Slow Cooker Chinese Barbecue Pork. Cooked low and slow for 8 hours until fall-apart tender! This super easy crockpot recipe is much healthier than takeout, and perfect for family weeknight dinners, and also for meal prep.
Looking for more Chinese recipes to make at home? Try my Slow Cooker General Tso’s Chicken or my Slow Cooker Broccoli Beef!
Who knew Chinese Barbecue Pork could be so easy to make at home?! All you need is 10 minutes of prep time to throw everything together.
To flavor this Chinese barbecue pork recipe, I added Chinese 5 spice powder, mirin, hoisin (all of which can be found in the international aisle of your grocery store). I also add in pantry staples like brown sugar, soy sauce, honey, and ketchup. I love making easy takeout style meals, especially when I already have everything on hand!
Once the Chinese barbecue pork sauce ingredients are mixed together I add the sauce to the slow cooker with the cubed pork. Set it on low for 8 hours and come back to an amazing fall apart tender barbecue pork, which took such little effort! So easy!
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Ingredients
The full ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.
- Pork: I used pork shoulder for this recipe, however, pork butt would work well too!
Chinese barbecue pork sauce
- Chinese five-spice powder: This is one of my favorite flavor profiles! It is made with star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. Chinese 5 spice is extremely aromatic and a little sweet!
- Soy Sauce: Adds saltiness with the soy flavor needed for all good Asian recipes. I recommend using low sodium soy sauce in this recipe to keep the sauce from being too salty.
- Sriracha: This is a spicy-sweet pepper sauce. Feel free to add more for a little extra heat!
- Hoisin sauce: Hoisin is made using a fermented soybean paste. It adds a little acidity but also a sweetness.
- Mirin: This is a tangy rice wine which adds some acidity and compliments the sweetness extremely well.
- Brown sugar & honey: I used these instead of white sugar as they add extra flavor as well as sweetness.
How to cook Chinese barbecue pork
- Mix up the sauce: Add the Chinese barbecue sauce recipe ingredients to a bowl and mix well.
- Cube the pork: Dice the pork shoulder or pork butt. This will help the meat to cook quicker, and it will also be easier to shred when it’s ready.
- Cook: Add everything to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. When it’s finished, shred the pork with two forks in the slow cooker and enjoy!
Which cut of meat should I use?
I used pork butt for this recipe because it’s the perfect cut of meat for the slow cooker. It’s cooked low and slow for 8 hours until it is fall-apart tender.
How do I serve this easy Chinese barbecue pork?
I like to serve this Slow Cooker Chinese BBQ pork over rice with a vegetable, but there are plenty of options, especially for family-friendly dinners! Here are a few of my favorites:
- White, brown or wild rice
- Fried rice
- Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Noodles
- Crispy Roasted Garlic Brussels Sprouts
- Quinoa
- Salad
- Asian-style tacos
- Burritos
- Nachos
How do I store this Chinese Barbecue Pork?
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in a pot on the stove, or in the oven.
Can I freeze this Chinese Barbecue Pork recipe?
Yes! This authentic Chinese barbecue pork recipe freezes really well. Just store it after it has completely cooled in an airtight ziplock bag and reheat in a pot on the stove or in the oven. Store it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Perfect for an easy meal prep!
Here are more easy takeout-style recipes to try!
Slow Cooker Chinese Barbecue Pork
Ingredients
- 1 4 pound pork shoulder/pork butt trimmed of excess fat and cubed
Sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup mirin
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1/4 cup hoisin
- 1 teaspoon sriracha, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese 5 spice powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Add the pork and the sauce ingredients to the slow cooker and toss to coat the meat.
- Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Once the pork is tender shred it with two forks. I just do this in the slow cooker.
- You can drain some of the liquid or serve the extra liquid over rice!
- Serve immediately with sesame seeds if desired.
Optional
- For crispy pork when the pork has finished cooking and is shredded preheat broiler and place the pork on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Cook until browned and crispy, 3-4 minutes. Make sure to keep an eye on it and continue to toss it.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I'd love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don't forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Amanda
Hi, I just stumbled upon your website. I am so happy I did 🙂 This recipe sounds fantastic. I can’t wait to try it out; along with all of your recipes.
Andrew
Cooked this last night and everyone loved it!
Used 2 slow cookers with about a 7lb piece in each, cut into large chunks and left untrimmed, and probably didn’t need the full 8hr cooking time.
Strained the fat from the liquid in the pot, added a little extra mirin, hoisin, honey and salt and cooked it down with a little corn starch to thicken it to a sauce. This with a little kewpie mayo, fresh cut slaw and some pickles in a tortilla, amazing!
Larry H.
Hello. My name is Larry. This is my first time on your site. I want to try the “Slow Cooker Chinese Barbecue Pork” w/ Pork Butt. I’m curious, can I leave the meat in the full sliced cubes that the cook starts with? I prefer to avoid the “Pulled Pork” scenario that seems to be more preferred. Also, is there a way to decrease the spiciness of Store Bought Hoisin Sauce?
Thanks very much for your response,
Larry
Nathan
Hi Larry,
You can certainly skip the shredding step and leave the pork in cubes. If you want to make it less spicy you can cut down or emit the sriracha as well. I hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for commenting!
Nathan
@chefsavvy
Dorinda Cline
Can I use sirloin pork roast
Kelley Simmons
Hi Dorinda,
I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I would keep an eye on it though and not cook it as long as the pork shoulder. The sirloin has less fat and can dry out faster than a pork shoulder could.
Thanks & Enjoy!
Kelley
Aussie home cook
Loved this recipe, I added fresh garlic, ginger and onion and due to not having any hoisin sauce chucked in some basic BBQ sauce instead.
Once cooked I reduced the sauce down and thickened it up, added the shredded pork and used it with home made bao buns!! The bomb
Kelley Simmons
Yah so glad you enjoyed this! The homemade bao buns sound amazing!
Nannj
This was delicious! Kitchen smells amazing. Served over brown rice with a side of sautéed bok chow.
Kelley Simmons
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!