Gochujang Korean Pulled Pork
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Win over the whole family with this flavor-packed Korean pulled pork. Slow-cooked in a bold mix of gochujang, soy sauce, honey, and chicken stock, it turns irresistibly tender with almost no effort thanks to the slow cooker.
This Korean pulled pork has everything I love about classic, fall-apart pulled pork, but with a bold Korean-inspired twist. It’s slightly sweet, smoky, and just a little spicy, with all the flavor coming together as the pork slowly simmers away in the slow cooker. The result is tender, juicy pork that practically shreds itself and works just as well as a main dish as it does piled onto pizza, noodles, tacos, or bowls.
The ingredient list stays refreshingly simple, but each one pulls its weight. Gochujang brings deep umami and gentle heat, soy sauce adds savory depth, honey balances everything with a touch of sweetness, and chicken stock keeps the pork moist and flavorful as it cooks. Using pork shoulder or butt ensures a rich, melt-in-your-mouth texture that makes this recipe so hard to resist.
Is this an authentic Korean pulled pork recipe?
This recipe features tender, pulled pork wrapped up in my favorite Korean flavor – gochujang. It is quite different than bossam, traditional Korean boiled pork. Bossam is made by boiling a braising cut of pork in a flavorful broth and then thinly slicing it to serve. My Korean Kitchen has a great bossam recipe you should check out.
While my recipe for Korean pulled pork is not authentic, it is a fan favorite made with the flavors you associate with Korean food – sweet, salty, spicy, and delicious!
What cut of meat to use for pulled pork
For the best pulled pork, look for pork shoulder, which is also called pork butt or Boston butt (despite the name, it comes from the upper shoulder, not the rear). This cut has plenty of marbling, which keeps the pork juicy, tender, and full of flavor as it cooks. You can use bone-in or boneless — bone-in adds a bit more flavor, while boneless is easier to shred and fits more easily in a slow cooker.
It’s best to avoid pork loin for pulled pork. While it’s a lean cut, it doesn’t have enough fat to stay moist during long cooking, so it can dry out easily.
How to serve Korean pulled pork
Gochujang pork shines as a standalone main, served alongside some fluffy basmati rice and Asian vegetables, such as my garlic sauteed bok choy. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, or green onion slices before serving.
This pulled pork is delicious on this Korean-style pizza. You can also pile it in my Korean pulled pork sandwhich or try rolling it up in my Korean burrito with quick pickled veggies.
Gochujang Korean Pulled Pork Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup chicken stock
- ⅓ cup gochujang
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ cup honey
- 5 lb pork shoulder or butt
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the chicken stock, gochujang, soy sauce, and honey.
- Put the pork into your slow cooker and then pour the sauce over the top.5 lb pork shoulder or butt
- Cook the pork for 4-6 hours on high heat or 8-10 hours on low heat.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place it into a baking dish. Pour the juice that is in the slow cooker into a small pot and bring it to a boil. Let it boil hard until it thickens and becomes saucy. Pour or scoop the fat off of the sauce.
- While the sauce is reducing, shred the pork using 2 forks. Pull it across the grain to make long strands rather than short chunks. When the sauce is finished, pour it over the pulled pork and gently toss so everything is well coated.
Nutrition
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This looks awesome. I’m making this in a couple of days for 12 people and we’re going to do them as sliders. I was planning on doing it in two croc pots. Any recommendation for how to increase the recipe, i.e.: how much pork shoulder should I buy? Also, would you recommend making extra sauce or do you think the reduced “juices” will be sufficient.
If you’re planning on using 2 slow cookers, I would recommend simply doubling the recipe. And if you don’t end up with leftovers, it freezes very well. 🙂
This recipe has made its way into a monthly (if not more frequent) routine for me. The only reason I come back to the site at this point is to salivate at the pictures while my slow cooker does its job.
Oh I love it! That’s so great to hear!
I absolutely love this receipe!! I make it all the time. I’d love to cook it for a party this weekend but was curious if I could cook this on high for 5 hours if that would work?
I haven’t tried it but I suspect that it would work. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it turned out!
