I can still close my eyes and be back at the “Old Man’s” pit in North Memphis. My granddaddy taught me that BBQ isn’t just about the fire; it’s about the soul you put into the seasoning and the patience you show the meat. Today, I’m bringing that tradition to your kitchen with my Crockpot Memphis-Style Pulled Pork.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Justin, a pitmaster talking about a crockpot? That’s heresy!” But here’s the thing: Southern hospitality is about making sure everyone gets fed well, which is why I’ve included this in my list of Best Crockpot meals. If you treat that crockpot with the same respect I treat “Bessie” (my favorite smoker), you can pull off a Memphis-style pork that’ll make a grown man cry.

The Memphis Identity: It’s All in the Memphis Dry Rub Recipe

In Memphis, we’re famous for our dry rubs. While folks in Kansas City like it thick and sweet, and the Carolinas love their vinegar, we find the middle ground with a heavy-handed blend of spices. The secret to this Memphis dry rub recipe is the celery seed and a healthy dose of paprika. That celery seed provides a back-of-the-throat tang that defines our regional style.

We use yellow mustard as a “binder.” Don’t be scared—you won’t taste mustard when it’s done. The vinegar in the mustard helps break down the surface proteins, allowing the spices to penetrate deeper and helping that beautiful mahogany crust, or “bark,” to form.

Low and Slow: Pitmaster Slow Cooker Secrets

The biggest mistake I see folks make with a slow cooker is adding water or apple juice to the pot. When you do that, you’re steaming the meat. Real BBQ requires a dry heat environment. One of my favorite pitmaster slow cooker secrets is to let the meat provide its own moisture.

By searing the meat in cast iron first—a technique I also use for my Pitmaster’s Mississippi Pot Roast—and then placing it fat-cap-up in the crockpot without extra liquid, the pork renders its own fat. That fat drips down through the meat, essentially “confiting” the pork in its own soul.

Achieving the Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Bark

The one thing a crockpot can’t do is create a crunchy bark. In the pits, that comes from the airflow and the smoke. To mimic that slow cooker BBQ pork bark at home, I use my “Oven-Bark Finish.”

Once that meat is tender enough to jiggle like a bowl of Jell-O, we shred it, toss it with a little more of that rub and some vinegar, and then we blast it under the broiler. This caramelizes the sugars in the rub and crisps up the edges of the meat. That’s where the flavor lives, friends.

How to Serve Southern Pulled Pork Crockpot Style

If you want to do this the Memphis way, keep it simple. Grab the cheapest, softest white buns you can find. Pile that Southern pulled pork crockpot meat high and top it with a cool, crisp vinegar-based coleslaw right on the sandwich.

BBQ is a social event. Even if your “pit” is sitting on your kitchen counter, the love you put into these layers of flavor will shine through. Just remember: don’t rush it. BBQ rewards the patient.