Hopefully it's thawed already because it will take two days to thaw all the way through in the fridge. 13 pounds is huge in the slow cooker, and should take about 13-14 hours on low or about 11-12 hours on high. Might be better off braising at 275-325 F in the oven, see this recipe for the general gist https://www.theseasonedmom.com/braised-pork-shoulder/. Should only be 4-5 hours this way and remain tender and juicy.
this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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Thaw it....first off. Put it in a large tub in a sink, then fill with cold water, let the water run over it and drain (you want a continuous flow over the meat) until it is thawed. If you want to speed up the process when it has been in for a couple hours see if you can hack it in half (cautiously). Regardless, this should take at least 6hrs. Cut into small chunks, and place on hith in the slow cooker with some stock/seasoning. 4-6hrs should be ready.
Also, as it thaws you can remove chunks so that it thaws quicker, and what you remove can go into the slow cooker. Doesn't need to be whole to cook since you're going to pull it anyway.
Never thought of cutting it up. Thanks man
For the future, if you ever buy pork for pulling, cut it up into 1-2 pound chunks before freezing. Makes the process much easier for you later.
I've had good luck with this seriouseats recipe that uses Dr. Pepper as a base. However I've only done it for at most 3 pounds of pork which takes 4-6 hours I think.
If you can get multiple crock pots try to split it up and maybe try some different sauces and recipes to make it faster and have people try multiple merhods
Good news, slow cookers are not expensive.
Bad news, you’re going to need several of them - and a good understanding of your home’s wiring so you can spread them out across circuits.
See other posts re time and cutting it up. You want to get the temp part right, because food borne illness.
I'm using one of those five gallon slow cookers. It's huge.
It's burning. Was I supposed to lower the temp or something? I started it 4 hours ago. I feel like maybe I should add water or lower the temp?
Slow cooker needs liquid. The pork will produce some but you need to start with some. Did you start with a recipe from the net? That is the safest way to try something new.