Pulled Pork Chili with Hoisin Sauce (made in your slow cooker)
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My slow cooker pulled pork chili gets its deep, savory backbone from hoisin sauce instead of the usual BBQ sauce. A raw pork shoulder goes into the crockpot with the spices, tomatoes, and hoisin, and 10 hours later you have a full pot of tender, richly flavored chili.
The one thing that makes my pulled pork chili different from every other slow cooker version is the hoisin sauce. I use it in place of the BBQ sauce most recipes call for. Hoisin is similar in spirit—sweet, tangy, and rich—but its fermented soybean base gives it a savory umami depth that regular BBQ sauce can’t match. It’s what gives this chili a stronger flavor backbone and keeps the sweetness from taking over.
The rest of the recipe is built around letting the slow cooker do the work. A bone-in pork shoulder gets a quick spice rub, then goes into the crockpot with crushed tomatoes, beef broth, hoisin, onion, and garlic. Ten hours on low, and the pork is fall-off-the-bone tender and ready to shred. Add the beans and corn at the end, and dinner is done.
What I love about making it this way is that you don’t need leftover pulled pork to start. Most pulled pork chili recipes assume you smoked a pork shoulder over the weekend. This one lets you start with a raw roast and end with a full pot of chili, all in one appliance.
Can I make this chili with leftover pulled pork?
Yes. If you already have a big batch of pulled pork in the fridge or freezer, you can skip the slow cooker entirely and make this on the stovetop in about 30 minutes. Sauté a diced onion and the garlic in a large pot until soft, then add the spices, crushed tomatoes, beef broth, and hoisin. Bring to a simmer, stir in the pulled pork, beans, and corn, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes to let the flavors meld.
You’ll want about 1 to 1½ pounds of cooked pulled pork in place of the raw pork shoulder.
What to serve with pulled pork chili
All chili recipes make great one pot dinners. You can easily serve this chili on its own, or with a few simple toppings, and you’ll be very happy with dinner. When I want want something special to serve with it, I’ll make mt zucchini cornbread muffins or some garlic bread.
Pulled Pork Chili With Hoisin Sauce (made in your slow cooker)
Ingredients
- 3 lb bone-in pork shoulder (see notes)
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin and sea salt
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 medium yellow onion (minced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 cup beef broth
- ½ cup hoisin (can sub BBQ sauce)
- 19 ounce can white cannelli beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup frozen corn
- Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, green onions, diced avocado, cilantro, and corn chips
Instructions
- Remove the skin (if there is any) and cut off most of the fat from the pork shoulder.3 lb bone-in pork shoulder
- Mix the chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, sugar, cumin, and salt in a small bowl. Liberally coat all sides of the pork with the spices. Pour any remaining spice into your slow cooker.3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 tablespoon EACH: onion powder, garlic powder, and brown sugar , 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin and sea salt
- Add the crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, beef broth, and hoisin to your crockpot and mix well. Place the pork roast in the pot, cover, and cook on low for 10 hours.28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 1 medium yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 cup beef broth, ½ cup hoisin
- Remove the pork roast from the pot and put it into a large bowl. Discard the bone and any big pieces of fat. Shred the meat using 2 forks, then return it to the crockpot. Add the beans and corn and stir well. Let the chili reheat for a few minutes, then serve with any or all of the optional toppings.19 ounce can white cannelli beans, 1 cup frozen corn, Optional toppings: cheese, sour cream, green onions, diced avocado, cilantro, and corn chips
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
I made this with leftover shredded country ribs and it was delicious!!!!
I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Using leftover shredded country ribs sounds incredible — such a great way to use them up. Thanks so much for sharing!
Good recipe! Couple tweaks due to my dysfunction- added chorizo and served it over white rice.
Thank you for publishing.
Chorizo is always a good idea!
I have some cooked pork in the freezer. Can I make this chili in a pot on the stove? I don’t own a crackpot.
Absolutely you can! I would saute the veggies first and then add the spices and everything else into your pot. Let it simmer for 20 minutes then it’ll be done!
It turned out delish!!!
Looks very good, we plan to make it- but not sure of the size of the pork roasts
It says 3 3lb roast- (looks like a lot for one pot), then in the note it says if you plan on using leftovers
Use 1-1/2 lbs
Clarefy pls???
A raw, 3 lb bone-in pork roast will yield approximately 1 ½ lb cooked meat. I hope that makes more sense!
Two questions- is it ok to reduce the chili powder to 1 TB? And does it work as well if you brown the pork first, then so the spice rub? Thanks!
You can definitely reduce the chili powder if you’re worried about the heat level. And browning the pork first should work fine. This is a pretty flexible recipe. 🙂
Made this today. I had a huge pork roast and no ideas so thanks much! Liked your comments at end about just use what you have and it will be fine. That convinced me to try and we are so pleased.
I’m so happy to hear that the recipe was a hit!
I’m pretty sure I just died. two of my absolute favorite things in one dish. I will most definitely be giving this a try!
Let me know how you like it!
That is a great idea to use pulled pork in chili. I recently made a big batch of pulled pork and froze some of it. I think you just gave me the idea to add it into chili. Great recipe!
Thanks, Julia!!