Name: Pulled Pork Bowl (Pulled Pork and Sides)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 285 min
Ingredients: 1 pork butt roast (4-5 lbs no bone); 2 chipotle chilis (you can find these in cans in the international section of your grocery store); 1 fresh avocado sliced; 1 lime; 1 batch of cumin lime coleslaw; 1 batch of Mostly from Scratch black beans; 1 tsp kosher salt and 1 tsp pepper and more to taste; 1 tbsp of cumin; 1 tsp of oregano; 2 tsp of paprika; 2 tsp of brown sugar; Water for your roast (The water in your slow cooker should come up to the middle of the roast (1/2 way up)); 1 tbsp of butter or olive oil; 1 cup of uncooked basmati rice; 1 3/4 cup of water for the rice; 2 tsp of kosher salt

This pulled pork and sides is made as a pulled pork rice bowl and it is a great and tasty way to make pulled pork that you cook in your slow cooker. This pulled pork rice bowl is layered with flavor from both the pulled pork and the pulled pork side dishes. If you ever wondered what to serve with pulled pork, this pulled pork rice bowl will fix that!

pulled pork bowl (pulled pork and sides)

About this pulled pork bowl

The pulled pork in these pulled pork rice bowls cooks for hours in the slow cooker until tender. The pulled pork side dishes that go along with the pulled pork couldn't be easier to make.

While the pork cooks, the pulled pork sides are made and it couldn't be any easier.

Here are the parts to these pork bowls

The Pulled Pork.
Pulled Pork Side Dishes

Pulled Pork Sides

Cumin and lime coleslaw. Coleslaw on pulled pork is a match made in heaven and it makes the best side dish to pulled pork!
Cuban style black beans. These Spanish style beans make a great side to any pulled pork.
Fluffy Basmati Rice. This is the base layer for the pulled pork and the sides to sit on.

This pulled pork rice bowl recipe is for cooking the pulled pork in the crockpot (slow cooker) and assembling it with the pulled pork side dishes. If you are looking for more recipe ideas for what to serve with the pulled pork, just scroll down to the bottom.

Alternately, you can opt for just making the pulled pork and using it in pulled pork tacos (see picture below) or in any recipe that calls for pulled pork!

pork tacos 2 — Pulled pork tacos idea that uses crunchy slaw.

Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker (crockpot) method

Making pulled pork in the slow cooker (crock pot) is the easiest way to make pulled pork. It achieves that long and slow cooking that makes the pork tender and you're not heating up your house with the oven.

The slow cooker does all of the work and you just sit back and relax. I really love the slow cooker for so many of my meat dishes because it cuts down on my time in the kitchen and the meat always comes out tender and delicious.

I always make my classic chili and brisket in the slow cooker. I even make a beef bourguignon in it.

Crisping up the pulled pork

Since this method of cooking pulled pork in the slow cooker makes the meat very tender, I like to crisp up the edges of the pork under a broiler for a few minutes. When I do this I add a little bit of the sauce from the slow cooker and it really gives the meat a nice bite.

I love a crispy edge on my pulled pork. Essentially, the pulled pork in this pulled pork bowl is carnitas.

Crisping up pulled pork is the defining difference between pulled pork and carnitas (in case it ever came up in conversation or a debate ensued!)

If you do not have a slow cooker but maybe you have a pressure cooker, you can check out my recipe for pulled pork in the pressure cooker. It is my recipe for pressure cooker pork carnitas and it is equally delicious!

The Pulled Pork Sides

As the title of the recipe suggests, this pulled pork recipe does come with side dishes. In fact, it is all about the pulled pork side dishes 🙂

I always find that side dishes for pulled pork are some of the hardest things to plan.

To help you all out, in case you struggle with pulled pork side dishes too, I wanted to include some ideas below. My family loves these pulled pork sides with our pulled pork and I hope you will enjoy them too.

What to Serve With Pulled Pork

Mostly From Scratch Black Beans

black-beans in pan — These are called mostly from scratch because we use canned black beans and jazz them up with tons of great flavor!

Cuban black beans is really one of my favorite side dishes to serve with pulled pork. It also makes a great meal on its own if I am looking for a quick but satisfying dish.

This black bean side dish recipe uses canned black beans making it really quick to make. The deliciousness comes from all the spices and add ins to the beans and believe me it is not all boring.

