Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork

Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork

Looking for a crowd-pleasing dish that’s packed with flavor and easy to prepare? Look no further than this Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork made in a slow cooker. This recipe combines tender pork with a perfect balance of sweetness and spice, making it a versatile addition to any meal. Whether you’re serving it in burritos, tacos, salads, or simply on its own, this pulled pork is sure to be a hit.

Serve it with rice, on buns, in tacos, burritos, salads, and more. Or eat it with a Crunchy Quick Dill Pickle and Summer Coleslaw!

Typically I prefer pulled pork from a smoker like this Cajun Pulled Pork or Smoked Pulled Pork. But I love a good Cafe Rio Salad, and the pork in it is juicy, tender, flavorful, and oh so good. And this is my attempt at recreating it. I love how it turned out, and love it for my Mexican style dishes, especially when paired with Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice.

This is a great recipe because it is so versatile. It works as a salad, in tacos, in burritos…you get the idea. It is tasty stuff. And, it is a crock pot meal, which means that you get all that great flavor with very little work.

I love to make a big pot of it to serve in burritos like these Sweet BBQ Pork Quinoa Burritos. Don’t have a crock pot? This one is only about $15! Hamilton Beach 33262 Stay or Go 6-Quart Slow Cooker

What You Need To Make This Pork

• 4 lb pork butt, trimmed
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 4 ounces diced green chiles
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup Coke (NOT DIET)

Spices:

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

At The End:

• 1 cup reserved cooking liquid
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 ounces diced green chiles

How to Make Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork

1. Prep the Slow Cooker: Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Season the Pork: Mix all the spices together in a small bowl, reserve 1 tablespoon, and rub the remaining spice mixture over the pork butt.
3. Slow Cook the Pork: Place the seasoned pork butt into the slow cooker. Add the tomato sauce, chiles, brown sugar, and Coke. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or until the pork is fork-tender and easy to shred.
4. Shred the Pork: Once cooked, remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it, discarding any excess fat. Also, remove and discard any excess liquid from the slow cooker.
5. Final Flavor Boost: Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker. Add the reserved cooking liquid, remaining ingredients, and reserved spices. Stir everything together and cook for another 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the flavor to your liking, adding more sweetness or spice as desired.
6. Serve: Serve the pulled pork in burritos, tacos, salads, or however you like! It makes a lot, so use leftovers in these Cheesy BBQ Pork Cups for another meal.

Tips and Tricks

• Trimming the Pork: Trim any excess fat from the pork butt before cooking to prevent the dish from becoming too greasy.
• Adjusting Spice Levels: If you prefer a milder dish, reduce the amount of chipotle chili powder and chili powder. For more heat, add extra chipotle chili powder or even some crushed red pepper flakes.
• Cooking Time: If you’re short on time, you can cook the pork on high for 4-5 hours instead of on low for 6-8 hours. However, cooking on low generally yields more tender meat.

Use Ideas and Serving Suggestions

• Burritos: Wrap the pulled pork in a large tortilla with rice, beans, cheese, and your favorite toppings.
• Tacos: Serve the pork in soft or hard taco shells with fresh salsa, avocado, and cilantro.
• Salads: Add the pulled pork to a bed of greens with tomatoes, corn, black beans, and a drizzle of lime dressing for a hearty salad.
• Sandwiches: Pile the pork onto a bun with coleslaw for a delicious pulled pork sandwich.
• Nachos: Use the pulled pork as a topping for nachos, along with cheese, jalapeños, and sour cream.

Substitution Ideas

• • Meat: Substitute the pork butt with chicken thighs or beef chuck for a different flavor profile.
  • Sweetener: Use honey or maple syrup instead of brown sugar for a different type of sweetness.
  • Soda: Try using Dr Pepper or root beer instead of Coke for a unique twist.
  • Spices: Play around with different spice combinations to suit your taste. Smoked paprika can be swapped with regular paprika, and cayenne pepper can be added for extra heat.

Other Great Recipes

• Juicy Baked Chicken Potatoes in Mouthwatering Lemon Garlic Sauce
• Easy Chicken Tacos
• Honey Garlic Chicken
• Kofta Pizza
• Dukkah-Crusted Baked Salmon Fillets

Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork

Sweet and spicy pulled pork is a great recipe because it is so versatile. Serve it on rice, with a salad, or in tacos or burritos.

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Pulled Pork, Sweet and Spicy

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours hours

Total Time: 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 lb pork butt trimmed
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 4 ounces diced green chiles
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/3 c Coke NOT DIET

Spices

• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

At The End

• 1 cup red enchilada sauce
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 4 ounces diced green chiles

Instructions

• Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray
• Mix all the spices together in a small bowl, reserve 1 Tbs, and rub the remaining over pork butt
• Place pork butt rubbed with spices into the slow cooker, put reserved spices aside
• Add the tomato sauce, chiles, brown sugar, and coke to the slow cooker.
• Cook on low 6-8 hours until pork is fork tender and easy to shred.
• Shred pork, remove any excess fat, and liquid.
• Add pork back into slow cooker with the remaining ingredients and reserved spices.
• Stir everything together and cook for another 20 minutes. Taste, and adjust flavor to sweeter or spicier as you wish.
• Serve in burritos, tacos, salads, and more.

Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.

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