Pulled Pork Bowl (Printable Version)

Slow-cooked pork over rice with crispy coleslaw and smoky BBQ drizzle

# What You Need:

→ Pork

01 - 1.5 lbs boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - 0.5 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
05 - 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 0.5 teaspoon onion powder
07 - 0.5 teaspoon ground cumin
08 - 1 cup chicken broth
09 - 0.5 cup barbecue sauce, plus extra for serving

→ Rice or Grain

10 - 2 cups cooked white rice, brown rice, or quinoa

→ Coleslaw

11 - 2 cups shredded green cabbage
12 - 1 cup shredded red cabbage
13 - 1 medium carrot, grated
14 - 0.25 cup mayonnaise
15 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
16 - 1 teaspoon honey
17 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Garnishes

18 - Sliced green onions, optional
19 - Fresh cilantro, optional

# How to Make It:

01 - Combine salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture generously over pork shoulder. Place seasoned pork in slow cooker and add chicken broth. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours until pork is tender and easily shreds. Remove pork from cooker and shred using two forks. Return shredded pork to slow cooker, stir in 0.5 cup barbecue sauce, and maintain warm setting.
02 - Combine shredded green cabbage, red cabbage, and grated carrot in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour dressing over vegetable mixture and toss thoroughly to coat all vegetables evenly. Refrigerate coleslaw until ready to assemble bowls.
03 - Divide cooked rice or grain evenly among four serving bowls. Top each bowl with generous portion of warm pulled pork and chilled coleslaw. Drizzle additional barbecue sauce over each bowl. Garnish with sliced green onions or fresh cilantro if desired. Serve immediately while pork is warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The pork basically cooks itself while you go about your day, making dinner feel effortless even though it tastes like you spent hours tending it.
  • Every component can be prepped ahead, so assembly is genuinely fun rather than stressful.
  • The flavor contrast between smoky meat, crisp coleslaw, and soft rice creates a bowl that feels complete and satisfying.
02 -
  • Cook the pork on low, not high—high heat makes it tough and stringy no matter how long you cook it, while low heat keeps it impossibly tender.
  • Don't skip mixing the BBQ sauce in at the end; it needs to coat the warm meat, not cook into it for eight hours, or the flavor becomes flat and one-dimensional.
03 -
  • Chill your coleslaw mix in the freezer for ten minutes before mixing the dressing if you want it extra crisp and cold against the warm pork.
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, check the pork at the seven-hour mark to avoid overcooking it into mushiness—every cooker is different.
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