Crock Pot Pulled Pork

I'm back!! So sorry I haven't posted in a while, but the truth is, I haven't been able to cook in a long time! I just got a really good job at a daycare, and thankfully I am working 6 days a week (might have to upgrade the site to MiddleClassGirlsCanCookToo ;) but that means working until 10 most nights, so no cooking for Cory and I. I also just started school this week too, so yeah, zero energy to cook... I am still meal planning, and it makes it even more convenient to just come home on my early days and get right to making dinner, and not have to decide what to make! Anyways, when I was doing my last round of meal prepping, I realized how much chicken-based meals I make...usually about 75% of my meals are some sort of chicken. I really wanted to experiment with different meats, just to see if I could! I decided that pulled pork is a pretty safe bet, and the fact that I could make it in my crock pot while at work all day made it appeal to me even more! I just googled "easy pulled pork crock pot recipe" and clicked on the first recipe to pop up! I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did! (Original recipe here)

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

~2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

~4 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced

~1 c chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth

~1 tbsp packed dark brown sugar

~1 tbsp chili powder

~1 tbsp salt, plus more as needed

~1/2 tsp ground cumin

~1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

~1 (4-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed

~2 c barbecue sauce (optional)

Directions:

1. Place the onions and garlic in an even layer in the slow cooker and pour in the stock or broth.

2. Combine the sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic.

3. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, about 6 to 8 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

4. Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.

5. If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker, add the barbecue sauce, if using, and mix to combine. If you’re not using barbecue sauce, use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.

THAT'S IT! It was so easy! I started at 7am and when I got home from work, oh my gosh it was falling apart! (I turned it into pulled pork sandwiches topped with BBQ sauce, spinach, cooked onions from the crock pot, and colby jack cheese!) I found the whole pork butt at Aldi for around $12, but even though it is a little costly, the meat lasted us for a LONG TIME! (Turned it in to quesadillas for leftovers!) Also, It doesn't matter if you start with a frozen pork butt. I completely forgot to take it out the night before, so I stuck it in the microwave to thaw it enough to remove the netting and it had no effect on the cooking time! This recipe is PERFECT for a 4th of July BBQ, or just to make for yourself and save for a few days. Hope you guys enjoy!

~S