Whisk together tomato sauce, applesauce, maple syrup, liquid smoke, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. You are basically making barbecue sauce from scratch.
Remove the meat from the slow cooker onto a cutting board, cover it with foil and let rest for 20 minutes while sauce is cooking. Then using two forks, shred the meat and discard any bones, tough tissue or excess fat.