Cumin and Lime Cole Slaw

cumin lime coleslaw in bowl on table — This cumin and lime coleslaw recipe will change what you think of coleslaw once you try it. It is so good anytime of year and with so many dishes.

This cumin and lime coleslaw is really delicious and the best coleslaw side dish for pulled pork, hands down. Coleslaw as a side for pulled pork tastes so amazing and I am not a person who generally likes coleslaw but this one I can eat almost every week.

There is so much freshness in this with the lime and shallots and the cumin gives that little bit spice that is so good.

If you are more of a taco fan, this pork goes perfectly on soft tortillas making the most delicious tacos! I love using my cumin lime slaw with the pork tacos for that added crunch.

Fluffy Basmati Rice

The basmati rice is the base for these pulled pork bowls and the perfect thing to soak up all of those extra juices from the pulled pork and the other sides. It is so easy to make and so fluffy.

Rice and pulled pork is my favorite combination and this is my favorite way to do it!

Using up extra pulled pork after making these pulled pork bowls

This pulled pork rice bowl recipe makes a good bit of pulled pork. I like to use this as a meal prep dish and make a batch for different meals during the week.

I also like to use this as a leftover night type of meal to save myself one night of cooking dinner.

It really is an all year round kind of dish. Aside from using this as a summer dish where I do not want to run my oven, I love cooking this all through the winter months too.

How to use leftover pulled pork:

pulled pork tacos with toppings — Pulled pork tacos.

Pork Carnitas is the best and traditional way to use the pulled pork. This recipe is essentially a carnitas recipe since the meat is crisped up at the end before cooking.

A buddha bowl for pulled pork with vegetables (see some sides ideas below if you want more than vegetables). My favorite vegetables to serve with pulled pork are roasted peppers, grilled squash and zucchini , roasted potatoes and cauliflower and avocado!

Pulled Pork Tacos. If you saw the picture above, I love this idea and always add my cumin lime slaw and homemade pico de gallo to the tacos. If you are wondering should I serve something with my pulled pork tacos the answer is you can but it is not necessary. The tacos are an all in one kind of meal. If you are feeling the need to have a side, you can serve some chips and a simple and delicious avocado dip to go with them.

Add it to these rice and bean burritos. Just add your pulled pork to some flour tortillas along with your favorite toppings (pico de gallo, cheese, beans, etc) and roll it all up.

Swap out the ground beef for pork with these oven baked nachos! Pulled pork nachos are so good. Think a bed of tortilla chips topped with some juicy and tender pulled pork then melted cheese over top of that. Serve it with some homemade salsa like this roasted tomato and tomatillo salsa for an even more amazing experience.

With Rice and my favorite Black Beans recipe.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches. You can add this pulled pork to some hoagie rolls along with my cumin and lime coleslaw for the most delicious topping. I swear, this cumin and lime coleslaw makes the best pulled pork sandwich topping! The coleslaw and pulled pork are just a match made in heaven.

Common questions

Can I make the coleslaw ahead of time?

You can make this ahead of time so you do not have to worry about making all the parts of this dish at once. For the best experience where there is some freshness and crunch, you can make this side dish for pulled pork up to 4 hours ahead of time.

You can certainly make it even further in advance but you will loose some of that freshness.

How long does the coleslaw last in the fridge?

I recommend storing coleslaw for no more than 3 days. After this, it just starts to become mushy and no one likes that 🙂

Can I freeze the extra pulled pork?

Yes you can! Pullled pork makes a great freezer meal. Just store it in a freezer proof bag after it has cooled and freeze for up to 2 months. To thaw, place in the fridge overnight.

To re-heat, place the pulled pork inside of some aluminum foil closed tightly in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. To crisp it back up, open up the aluminum foil to expose the meat and place under a broiler for a couple minutes or until crisp.

This recipe is for pulled pork in the crockpot. Can I cook the pulled pork another way?

Traditionally pulled pork is done over an open fire. You can cook pulled pork many ways but this recipe is for crockpot pulled pork where the pulled pork temperature is kept even at a low and slow cooking temperature.

This low and slow pulled pork temperature will yield a tender pulled pork. If you don not have a crockpot, I do have a pressure cooker (instant pot) pulled pork (carnitas) recipe as well.

This pulled pork and sides recipe couldn't be easier and is so amazing! No matter how you do it it will taste amazing! I hope you give it a try!

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5 from 12 votes