An easy and delicious recipe that feeds a crowd: Slow Cooker Gochujang Pulled Pork! Adding Korean Chili Paste adds intense flavor that is spicy-sweet, smoky, and absolutely delicious. An easy way to make a game day favorite even better. Serve with rice or pile onto brioche buns for the best pulled pork sandwiches!
What is Slow Cooker Gochujang Pulled Pork?
If you love BBQ Pulled Pork, you’ll love this variation with a Korean twist: Gochujang BBQ Pulled Pork! Adding Gochujang adds a smoky, spicy-sweet intensity to regular pulled pork. The fatty pork absorbs all the good flavors of this iconic Korean ingredient. Tender and juicy, Gochujang adds a spicy twist that is so delicious!
This slow cooker recipe takes full advantage of Gochujang’s most winning qualities: spicy-sweet heat, umami depth and richness, and that bold, full-bodied flavor that everyone seems to love about Korean food. Plug in your slow cooker and let it do all the work for you!
In Korean cuisine, Gochujang is often paired with pork. They are culinary besties and complement each other well. Gochujang cuts through the richness of pork to add intense flavor. And the pork adds a mellow richness to Gochujang. Together, they pair very well.
Some popular Korean pork + gochujang dishes: Spicy Pork Belly Bulgogi, Spicy Korean Pork Stir Fry, and Braised Spicy Pork Ribs.
I like to make a big batch for parties and potlucks. Leftovers taste even better. And are good for meal prep.
Serve with rice and your favorite side dishes like Mac Salad and Jalapeno Lime Coleslaw. Or serve with brioche buns to make the most fantastic BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches. Even tastes good with Burrito Bowls or tacos. The meal possibilities are endless!
Ingredients:
- Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt. Look for a nicely marbled piece. Trim excess fat from the edges.
- Onion + Jalapeno + Garlic + Ginger. The essential aromatics.
- Gochujang. Korean fermented chili paste. Deeply flavored, pungent, and full of umami goodness!
- Gochukaru. *Optional.* Korean dried chili flakes. Earthy, smoky, spicy. Leave it out if you don’t have it.
- Sugar. To balance all that spicy heat!
- Rice Vinegar. Adds tangy depth of flavor.
- Sriracha. Adds another level of heat and spice.
- Sesame Oil. Fragrant, nutty aroma.
How to make BBQ Pulled Pork with Gochujang:
The 2-part method is simple and so easy! Place in the slow cooker to break down the pork shoulder easily. Then a blast under the broiler guarantees all those crispy, caramelized bits. The end result will be a succulent, rich, flavorful, juicy heap of spicy-sweet Gochujang Pork that tastes good with EVERYTHING!
- Season pork shoulder. Place pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Add salt and pepper and rub all over.
- Mix marinade together. In a separate bowl, mix marinade ingredients. Rub all over pork shoulder.
- Add onion and jalapeno. Scatter over the pork shoulder.
- Cook. Cover and cook until tender and falling apart. (High heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6-7 hours.)
- Shred with forks. In the slow cooker, shred the pork in its juices with two forks.
- Broil. Transfer pork and juices to foil-lined sheet pan. Broil on high heat until crispy and caramelized.
- Serve and enjoy! Taste great as pulled pork sandwiches, pork carnitas, in rice bowls, etc.
PRO Tips:
- Make ahead of time. Taste great made in advance, up to 1 day. Store in the fridge, tightly covered, until ready to serve. Remove the hardened fat and reheat on the sheet pan.
- Adjust spice level. If you like things less spicy, add less Gochujang and Gochukaru.
- Freeze leftovers. Gochujang Pulled Pork freezes well. Cool completely and store in an airtight container or ziplock baggie.
Kitchen Tools:
- Slow Cooker or Crock Pot. Breaks down all that fatty pork and collagen with ease.
- Rimmed Sheet Pan. To achieve those charred, smoky bits. A rimmed sheet pan makes it easy to broil in the oven on high heat.
How to serve:
- Rice. Tastes good with rice to sop up all those juices and flavors.
- Sandwiches. Makes great Pulled Pork Sandwiches with your favorite coleslaw, pickles, and brioche buns.
- Tacos, burrito bowls, nachos. Tastes great stuffed into tacos, piled into burrito bowls, or scattered over tortilla chips. Think of it like a spicy Pork Carnitas.
More Gochujang recipes:
- Gochujang Chicken Drumsticks
- Air Fryer Gochujang Chicken Thighs
- Spicy Gochujang Pork Rice Bowls
- Gochujang Sauce
- 7 Easy Gochujang Recipes
If you are new to Korean food and want to learn more, check out my Beginner’s Guide to Korean Food.
Slow Cooker Gochujang Pulled Pork recipe
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 lb pork shoulder
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeno, chopped (optional)
Marinade
- 1/4 cup Gochujang (Korean fermented chili paste)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 inch ginger, minced
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp Gochukaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (white vinegar also works)
- 2 Tbsp sriracha
- 1 Tbsp sesame oil
Garnish
- 2 green onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Generously salt and pepper pork shoulder. Place in slow cooker.
- Mix marinade ingredients in small bowl. Rub marinade all over pork shoulder with hands.
- Scatter onion and jalapeno over the top.
- Cover and cook until tender and falling apart, about 4 hours on high setting or 6-7 hours on low setting. This will depend on the thickness of the meat, so feel free to check for tenderness after the minimal time allowance.
- Open lid and shred pork with two forks, directly into the slow cooker. This will ensure the pork soaks up all the sauce. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Arrange top rack in oven so that it's 3-4 inches from the heat source. Set oven to broil and pre-heat for 10 minutes (while the shredded pork stands and absorbs the sauce).
- Using a slotted spoon, remove pork onto foil-lined baking sheet. Drizzle leftover sauce from the slow cooker over the pork. Broil at high heat until the pork is browned with crispy edges and charred bits, about 4-6 minutes. Watch carefully so that it doesn't burn too much.
- Transfer to serving plate and garnish with cilantro or green onion. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
Notes
- Make ahead of time. Taste great made in advance, up to 1 day. Store in the fridge, tightly covered, until ready to serve. Remove the hardened fat and reheat on the sheet pan.
- Adjust spice level. If you like things less spicy, add less Gochujang and Gochukaru.
- Freeze leftovers. Gochujang Pulled Pork freezes well. Cool completely and store in an airtight container or ziplock baggie.
Hi, I’m making this today and it smells AMAZING. We’re excited to try it.
No need to post this, just wanted to ask you to please add green onion and cilantro to the ingredients list. It shows up in the instructions, at the end, but I’m already home from the grocery store.
I’m so sorry about that! I added the ingredients as garnish to the recipe card. Thank you.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Yes, it keeps for up to a week. Be careful of cross contamination and store in the fridge in an air tight container. It’s very easy to reheat!
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This totally hits the mark for a pork carnitas with a distinctively korean twist! The texture and balance of sweet and spicy was spot on. I used plum syrup in place of sugar and a homemade jalapeno chili garlic paste instead of sriracha, as they were what I had on hand. I had some slow cooker gochujang pork over a bowl of roasted cauliflower as a quick dinner which was tasty and very filling, but am totally looking forward to making fusion tacos with the next serving!
Instant pot version? I’m too impatient!! Please and thank you!!