Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork is a delicious, simple dinner. Smoked on a Traeger grill or made in your crockpot, it is paleo, whole30 and SO yummy!

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I’m so excited to share this Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork recipe with you guys! This recipe is seriously SO delicious, and easily one of our favorite things that we have made on our new Traeger grill!
We are basically obsessed with our new Traeger grill and love the flavor it gives to anything we cook on it, but even if you don’t have a Traeger (which, you should totally get one!) you can make this pulled pork in the crockpot!
We want to thank Traeger for generously gifting us our awesome new grill. We’re so excited to use it at our new house! This post is not sponsored by them, but the grill was a gift!

It is seriously SO juicy, flavorful, and easy. Let me show you JUST how simple it is to make.
Ingredients for Coffee BBQ Pork
To make this recipe you’ll need:
- ground coffee
- garlic powder, onion powder
- salt, pepper
- paprika
- pork butt
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
How to make Traeger Pulled Pork:
- Make your coffee bbq rub. I was skeptical on this and thought coffee + pork = weird, but let me tell ya – it isn’t! The coffee adds so much depth of flavor and is really unique!
- Prep your pork. I used Butcher Box’s Pork Butt. FYI- pork butt is a pretty fatty cut of meat, so if you’re looking for something leaner I’d go with tenderloin.
- Trim a significant amount of fat off the pork butt and generously coat with your coffee BBQ rub.



Put the pork on your Traeger (or crockpot!) and wait patiently.

The hardest part about this recipe is waiting! After 6 hours on the grill, this is what our pork butt looked like.

Like HELLO!! Do you see that caramelized bark on the edges?! OMG it is heavenly! (PS, if you make it in the crockpot you’re definitely not going to get that, but the flavor will still be there!
Alright, last but not least… Pull the pork + DIG IN!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR PULLED PORK
Pork: This recipe will also work on pork tenderloin. You’ll need to adjust the cook time. We also have a Healthy Pulled Pork recipe that uses pork tenderloins and a Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.
Spices: Feel free to use more or less of the spices in this recipe. If you don’t have one of the spices add a little bit more of the others to compensate

Tips for making this Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork:
- You can rub the pork in the coffee bbq rub up to a day in advance.
- Make sure to turn it every hour if using a Traeger grill, this ensures it cooks on all sides!
If you have a Traeger, you NEED to try this pulled pork recipe on it! And even if you don’t – toss this in the crockpot for a yummy weeknight dinner! We hope you love it as much as we do!

What to serve with Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork:
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Potatoes
- Crispy Smashed Potatoes
- Cornbread
- Healthy Green Beans Almondine
- For even more ideas, check out these Healthy Side Dishes
Other healthy grilling recipes:
Looking for other grilling recipes? Check out these 40+ Healthy Grilling Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy grilling cookbook.

Coffee BBQ Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons ground coffee
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 3.5 lbs boneless pork butt
Instructions
For the Traeger:
- Turn your Traeger grill on to 250 with applewood chips. While grill is heating, whisk together Coffee BBQ rub.
- Trim the fat off the pork butt to help make it leaner. Generously coat the pork in the coffee BBQ rub on all sides.
- Place the pulled pork on the Traeger, and cook until internal temperature reaches about 205. (approximately 6 hours) Turn the pork every hour and be sure to toss the chips so that they don’t get stuck.
- When internal temp reaches 205, remove the pork from the grill + allow it to rest for at least an hour.
- Pull the pork until it is shredded. Serve alongside veggies + corn bread.
For the crockpot:
- Whisk together Coffee BBQ rub. Trim the fat off the pork butt to help make it leaner. Generously coat the pork in the coffee BBQ rub on all sides.
- Place the pork in the crockpot with 1/3 cup of water. Cook on low for 6 hours.
- Remove the pork from the crockpot + Pull the pork until it is shredded. Serve alongside veggies + corn bread.
Notes
- You can rub the pork in the coffee bbq rub up to a day in advance.
- Make sure to turn it every hour if using a Traeger grill, this ensures it cooks on all sides!
Jeff Shft says
We shared this coffee BBQ pulled pork today. Everyone in the family loves it! Every bite burst with happiness, it’s like the heaven opened its gates. This is so good, so thumbs up!
Annette says
This was so good! Everyone in the family loved it. Very flavorful and the spice ingredients you always have on hand. I seared it on all sides and then put in the crock pot. I would love to use a BBQ for it eventually.
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’m SO glad you liked it, Annette! It definitely is perfect for a BBQ 🙂
Elizabeth says
Made this in our cast iron Dutch oven. Succulent pork shoulder. My husband said it best “it tastes like coffee smells, but has a smokey flavor too.”
Went ahead and made several batches of the rub to keep on hand.
Can’t wait to make this again.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Elizabeth!! This makes me so happy to hear!
Jessica says
How long did you cook it in the dutch oven?
Ginnie says
I completely forgot to put this in the crockpot this morning. Can it be done in an instant pot? Any suggestions for how?
The Clean Eating Couple says
I’ve never tried to make this in an instant pot – you can google ‘instant pot pork butt’ and maybe find a comparable recipe but I can’t guarantee it will work – sorry!
Terri says
I made this in the crockpot today and it was amazing! I’ve never tried a coffee rub because I thought it would be too strong, but it was so good. Thank you!
Barb Harris says
Could you make this with a pork loin? Just thinking about the fat. Thank you!!
The Clean Eating Couple says
I always include my recommended substitutions in the blog post: This recipe will also work on pork tenderloin. You’ll need to adjust the cook time. We also have a Healthy Pulled Pork recipe that uses pork tenderloins and a Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.