This slow cooker recipe for Italian Pulled Pork can be served in a sandwich smothered in Mozzarella or with pasta – either way, it’s one fantastic dish!
Everybody loves pork, but why is it such underrated meat in the kitchen? Even on this blog, pork has seemingly taken a back seat to the likes of chicken, and beef! But this shouldn’t be the case. I particularly love Pan-Seared Brined Pork Chops, but this recipe is on another level.
Pork offers immense flavor and dimension into a dish, and to show you, I’ve prepared an amazingly delicious Italian Pulled Pork recipe. After trying this dish, you’ll be seeing a lot more pork on this site because I am truly blown away!
Why This Recipe Works
- Slow cooking the pork ensures it is juicy and pulls apart easily.
- Italian flavors give this pulled pork recipe a twist that can’t be beat
- Adding wine to the dish gives it a rich and delicious taste that’s on another level.
How to make Slow cooker italian pulled pork
- Saute the onion and garlic.
- Mix the tomato paste and wine, simmer.
- Place the pork into the slow cooker.
- Add tomatoes, basil, and parsley to the wine mixture.
- Pour over the pork and cook for 8 hours.
- Pull the pork apart and assemble your sandwich.
- Serve and enjoy!
Pulled pork is extraordinarily popular. Let’s be honest here, pulled pork is the new bacon when it comes to additions to sandwiches, salads, and even eggs. My go-to choice when it comes to pork? I like using Smithfield Boneless Pork Shoulder.
Now back to the recipe. I’m big into Italian food so when we decided to have a Game Day party to celebrate football season being underway, I decided to do a dish I can leave in the slow cooker to cook all day and then serve it up in sandwiches when my guests were ready to eat.
The pork was beautifully tender and the tomato sauce was rich and packed full of flavor. It was so good, we had it leftover the following day with pasta. I’m telling you, I have never gotten so many compliments on a meal. 
As you can see, Smithfield Pork is incredibly versatile that can take on any flavor combination you throw at it! It’s a meat that you can dress up and serve for a fancy dinner, but at the same time, it’s something that you can throw in a slow cooker until it’s melt-in-your-mouth tender and heave it onto a roll for a football party or tailgate. So next time you’re thinking about using chicken, turkey, or beef, you should give pork a fighting chance! You might end up realizing that pork is your new favorite choice of meat!
Other Italian Dishes You’ll Love
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Let’s Make Slow Cooker Italian Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 Smithfield Boneless Pork Shoulder Roast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- black pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil separated
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion diced
- 28 oz crushed canned tomatoes
- 3 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 cup wine red or white whatever your prefer
- 2 good handfuls fresh basil torn
- 1 good handful fresh parsley chopped
- extra salt and pepper to taste
- For the Sandwich:
- Italian bread
- mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Dilute the tomato paste in the wine. Increase the heat, stir in the diluted tomato paste and continue to cook until the volume of the liquid is reduced by one-third.
- Add the pork to the slow cooker (whole with the netting removed)
- Once the diluted wine has reduced, add the tomatoes, basil, and parsley to the wine mixture. Season with salt and black pepper and stir well.
- Bring to the boil, then cover the pork with the sauce by ladling it into the slow cooker.
- Cook on low for 8 hours.
- Remove the pork to a cutting board and using two forks pull the pork apart.
- To make the sandwich.
- Pile Italian bread high with the pulled pork. Cover with a little of the sauce and then with shredded mozzarella cheese
- and place under the broiler until the cheese has melted.
Nutrition Information:
*This is a Sponsored post from Smithfield*
Auggie. G says
is the wine absolutely necessary or could it be left out or even substituted out for something else?
Erren Hart says
The wine in the pulled pork recipe adds a depth of flavor to the dish, but it is not absolutely necessary. If you prefer not to use wine, you could substitute it with chicken or beef broth, apple cider vinegar, or even beer. Just keep in mind that it will change the dish’s flavor profile slightly.
Gemma says
Erren, I wrote earlier about the Italian Pulled Pork, I don’t think I gave it stars; we hadn’t eaten it yet – please add 5. We just ate it in a toasted French baguette with melted mozzarella and it really tasted exceptional. Thanks, Gemma
Erren Hart says
How lovely of you to come back to rate it! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Gemma!
Gemma says
Have the slow cooker on low for not even a half hour and your recipe smells delicious already!! We’re watching the Formula 1 Race at this moment and cannot be more happy and looking forward to eating in 7 1/2 more hours. Thanks Erren!!
Andy says
Love the idea–this is like a pulled pork ragu. I’ll be trying this out in a dutch oven this weekend. Can you recommend a pickle/crunch component to go in the sammich?
Erren Hart says
Hi Andy, Tomato sauce is pretty ascitic so I would choose something that’s on the sweeter side to counterbalance it. Hope this helps.