Slow Cooked BBQ Pork and Chicken

Recipe, video and photography provided by Heinen’s partner, Chef Billy Parisi.

It’s BBQ season and today I have two fantastic recipes for Slow Roasted Pork and Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken. You are going to love them!

How to Make BBQ Pork

Let’s start with the pork. We’re going to use the oven for this recipe because the oven was the slow cooker before the slow cooker was the slow cooker. I’ve got a beautiful 3 1/2 pound shoulder roast, but first, I am going to start by making a quick rub.

The rub consists of onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, paprika and sugar. Mix them all together until they are completely combined and coat the pork on all sides using a spoon or your hand.

Once the pork is completely covered, place a Dutch oven or large pot over low heat on the stove and add a little bit of oil. Now it’s time to add the pork. The goal is to get a nice brown crust, like the bark you see on smoked BBQ pork, so I recommend cooking for 3-4 minutes per side.

After the pork has browned, add chicken stock, beef stock or water to the pot, depending on your preference. Add the lid to the pot and transfer the entire pot to the oven at 350°F for 2 1/2 to 3 hours so that the pork shreds perfectly when it is done.

How to Make BBQ Chicken

Now that the pork is cooking, it’s the perfect time to start working on the slow cooker chicken. I am starting with 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts that are between 8 and 10 oz. each. I’m going to season them very well with sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper on both sides.

Head over to your slow cooker and set it to the sear function. Add a little oil and place the chicken onto the bottom in an even layer to sear for 2 to 3 minutes on both sides. Once they are golden brown, give them a flip and add some chicken stock. Place the lid on and set the slow cooker to high for 3 hours.

Let me stop and say this, although the pork has a spice rub and the chicken does not, you can always add the spice rub to both or add it to the chicken and not the pork. It is all up to your taste preferences.

How to Serve BBQ Pork

Now it’s time to get back to the meat. Take the pork out of the oven and shred it apart in the Dutch oven with two forks until it resembles pulled pork. At this point, you can add barbeque sauce, but I am going to do things a little differently. I am going to start by adding the pulled pork to the bottom part of a bun, drizzle on BBQ sauce (I like Two Brothers Barbecue Sauce) and top it with creamy coleslaw for a Carolina-style sandwich. If you prefer to serve the coleslaw separately, you can do that, too! All that’s left to do is put the top on and you are ready to dig in.

How to Serve BBQ Chicken

For the chicken, you’ll follow the same method as the pork and shred it apart in the slow cooker with two forks, but this time I am going to add the BBQ sauce directly into the slow cooker and mix until the chicken is coated. You can serve this on a sandwich, just like the pulled pork, or serve it in a bowl with extra barbeque sauce drizzled on top. It is totally up to you.

Both of these recipes are fantastic, easy to make and great for graduations and barbeque get-togethers. Whatever the case may be, your family and guests will absolutely love it.