the herbs and salt all over the pork shoulder on all sides.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or frying pan on a high/medium heat. Brown the pork on all sides (roughly 30 seconds each side). Add it to the slow cooker.

3. Add the wine to the pan to deglaze and scrape any brown bits with a wooden spoon then pour it over the pork in the slow cooker. You won't need to cook the wine for more than 1 minute in the pan.

4. Add the peeled, whole garlic cloves and chilli flakes to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 10 hours.

5. After 10 hours, turn the slow cooker off remove the pork to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Serve with sides of choice or in sandwiches. *see serving suggestions in notes.

Kitchen notes

We love to serve this pulled pork on sandwiches made with homemade rosemary focaccia and salsa verde it's simple but one of the best things you'll ever eat. Another great way to serve this is with roasted potatoesgrilled veggies or with a fresh salad.

• You can easily adapt this recipe with your favorite herbs and spices.
• Don't skip the searing of the meat as it locks in a lot of flavour.
• Leftover meat can be stored in the fridge or freezer. If freezing we recommend shredding it first.
• If you don't want to use wine (although it gives the best flavour) you can use stock.