Pretty Freaking Awesome Pulled Pork Crock Pot Food

ULTIMATE SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Rub the pork with salt and pepper, and then set aside while you prepare the remaining ingredients. (See notes below if you plan to sear the pork first).
• Heat oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic then cook, occasionally stirring, until they are sweet and browned around the edges. Stir in the tomato paste, chili powder, and cumin. Cook, stirring until the tomato paste turns from bright red to orange in color; about 3 minutes. Add the water, apple cider vinegar, and fish sauce and cook for about 1 minute, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan.
• Rest the seasoned pork in the bottom of a slow cooker then pour the onion and spice mixture on top. Wiggle the pork around the bottom of the slow cooker so that some of the onion and spice mixture slides underneath. Cover with lid and cook until the pork can be easily shredded; LOW for 6 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 6.
• Turn off the slow cooker and transfer the pork to a cutting board. If the pork has a bone in it, remove and discard it. Use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any connective tissue, and large clumps of fat.
• Remove the cooking liquid and skim most of the fat from its surface. Discard the fat then set the cooking liquid aside.
• If using barbecue sauce, add it to the slow cooker and stir in the shredded pork. For even more flavor, add back some of the reserved cooking liquid. If you're not using barbecue sauce, add the shredded pork and the cooking liquid back to the slow cooker. Taste and season with salt, additional vinegar, or hot sauce as needed.

PULLED PORK (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• Slice one onion and place in crock pot.
• Put in the roast and cover with the other onion, sliced. Pour over the ginger ale. Cover and cook on LOW for about 12 hours. See Note2 below regarding amount of time needed!
• Remove the meat, strain and save the onions, discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any remaining fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat will have melted away.
• Return the shredded meat and the onions to the crock pot, stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for another 4 to 6 hours on LOW.
• Serve with hamburger buns or rolls and additional barbecue sauce. Any leftovers freeze very well.
• TIP: freeze ready-made sandwiches - a scoop of meat on a bun, well-wrapped. These make a great quick meal or snack. To reheat, remove wrapping, wrap in a paper towel, and zap 1-2 minute in the microwave.
• Note: Shoulder or butt are recommended because the meat shreds very well. Other cuts do not shred as readily. It is a fattier cut, but the fat melts away in the cooking and is poured away when you discard the liquid.
• Note 2: I have an older, smaller crock pot. The above times work perfectly for me. But if you have a newer or bigger crock pot, you may need to revise times downward, esp. after the bbq sauce is added. I think you need at least a couple of hours for it all to meld, but that may be all you need. Update: I recently bought a bigger crockpot, I think 5 or 6 qts. I cooked a 6 lb pork shoulder in it for 8 hours and it was shreddable at that point. Shredded, added the sauce, and cooked for another hour or so to meld everything. So use your best judgment on timing!
• Note3: You might want to turn your roast over after it's cooked a while, to ensure more even cooking. I think this may depend on the size and shape of your roast and the size of your slow cooker. Remember that each time you remove the lid you lose heat and be careful, as turning a large piece of meat is awkward.
• Note4: my sister says this takes 2 hours in the Instapot. I don't have one, up to you to figure out the steps.

'PRETTY FREAKING AWESOME' PULLED PORK (CROCK POT)

Steps:

• 1. 6 hours before cooking, mix all ingredients for the rub and apply the rub liberally onto the butt, cover with plastic, and store in the refrigerator.
• 3. Slice one onion and place in crock pot.
• 4. Put in the butt and cover with the other onion, sliced. Pour in the ginger ale. Cover and cook on LOW for about 12 hours, turning once or twice in the process to ensure more even cooking.
• 5. Remove the meat, strain and save the onion and 1/4-1/2 cup of the liquid.
• 6. With latex gloves, pull the pork apart by hand and add it back to the crockpot, discarding any remaining fat, bones, or skin. Most of the fat will have melted away.
• 7. Depending on how dry the pork is in the crock pot, add 1/4-/12 cup of saved liquid to keep the pork most.
• 8. Chop up the saved onion into tiny pieces and add back to the crock pot.
• 9. Stir in the barbeque sauce.
• 10. Continue to cook with the lid on for another 2-4 hours.
• 11. Serve on hamburger buns, topped with more sauce, coleslaw, and sliced pickles.

SWEET AND SAVORY SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK

Steps:

• Place the pork shoulder roast into a large plastic bag, pour 1 cup of root beer over the meat, and squeeze out all the air from the bag. Seal the bag closed, and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight.
• The next day, mix together the light brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic salt, celery salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.
• Remove the meat from the marinade, and shake off the excess. Rub the meat all over with the spice mixture, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
• Mix together the balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 cups of root beer, whiskey, and brown sugar in a bowl, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and sear the meat on all sides until the meat develops a brown crust, about 3 minutes per side. Place the seared meat into a slow cooker. Pour the balsamic vinegar-root beer mixture over the meat, set the slow cooker to High, and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
• Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred with 2 forks. Discard the bones and all but 1 cup of the liquid in the slow cooker. Return the shredded meat to the cooker, mix in the barbecue sauce, and let sit on Low until ready to serve. Serve piled on buns.

AWESOME PULLED PORK BBQ

Steps:

• Place pork in a slow cooker and season to taste with garlic powder, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper. Add quartered onion, apple, and 3 celery stalks. Pour chicken broth into slow cooker.
• Cook on Low until very tender, about 8 hours. Transfer pork to a large platter and discard juice and vegetables. Shred pork with a fork and return to the slow cooker.
• Prepare barbecue sauce while pork is cooking. Melt butter in a large saucepan or small Dutch oven over medium heat; cook and stir 2 cups celery and 1 1/2 cups onion until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add ketchup, water, vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, liquid smoke, and 1 tablespoon garlic powder; mix. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Pour barbecue sauce over shredded pork.
• Continue cooking pork on Low heat until flavors combine, about 2 hours.