BBQ Pulled Pork Freezer Meal
This simple BBQ Pulled Pork freezer to crockpot® recipe packs a whole lot of flavor. The rub is really what makes this meal so delicious. 
Last weekend, we were invited out to my brother-in-law’s lake. It’s always such a treat to go out there. They have a boat and our kids love getting to waterski and tube on the lake.
Since my brother-in-law and sister-in-law are such great hosts, I like to bring along some freezer meals so that they don’t also have to cook for us. This past weekend, I brought out Blue Cheese Hamburgers, Dill Salmon, and this BBQ pulled pork.
We plugged the crockpot in, plopped the roast inside, and were able to enjoy the day without worrying about supper. The kids had a blast out on the lake, we all had a rather intense but fun Ladder Ball tournament, and played some board games.
When suppertime came, everyone had worked up quite an appetite. The pulled pork sandwiches really hit the spot!
You can see a video of us assembling this recipe during one of our big freezer meal marathon days here:
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe:
- 12-15 lbs. pork shoulder butt roast
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
- 3 Tbsp. liquid smoke
- buns for serving
Rub Ingredients:
- 3 cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup paprika
- ¼ cup salt
- 3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 3 Tbsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. ground thyme
- 1 Tbsp. dill
Rinse the pork roast under water to allow the rub to stick better.
In a mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, salt, thyme, and dill. 
Place the rinsed meat on a cutting board and spread the dry rub all over the outside of the roast. Gently place the rubbed pork roast in a large resealable freezer bag. Take out the excess air, seal, and freeze.
You can store any leftover rub in a medium resealable freezer bag and freeze to use next time.
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Once thawed, place 1/2 cup of water and 3 Tbsp. of liquid smoke in the slow cooker.
Place the seasoned roast into the crockpot. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Once cooked, drain the extra fat and water from the crockpot.
Use a set of tongs or two forks to pull the roast apart. After it’s shredded, add 1/2 to the full bottle of BBQ sauce and mix through. 
Some people like their pulled pork saucier while others prefer it to be less messy. Adding more of the BBQ sauce will make this saucier and therefore, messier.
Serve the pork on buns. Hamburger buns work well. You can top your BBQ pulled pork sandwich with pickles and onions if you want. I like to add garlic mayo. to the buns before slopping the pork on top. 
Other ways to serve slow cooker pulled pork:
If pulled pork sandwiches aren’t your thing or if you’re wondering what to do with the leftover pulled pork, here are some other suggestions:
- pulled pork nachos
- in a flour tortilla wrap
- on salad
- Pulled Pork Mexican Pizza
- on poutine (for those not familiar with poutine, top cooked french fries with cheese, gravy, and in this case, pulled pork)
- in lettuce wraps
- pulled pork tacos
- in a quesadilla
- on pasta
Can you freeze pulled pork?
Yes, you can freeze pulled pork, but only either before you cook it like with this BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe or our make-ahead Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork or after. This is because you only want the meat to be frozen and thawed one time for food safety.
If freezing it after cooking it, shred it first and then store it with the sauce in a large resealable freezer bag, being sure to take out as much of the air as you can before sealing. Getting rid of the excess air will prevent freezer burn.
Then when you want to serve it, take it out of the freezer to thaw and reheat either on the stovetop, stirring often, or in the microwave.
You might also be interested in these recipes:
Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
BBQ Shredded Chicken with Garlic Mayo 
Instant Pot Pork Shawarma Recipe 
- 12-15 lbs. pork shoulder butt roast
- 1 bottle BBQ sauce
- 3 Tbsp. liquid smoke
- buns for serving
- 3 cups brown sugar
- ¼ cup onion powder
- ¼ cup garlic powder
- ¼ cup paprika
- ¼ cup salt
- 3 Tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 3 Tbsp. black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. ground thyme
- 1 Tbsp. dill
-
Rinse the pork roast under water to allow the rub to stick better.
-
In a mixing bowl, stir together brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, black pepper, salt, thyme, and dill.
-
Spread the rub all over the outside of the rinsed roast. Gently place the rubbed pork roast in a large resealable freezer bag. Take out the excess air, seal, and freeze.
-
On the day of cooking, take the bag out of the freezer to thaw. Once thawed, place 1/2 cup of water and 3 Tbsp. of liquid smoke in the slow cooker.
-
Place the seasoned roast into the crock pot. Cook on low for 7-9 hours. Once cooked, drain the extra fat and water from the crock pot.
-
Use a set of tongs or two forks to pull the roast apart. After it's shredded, add 1/2 to the full bottle of BBQ sauce and mix through.
