Crock Pot Pulled Pork in Apple BBQ Sauce

Crock Pot Pulled Pork in Apple BBQ Sauce - this gluten-free pulled pork in a naturally sweetened apple BBQ sauce is definitely a crowd pleaser! You'll love finding different ways to eat it! 

A plate of crockpot shredded pork in bbq sauce with a fork.

Eating out is hard when you have celiac disease and a lot of food intolerances. Even if a restaurant has a gluten free menu, you often worry if you’ll get sick from cross contamination. Typically, when I find a restaurant that I’ve had good experiences with, I become a frequent customer. Michael and I only have a few restaurants that I feel safe eating at that are within walking distance of our house. One of them is a great ribs joint so we find ourselves there often. 

A fork full of crock pot shredded pork.

The only issue is that I’m unable to eat the BBQ sauce on all of the ribs because of the refined sugar and vinegar (Strangely enough, I don’t have any reaction to apple cider vinegar though). So I normally eat my ribs and pork dry rubbed with no sauce. However, lately I’ve been really missing having some BBQ sauce. I thought it was about time that I made a sauce at home that was refined sugar free and used apple cider vinegar and boy am I glad I did!

This sauce is sweetened with apple sauce and honey and hits all the right notes! It was super easy to make and while it might have a slight apple sauce texture you could definitely blend it longer than I did to get it to a smooth consistency. However, I was throwing it in the crock pot with some pork so I wasn’t too worried about the texture.

Two lettuce wraps on a plate filled with pulled pork, peppers, cucumbers and red onions with a platter of bbq pulled pork in the backgroudn.

Now let’s talk about this pulled pork. I became slightly obsessed with it and was eating it on EVERYTHING. Lettuce wraps. Tater Tots. Over Fritos. Seriously – best week of lunches EVER! I think you’ll love how easy this crock pot pulled pork is to put together. The sauce takes a little bit of time but other than that, it’s just a dump and go kind of recipe. The bacon provides that little bit of smokiness that makes the pork taste sooo good. And I just love the versatility of the pork too! There are so many options with this dish!

What’s your favorite way to eat pulled pork?

Crock Pot Pulled Pork in Apple BBQ Sauce

Crock Pot Pulled Pork in Apple BBQ Sauce - this gluten-free pulled pork in a naturally sweetened apple BBQ sauce is definitely a crowd pleaser! You'll love finding different ways to eat it! 
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 283kcal
Author: Megan

Ingredients

  • 15 oz diced or crushed tomatoes (canned)
  • 7 oz tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup tamari sauce (can also use coconut aminos or soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/2 cup apple sauce
  • 2 tbsp honey
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 3 slices bacon
  • 2.5 lb pork roast

Instructions

  • Preheat the crockpot.
  • In the meantime, to make the sauce add all the ingredients except for the bacon and pork roast. Bring to a boil, and then let simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Using an immersion blender or by adding all of the ingredients to a blender, blend the sauce until it is smooth. Return to the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  • Place the bacon in the crock pot and then lay the pork roast on top. Cover with 2/3 of the sauce. Reserve the remaining 1/3 for serving.
  • Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Shred the pork with two forks.
  • Serve with remaining sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 283kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1109mg | Potassium: 948mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 795IU | Vitamin C: 10.6mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.5mg
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about megan

I’m Megan

A gluten-free food blogger from Chicago and lover of all things food, showing you gluten-free can be easy and delicious, too. Let’s make gluten-free stress free together! Read more…

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6 Comments

  1. Pork + apple is such a winning combo. I’m surprised I never considered combining them in pulled pork before. Usually I just have applesauce with pork chops or pork loin. Definitely going to try this!

    By the way, I’m hosting a weekly favorites blogger linkup on my blog today. I’d love for you to come share your favorite post of the week!

    Lifestyle by Joules

  2. itsthattimefor says:

    Oh my this recipe sounds amazing! Definitely saving it so I can try it soon. It would make such a great lunch! x

    Jess | It’s That Time For

    1. Thanks Jess! I hope you enjoy it!

  3. City Meets Southern says:

    Pulled pork is literally one of my favorite things in the world! I’m going to have to try this recipe!

  4. Delicious! I made it tonight and it was wonderful, although next time I will use less cinnamon. Too much cinnamon for my taste buds.

    1. Yay! So glad you liked it. I will admit I’m a cinnamon fiend so I will make a note to try less cinnamon in the recipe. Thanks for the feedback Lauren! 🙂