This smoky, juicy, and succulently tender keto pulled pork is jam-packed with flavor from the homemade (and sugar-free!) BBQ sauce. And it’s so easy to make!
Serve it sandwiched between my keto hamburger buns, or on a BBQ plate for keto dinners with keto coleslaw and keto green beans.
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Barbecue Sauce To Rule Them All
Picture this: You’ve whipped up a crockpot of this keto pulled pork. You invite over your pals, and everyone is nose-deep in their *first* plate. After a few moments of silence, the compliments start rolling in, which you accept graciously. But now, they want details– Starting with that sauce. No one recognizes it. Maybe you splurged and bought some real fancy stuff?
“Oh!” You say with pride. “I made it! Do you like it?” But you know. Of course they like it! You spotted 2 of them licking their fingers, and everyone else is on their second plate.
You haven’t even mentioned that it’s sugar free yet. Game over. Checkmate. You’re officially the barbecue queen or king.
This juicy, tender keto pulled pork is a hit every time I make it. We always throw it in a bun of some kind for low carb pulled pork sandwiches or serve it alongside other Southern classics for a delicious BBQ plate. Did I mention there are only 20 minutes of work involved?! Enjoy! 🍖❤️ – Linds x
Ingredient Notes
There are a lot of ingredients going into the layers of flavor for this low carb pulled pork, because we’ve got 2 things going on here: pork, and keto BBQ sauce. Know that most of the ingredients are spices. Also, you can sub storebought BBQ sauce to simplify things. (Although, my BBQ sauce could win awards. Just sayin’.)
The pork:
- Yellow onions – We’ll dice this up and add it to the sauce.
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Golden Swerve/Lakanto – the perfect substitute for brown sugar. Swerve and Lakanto are sweeter than most erythritol brands, so if you’re using a different product, you’ll want to adjust– erythritol is 70% as sweet.
- Spices: Chili powder + cumin
- Boneless pork shoulder – can sub for pork butt (or Boston butt), just be sure to remove the large fat cap. This can be tricky, so I prefer to use the shoulder here.
The Sauce:
- Tomato paste
- Apple cider vinegar
- Worcestershire sauce
- Mustard
- Spices: Onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder
- Liquid monk fruit – liquid keto sweeteners are easiest to dissolve into a liquid — you can use golden Swerve or Lanato, however, you may need to heat the BBQ sauce ingredients for it to dissolve.
- Liquid smoke – optional, but we love the smoky flavor in our BBQ sauce.
Is Pulled Pork Keto?
This pulled pork recipe is keto! However, your local BBQ joint’s recipe is doused in a sugar based BBQ sauce, which will crank the carb count higher than most sauces. If ordering pulled pork from a restaurant, ask your waiter if it can be made without BBQ sauce.
How to Make Keto Pulled Pork:
- Place onions, garlic, and chicken stock in the crockpot.
- Combine the erythritol, salt, chili powder, and cumin.
- Pat pork dry, then rub the spice mix over the pork and place it in the crockpot.
- Cover and cook until pork is fork-tender. Then remove it to a cutting board, as well as the onions. Discard liquid.
- Roughly chop the onions and return to the crockpot.
- Shred the pork and remove excess fat using 2 forks. Place meat into the crockpot.
- Whisk BBQ sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Pour BBQ sauce over the pork and toss to thoroughly combine.
Can You Make Keto Pulled Pork Instant Pot?
Absolutely! You’ll cook the pork on high pressure for 60 minutes. The quick-release should take about 20 minutes to release. See the recipe card for full instructions.
How to Serve it!
Honestly? I’m a happy gal eating this low carb pulled pork straight from the crockpot without sides 💁♀️ But it’s perfect for pulled pork sandwiches — toast up your favorite keto bread, and cover it in additional BBQ sauce. Some great options for low carb “buns” include:
- Almond flour bread variations
- Roasted portobello mushrooms, stems removed
- Bell peppers, seeds, ribs + top removed
- Tomato slices
It also makes a great main for other Southern classics like keto cornbread, cauliflower mac and cheese, and keto potato salad.
More BBQ Faves
Low Carb Keto Pulled Pork
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
Pork
- 2 Large Yellow Onions Thinly Sliced
- 6 Cloves Garlic
- 1 Cup Chicken Stock
- 1 Tablespoon Golden Erythritol
- 3 Tablespoons Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 5 Pound Boneless Pork Shoulder Twine or Net Removed
BBQ Sauce:
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup water
- 6 tablespoons apple cide vinegar
- 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup mustard
- 5 Teaspoon onion powder
- 5 Teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon liquid monkfruit
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Serve With:
Instructions
- Prep. Place sliced onions and garlic in a single layer along the bottom of a slow cooker (for Instant Pot method, see note 1). Pour chicken stock on top.
- Pork. In a small bowl, whisk together the erythritol, salt, chili powder, and cumin. Pat the pork roast dry with paper towels, then evenly rub the spice mix over the pork. Place in the crockpot.
- Cook. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours on high, or 8-10 hours on low. Once the pork is fork-tender, remove it to a cutting board. Remove onions to the cutting board. Discard all liquid from the crockpot.
- Chop. Roughly chop the onions and return them to the crockpot.
- Shred. Once cool enough to handle, use 2 forks to shred the pork roast, removing any large pieces of fat. Place shredded meat back into the crockpot.
- BBQ sauce. Whisk BBQ sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. Pour over the pork and toss to thoroughly combine. Serve with extra sauce and enjoy!
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Lindsey's Tips
- To cook in an Instant Pot:
- Cut the pork into 5 equal pieces. Combine spice mix (erythritol, salt, cumin, and chili powder) ingredients together in a large bowl, then add the pork and toss to coat.
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode, and add 2 tablespoons of avocado or veggie oil (more as needed). Once the oil is shimmering, add the pork, 2 pieces at a time, and sear on each side until golden -- about 2-3 minutes. Set seared meat aside on a plate and continue with other pieces.
- Turn off Instant Pot, add chicken broth (you'll want to increase the amount of broth to 2 cups for an Instant Pot), and deglaze the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Add the onion, garlic, and seared meat back in -- spacing out the meat as much as possible.
- Seal pot, make sure vent is set to "seal", and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes. Release the vent until the pin drops, should take about 20 minutes. Check the meat to ensure it's fork-tender. Pick up at step 4 from above.
