Crockpot Asian Shredded Pork
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This Asian Shredded Pork recipe is a lighter and tender slow cooker pulled pork that bathes in an incredibly flavored Asian-inspired sauce. It’s a 10-minute prep dish using pork tenderloin and is perfect for shredded pork recipes like tacos, sliders with noodles, or rice!
Recipe Overview
- Method: Slow Cooker (6-quart)
- Time: 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low
- Servings: 6
- Dishes: Pulled pork, tacos, over rice or noodles, sliders
What I Love About This Shredded Pork Recipe
Delicious!: First and foremost– the flavor is incredible. Seriously, it’s almost addictive!
Almost zero prep: But secondly (and it’s a close second), it’s really, really easy to pull together quickly. With about 10 minutes of prep that involves simply whisking an Asian-inspired stir-fry sauce, your part is done. The crockpot does all the rest. It reminds me of Crockpot Hawaiian Pineapple Pork (3 ingredients)!
Versatile: This recipe makes a good amount of shredded pork, which can be used in a variety of ways. I love it simply over rice mixed with shredded carrots and chopped purple cabbage, but it can also be made into the most delicious shredded pork tacos or to-die-for Asian-inspired pull pork slider!
However you decide to use this pulled pork (it freezes beautifully, by the way), I know you’ll love it!
Slow Cooker Asian Shredded Pork Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this easy slow cooker recipe:
- Pork tenderloin
- Garlic cloves (left whole)
For the sauce:
- Soy sauce (I’m using reduced sodium)
- Honey
- Dark soy (or molasses or maple syrup)
- Toasted sesame oil
- Rice wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar or other vinegar like sherry, apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar)
- Ginger: Either fresh minced ginger or dried ginger
- Cornstarch for thickening
- Optional red pepper flakes for added heat
How to Make Shredded Pork
Here’s how easy this slow cooker dish is!
Step 1: Add pork and garlic to the crockpot
Place the pork tenderloin in the base of the slow cooker and scatter the garlic cloves around the meat.
Step 2: Whisk the sauce
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, honey, dark soy, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, and optional red pepper flakes. Then, pour the sauce over the meat in the slow cooker.
Turn the meat so that it is coated with the sauce on all its surfaces. It does not have to be completely submerged in the sauce.
Step 3: Slow cook and shred
Cook on high for 2-2½ hours or low for 4 hours or until the pork is fall-apart tender. Discard garlic cloves and use a fork to shred the pork (it should come apart easily), and then cook on high until warmed through.
How to Serve
There are several ways to serve this shredded pork recipe. It’s delicious over rice or noodles but also incredible when stuffed into tacos or sliders!
I love the texture of this pulled pork when tossed with about 1/2 cup of shredded carrots and about 1/4 of a head of cabbage. For color, I prefer purple cabbage.
Why I chose a pork tenderloin
Many shredded pork recipes will call for pork shoulder or pork butt. And it works great for breaking down the fibers in the meat, leaving tender, delicious shreds.
However, they are also fattier meats, which is why I chose a pork tenderloin. While it’s a leaner cut of meat with less fat marbling, it still shreds beautifully when cooked in this sauce.
If you prefer to substitute a pork butt or shoulder, simply follow the recipe instructions in the card below but adjust the cooking time to 4-5 hours on high or on low for 8-10 hours.
More Pork Recipes You May Also Love
Crockpot Asian Shredded Pork
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-2.5 pound pork tenderloin or shoulder or pork butt (*see notes)
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 tablespoon dark soy (molasses or maple syrup)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar (red wine vinegar and other vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger minced (or 1/4 tsp dry)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or to taste
Instructions
- Place the pork in the base of the slow cooker and scatter the garlic around the meat.
- Combine the soy sauce, honey, dark soy, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, cornstarch, ginger, and optional red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Pour the sauce into the slow cooker.
- Toss meat around to coat all its surfaces with the sauce, but it does not have to be completely submerged in the sauce.
- Cook on high for 2-2½ hours or low for 4 hours or until the pork is fall-apart tender. Discard garlic cloves and use a fork to shred the pork (it should come apart easily) and then cook on high until warmed through.
- Serve with rice, noodles or make delicious tacos or sliders! And don’t forget to add garnishes! Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Pork: This recipe calls for a pork tenderloin but if preferred, you could substitute a pork shoulder or pork butt. Adjust the slow cook time to 4 to 5 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low for a 4-5 lb pork.
- Vinegar: Rice wine vinegar adds a delicious Asian flavor to the shredded pork, but you can also substitute red wine vinegar or other vinegar like sherry, apple cider vinegar, or white wine vinegar.
- Optional heat: Many of our family members love adding Asian Chile Sauce to elevate spiciness. I let them drizzle it over the meat after it’s cooked as a condiment.
- Serving: There are several ways to serve this shredded pork recipe. It’s delicious over rice or noodles but also incredible when stuffed into tacos or sliders!
- Add-ins: I love the texture of this pulled pork when tossed with about 1/2 cup of shredded carrots and about 1/4 of a head of cabbage. For color, I prefer purple cabbage.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.