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My Pulled Pork Chili recipe is an easy slow cooker recipe that is great as an easy weeknight meal for your family. Full of tender slow cooked and incredibly flavorful pork, beans, tomatoes and seasonings, it’s hearty and perfect for game day, too!
Don’t you love when those happy accident types of recipes work out even better than you expected? I’ll be honest, I never would have thought to use shredded pork in a chili recipe. I had been craving beef chili and took out a package from the freezer that I *thought* was a beef roast…turns out I was wrong! But like I said, happy accident. I used the pork roast anyway and it was delicious!
How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili
Pulled Pork Chili isn’t much different from other chili recipes. You’ve got your meat, tomatoes and beans, onions and seasonings. Put it all in the slow cooker and let it simmer away for about 8 hours on low. You can bump that up to high and have your chili ready in about 6 hours if needed.
You can even cook it on the stove in about an hour! Keep in mind stovetop pork chili won’t get quite as tender as the slow cooker version, but it will be just as delicious. To make the stove top version, cut the pork into small, bite-sized chunks, then boil in chicken broth for about 30-40 minutes. You could also boil in water, but I like the flavor the chicken broth adds. Then drain and add remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer for another 20-30 minutes.
To sear or not to sear?
With your slow cooker, you do not have to sear the meat. However, there are some benefits.
- More complex flavors. Searing the meat in a little hot oil before putting it in your slow cooker will brown the meat and caramelize the fats and allow it to develop a more complex flavor. You don’t need to cook it all the way through; just a few minutes on each side of large chunks of the pork will be good.
- Thicken your sauce. Coat the meat in flour, either by dredging it through a shallow pan of flour or putting it in a zip top bag and shaking it with some flour to coat, and then browning in hot oil will add starch that’s necessary for thickening sauces, soups and stews.
For this pulled pork chili, I recommend a light sear if you have the time. If not, don’t worry about it.
For an Instant Pot Pork Chili, follow the directions in THIS POST.
We love this Pulled Pork Chili served up with a nice green salad and some yummy cornbread!
More Delicious Chili Recipes
- Slow Cooker Beefy Three-Bean Chili
- Healthy Turkey Chili
- Chili and Cornbread Skillet
- Easy Chili Recipe {3 Ingredients}
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili
Ingredients
- 2 ½-3 pounds boneless pork butt
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 20- ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 3 15- ounce cans chili beans
- 2 4- ounce cans mild green chiles
- 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
- Corn chips cheese, sour cream
Instructions
- Cut pork butt roast into several large chunks, trimming some of the fat as you go. Season with salt and pepper.
- (Optional step) Heat a skillet with a tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear each side of the meat for 1-2 minutes per side, or until browned. *Tip - the searing helps caramelize the meat and lock in the flavor, but if you are pressed for time you can skip this step. For a thicker chili, dredge the meat in a little bit of flour first.
- To the slow cooker, add onions, meat, crushed tomatoes, chili beans (undrained), green chiles, chili powder, garlic and salt. Stir and cover. Set to high heat for 5-6 hours or low heat for 7-8 hours.
- Shred pork in the slow cooker with two forks (or remove to a cutting board, shred, then return to the slow cooker). Cook on high for an additional 30 minutes.
- Ladle into bowls and serve hot, garnished with sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, cilantro or parsley and corn chips.
Notes
- This recipe can easily be adapted for a pressure cooker/instant pot.
- For the stovetop, cut the meat into small chunks, then boil in chicken broth. Once cooked through and tender (30 minutes to an hour). Drain liquid, shred, and return to the pot. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of "Yellow Bliss Road" is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
Was looking for recipe that I could use up leftover pulled pork, loved how easy this recipe looked. I added bell peppers and jalapeños, wonderful results. One of the best chili’s I have made. Thanks for recipe!!!
You are so welcome Dess! Thanks for stopping by.
Oh my my it looks delicious and I love that colour! Cant wait to give this a try.
Thanks Kimberly, let me know what you think!