Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork

Slow-cooker recipes are fantastic for when you’re cooking for many and you don’t want to spend your time slaving away in the kitchen. This pulled pork recipe is perfect for football Sunday, a casual dinner party, or holiday gathering – hey, it is Halloween today! Just throw (not literally) together your ingredients and let the crock pot do the rest.

In this recipe, succulent pork loin roast is slow-cooked in a crock pot with plenty of brown sugar, cider vinegar, and spice. Cook for at least 5 hours to ensure the pork reaches melt-in-your-mouth status. Serve hot on a toasted whole wheat bun and top with this sweet n’ tangy cole slaw (pictured above).

Servings: Makes 8 sandwiches
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 5 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 tbsp olive oil
1 (4 lb approx.) pork loin roast
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup barbecue sauce*
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp molasses
1 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp celery seed
8 hamburger buns, split and toasted**

NOTES
*If in Colorado, head to Whole Foods and grab a bottle of award-winning Grumpy’s Private Reserve BBQ Sauce that comes in four different varieties. In the recipe above, I prefer the Bold XX, a Kansas City Style BBQ sauce. If you’re not local (thanks for reading!), you can order this finger-lickin’ sauce from Grumpy’s website.
**To toast hamburger buns: Preheat oven to 325°F and place buns face down on an ungreased cookie sheet, heat for 3 to 5 minutes, ensuring they do not burn; Or heat grill on low, brush with olive oil and heat buns face down for 2 to 3 minutes.

PREPARATION

1. Heat crock pot on high. Rinse pork under warm water, pat dry with paper towels.

2. Add oil to crock pot, allowing it to spread, then add pork, fat side up so that meet tenderizes and absorbs the juices. Add onion and garlic, stirring until well-combined.
3. Pour in barbeque sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in brown sugar, Dijon, Worcestershire, molasses, chili powder, thyme, and celery seed.

4. Cover and cook on high until roast is tender and easily shredded with a fork, about 5 hours.

5. Remove the roast from crock pot and set on large cutting board. Using two forks and your fingers, shred the meat. Return shredded pork to crock pot and stir into juices.