This Cheesy BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe is made with our favorite pulled pork recipe with cheese stirred in to make it extra creamy and flavorful!
If you’re looking for more recipes to feed a crowd, try our Grandma’s Sunday Meatballs and Sauce or our Crock Pot Sausage and Peppers!
Our Kids’ Favorite Pulled Pork Recipe
Pulled pork is pretty delicious all on it’s own. But when you stir in a few cups of sharp cheddar cheese it becomes – well, amazing. This Cheesy BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe was actually our son’s idea, and we’ve gotta hand it to him, it’s pretty legit.
The cheese literally melts into the pulled pork, so it just makes for a super creamy, super delicious pulled pork recipe. I’m telling you guys, you can NOT stop eating this stuff! There is BBQ sauce stirred into this pork, but we added more on top just because.
Hunch over, grab this pulled pork big sandwich and have the napkins ready. This is the best kind of messy eating!
How To Make This Cheesy Pulled Pork
To make a basic pulled pork recipe, you can either use your oven or your crock pot. There’s really not much difference in flavor, just the difference in cooking time. Pulled pork made in the oven will take less time, while the slow cooker version will take longer.
Crock pots just make things a little easier, you just add a pork roast to your slow cooker with a dry rub and onions. Turn it on and walk away. That’s the key, walking away! Because I’m sure you have other things to do for 6-8 hours.
I have found that different brands of slow cookers definitely cook at different temperatures, . The “low” setting on one slow cooker doesn’t always equal the temperature of a “low” setting on another slow cooker. So for a five pound pork roast I say to cook it between 6-8 hours.
Checking at 6 to see if it’s shreddable or fork tender, then letting it cook longer if it needs to.
Once the pork roast is tender, remove it from the slow cooker and set it on a board to cool. Drain the juices from your slow cooker, but save them in a bowl, you’ll be stirring some of the juices into the shredded pork.
Shred the pork roast using two forks and return it back to the slow cooker. Add some of the onions and reserved juices to the pork along with your favorite BBQ sauce.
And now here comes the cheese!!!
You’ll want to add the cheese in while it’s still warm so that it melts into the pork and BBQ sauce. If it’s not quite warm enough to melt the cheese, put the lid back on and turn the slow cooker on high for 15 minutes.
Can I Use Different Cheese In This Pulled Pork Recipe?
You totally can! We went with a sharp cheddar cheese because we love the flavor combined with the rich pulled pork. But here are some other options, too!
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese or Pepper Jack for a little spice!
- Gouda Cheese
- Provolone Cheese
- Colby Cheese or Colby Jack
- American Cheese
Different Ways To Use Pulled Pork, Not Just For Buns!
Obviously on buns, yes. That’s the most common way to serve pulled pork and for good reason, it’s delicious. But there’s so many other ways to use this Cheesy BBQ Pulled Pork too!
- Pile it into a baked potato with toppings
- Add it to your favorite chopped salad
- NACHOS!!!
- Use it as a filling for taquitos or tacos
- Make cheesy poutine french fries
- Straight up out of the bowl as is
I can say that we’ve tried ALL of the above and every one of them is a dinner home run.
This pulled pork recipe is perfect for serving at parties because it’s a make ahead recipe and your guests can even serve themselves! Set out a plate of buns on the side, maybe a bowl of coleslaw and you’re good to go.
Like I said before, we’ve also make this recipe for Sunday dinner so that we have leftovers during the busy weeknights of school and sports activities. Also a great thing when your kids can feed themselves, too.
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Looking For More Pork Recipes?
- Slow Cooker Applesauce Pork Roast
- Pork Eggroll Soup
- Slow Cooker Nutty Asian Pork Roast
- Hibachi Pork Fried Rice
- Slow Cooker Italian Pork Stew
Cheesy BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
This delicious, cheesy pulled pork is our favorite! Slow cooker pulled pork with your favorite BBQ sauce and lots of cheesy goodness!
Ingredients
- 5 pound boneless pork butt
- 1/4 cup pineapple juice
- 2 cups onions, sliced
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 cups bbq sauce, plus extra for serving
For the Spice Rub:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon cumin (depending on taste, we use 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Place the onions on the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Combine the dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl, whisking together to combine. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork roast, you might not use it all but add it generously to all sides.
- Place the pork roast on top of the onions, then pour in the pineapple juice.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the pork roast is fork tender and shreddable.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker to a board then pour the juices into a large bowl.
- Let the roast cool slightly, then shred using two forks, meat claws or your hands.
- Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker with 1 cup of the reserved onions and juice from cooking.
- Add the cheese and bbq sauce to the pork and stir to combine. If the cheese is not melting into the pork, cover the slow cooker and set on high for 15 minutes. Stir again and serve.
Recipe Notes
This recipe makes about 8 cups of pulled pork, about 1/2 cup is a good size for servings on buns!
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pulled pork recipe, slow cooker pulled pork, slow cooker pork roast, pork recipe, bbq pulled pork, crock pot pulled pork