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Smoked Pork Shoulder | Slow Cooker Method

Name: Smoked Pork Shoulder
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 240 min
Total time: 245 min
Ingredients: 3.5 pound smoked pork shoulder picnic; 1/4 cup brown sugar

Last updated on May 3, 2021. Originally posted on April 6, 2020 By Elaine 62 Comments

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This smoked pork shoulder recipe is slow cooked to perfection which makes the meat tender and delicious! Place the meat in the cooker, add some sugar and forget about it until it dings that it’s done.

Close up of slices of pork on a plate with gravy and potatoes and carrots

My favorite meat is smoked pork shoulder. The end. That is all. I confessed.

I feel better.

Wait…!

Why do I have to confess that it’s my favorite meat? There is no one breathing down my neck demanding to know. And Christopher knows very well that it is my favorite. Ask him, he will tell you that I say it every time I eat this glorious food.

I should probably stop doing that.

Probably.

I wonder if that will really happen?

Probably not.

Sorry Christopher.

This post has been republished because it’s delicious and I wanted it to appear before Easter. The powers that be, (mainly the big search engine), want posts written a certain way. This is the one post that I refuse to re-write in that cookie cutter way.

It reflects the part of my personality that I show my family and friends which is funny and silly and I’m okay with that.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission, at no additional cost to you, if you click the link and buy something. You can read my disclosure here.

Helpful tips

If you are in the market for a crock pot or slow cooker. Get at least a 6 quart unit. It’s just hubby and myself in our household but it’s perfect as I freeze half of what I cook in it.
You can either get a shoulder with the bone in or boneless. I do prefer the one with the bone because then I can make pea soup.
If the meat comes with skin attached, you can either cut it off before you cook it or leave it on as I do.

How to make a smoked pork shoulder

Brown sugar in the bottom of the crockpot pan

I grab my trusty crockpot and put some brown sugar on the bottom of the ceramic insert. I press it down and smile as I am doing it because – anticipation, my dear friends, anticipation! I save a little of the sugar for the top of the meat.

*I do the smoked shoulder shuffle, which resembles the hustle, but in a very small space.*

Next, comes the smoked pork shoulder picnic cut. The one I bought (pictured below) is 4 pounds. I’m so glad the store sells smoked shoulder in a smaller size. My sister cooks a HUGE shoulder, usually around 9 – 10 pounds. But, since it’s just hubby and I, 3 – 4 pounds will do nicely for us.

I take the shoulder out of its packaging and place it right on top of the brown sugar.

The pork shoulder on the brown sugar in the crockpot pan

The pork shoulder is screaming, “Give me some sugar, baby! Some shu-gah!”

Soooo, I take the rest of the brown sugar and play patty cake with the top of the meat.

Brown sugar patted on the pork. It is in the crockpot insert

Now, I cover the crockpot and set the temperature to high and the timer to 4 hours.

Anticipation

I grab a chair, drag it over to the crockpot and sit and stare at the timer. It’s mesmerizing. Actually it’s boring, so, I get up and go about my day. That’s not to say that I don’t take sneak peeks at the timer, because I do.

It takes at least 2 hours for the brown sugar to melt, so don’t get nervous. There isn’t any need to baste the smoked pork shoulder, so leave it covered!

Two more hours pass and DING! My favorite sound in the whole wide world.

I gallop to the crockpot and whip the cover off, spraying the condensation that accrued on the cover in a pretty arc.

With my big forks, I stab the shoulder, lift it out of the crockpot and place it on a platter to rest at least 15 minutes before I cut into it.

How unfair is that?

The pork shoulder done and on a blue plate with steam rising above!

Look at that juice, PEOPLE!! Is anyone else as happy as I am this very minute? I think not, I think not!

So, 15 minutes drags on and on and on and on but I persevere and can finally cut into the shoulder.

I cut the skin off and cut some slices.

Slices of pork on the plate with some vegetables in the background

I pour the juice from the bottom of the crockpot into a little gravy boat. Then I plate the meat with some roasted carrots and potatoes and scream for Christopher. He comes thundering down the stairs and skids to a stop right behind his chair. He sits, grinning in anticipation.

I place his plate in front of him, take off my apron and sit in front of my plate.

I look happily at Christoper and we both dig in. The rest is history.

A plate with slices of pork with carrots and potatoes on it along with another plate behind it

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I hope you enjoy this smoked pork shoulder recipe as much as I do! And please leave me a comment if you are so inclined as I’d love to hear from you. Tell me what your favorite meat is!

And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

If you’ve tried this or any other recipe on the blog, I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!