Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

What can I say about this pulled pork? It pretty much speaks for itself. 

Look at it, it is beautiful and it tastes frigging amazing!

 

It takes some time to prepare but it isn’t difficult.  It tastes so amazing it’s totally worth the effort!

What you need,

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2 - 3½lb. pork shoulder roast

For the rub,

¼ cup granulated sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup paprika (I used half regular and half smoked)

¼ cup garlic salt

¼ cup kosher salt

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. oregano

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. cumin

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

Whisk all ingredients in a large bowl until well combined. This makes a lot and it is only half of the original recipe my dad gave me so you can just store the extras in an airtight container to use later!

For the BBQ sauce,

1 cup ketchup

3 tbsp. molasses

3 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tbsp. grated onion

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tbsp. dry mustard

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. chili powder

¼ tsp. cayenne

1 tbsp. fresh garlic, minced

Combine all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Over medium heat cook the sauce until it simmers gently, stirring often until it gets thick and glossy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from the heat and use as needed. You can store the extra in an airtight container for a week in the fridge.

For the Coleslaw,

4 cups shredded green cabbage

2 carrots, shredded

½ white onion, sliced thin

¼ cup mayo

¼ cup Greek yogurt

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. brown sugar

2 tbsp. cider vinegar

2 tbsp. buttermilk

½ tsp. celery salt

1 tbsp. finely diced jalapeno pepper

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. fresh ground black pepper

In a small bowl whisk together the mayo, Greek yogurt, Dijon, brown sugar, vinegar, buttermilk, celery salt, jalapeno pepper and salt and pepper until well combined. You can make the dressing the day before and cover it with saran wrap if you want to, I did.

In a large bowl combine the cabbage, carrot and onion.

Toss with just enough dressing to coat, I used about half the dressing.

Mix about 30 minutes before serving, just to give it a chance to meld, you don’t want to do it too far in advance or else your slaw will get soggy.

To make the pork,

Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towel. Rub the entire surface liberally with the prepared rub mixture. Really massage it in well.

Wrap the roast tightly in a few layers of saran wrap, and then put it into a large zip lock back. Store in the fridge for 12-24 hours.

When you are ready to cook the pork, unwrap it and place into your slow cooker. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 6-8 hours. Cooking time will depend on how big your roast is and how efficient your slow cooker is.

I did mine on high for about 7 hours.

Once it is cooked remove it from the slow cooker and set it on a large cookie sheet to cool a bit. Meanwhile you can pour the liquid that has accumulated in the slow cooker into a fat separator.

Once the pork has cooled enough to touch it, use 2 forks to shred the meat into bite sized pieces.

Remove any big pieces of fat and discard.

Return the pork to the slow cooker with a little of the cooking juice to keep it moist, don’t use too much you don’t want it to get soggy.

You can also add in a little of the BBQ sauce at this time too. Again just not too much, soggy pork is bad!

Just cook long enough to heat through or keep warm.

When you are ready to serve, toast some buns, pile on a ton of that amazing pork, top with a little more BBQ sauce and a scoop of the coleslaw!

You are going to need more than a couple napkins!

It is so worth the effort and the mess!  It tastes so incredible! 

 

Thanks to my dad for his original recipe and to my sister Kate for her adaptations. I did make a totally different coleslaw dressing than my Dad does.  I prefer a creamy dressing to an oil based one. I think it whatever you like would taste great.

I have some exciting things in store for the left overs! I can’t wait to share them with you.

Jen

Recipe adapted from Stan’s recipe