LOVE THIS RECIPE! I just made this using an instant pot in place of a crock pot. Only change was 1hr vs. 8hr cook time. Came out perfect, thank you so much for a flavorful recipe. I’d been searching and searching for a pork shoulder recipe that wasnt basic bbq pulled pork or pot roast. This is it! Served with a chopped cabbage salad w/honey ginger dressing and kimchee.
I recently got an Instant Pot so will have to try this recipe with that. I like the idea of being able to make it in only an hour!
I’m thinking this wants cabbage as a go-with, but probably not the cole slaw that we usually make with pork shoulder (North Carolina style). Doesn’t seem like that would be the right flavor profile. What do you recommend?
I think something like this carrot salad (only adding some cabbage) would be great. https://www.theendlessmeal.com/asian-salad-recipe/
I making this for the second time , but instead of soy using coco aminos and a tbs of lemongrass.. l have tried pork roast in the instant p** but it was rather rubbery . Ill stick with Mr Crock and enjoy the smell all day long this Sunday :)> .
Great recipe ,was a hit at church wednesday night too !
Thanks for letting us know about the Instant Pot results! I was actually thinking of trying it in mine but will stick to my crock pot. 🙂
i’d love to try this recipe
Have you ever done this in an Instant Pot? If so how long you!d you recommend?
I haven’t but I suspect it would work just fine. I’d recommend looking for an Instant Pot pork recipe and using the timing on that one and the sauce from this one. 🙂
Hi! Just curious about freezing this. I’ve never really saved leftovers by freezing them and would like to start doing it to reduce food waste. What are your suggestions for how long this could stay in the freezer and how do you usually thaw/prepare it after being frozen?
I freeze it in Ziplock freezer bags in portions that I would use for dinner then thaw it overnight in the fridge. If I’m in a hurry I’ll thaw it in a bowl of cold water – it makes it pretty quick but you do run the risk of water getting in the bag. If you have a microwave you could use that instead. From a food safety perspective, it will last nearly forever in your freezer, but the quality will decrease with time. Try to eat it within 3 months so it will taste the best. 🙂
I made this and it was amazing! I used some of the leftover sauce in my coleslaw and that made it 10x better! I had some leftover so I froze it and when I pulled it out later just as delicious!
I’m so happy you like the recipe!!
Love it, served on rolls with lime, ginger coleslaw
Such a great call on the buns and coleslaw!
We made this in a Dutch oven and roasted it for four hours at 325 deg F, a good substitute for the low slow cooker and it makes a more concentrated sauce. We added 6 cloves of minced garlic to the sauce before cooking, totally shocked none was called for in the recipe. We liked it but did not love this dish. It needs some acid to brighten it – we added rice wine vinegar after cooking which helped but it was still missing some punch. My recommendation would be to double the gochujang, add 6 to 8 cloves minced garlic, 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar and some black pepper, maybe some crushed red orpper as well.
Thank you for sharing your suggestions!
Love your site and recipes. Made this yesterday and it is really good.
I’m so happy you like the recipe! Hooray!!
Could I use a pork loin roast?
I wouldn’t use pork loin in this recipe as it’s too lean. You want a tough and fatty cut for anything crock pot or braising. If you’re wanting the flavors but have a loin on hand, you could try making a rub with the gochujang and then slow roasting it. It won’t turn out like pulled pork, but it would still be delicious.
Should this be on low medium or high heat?
You’ll want to set it on low heat for 8-10 hours. 🙂
Kristen – I cooked this yesterday and everyone was bowled over. My husband loved it, our friends loved it. Husband is enjoying the leftovers today…and will tomorrow…. 🙂
I liked it because it wasn’t sweet – we also piled on some more chilies after serving as we like it extra spicy – the Korean chili flakes are good for sprinkling over the top.
This will be part of my repertoire from now on.
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe! It’s one of my favs, too. 🙂
This is by far my new favorite slow cooker pulled pork recipe. Thank you for introducing this new ingredient to me!
Isn’t gochujang the best?! Lately I’ve been basting roasted veggies in it. So delicous!
I love your blog and your enthusiasm but this pork dish? well….I think I just wasted five pounds of pork. blech
Oh no! I wonder what went wrong. Have you tried gochujang before? Maybe it’s a flavor you’re fond of??