Crockpot Pulled Pork

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Hubby and I have made 3 or 4 pulled pork recipes in the last year or so. Each one was good but nothing amazing – we’ve had some that are too BBQ-saucey, tried the root beer based recipes, and a couple others. Until now. This pulled pork is going to be our recipe from here on out. It has great flavor and a little kick to it. It’s not overly BBQ-saucey either.

As an aside, Happy 250th Post to Me!

I rubbed the meat 2 days prior to cooking it and it cooked on low in the crockpot for about 10 hours. When we took it out to pull apart, it was very tender and flavorful. We were tempted to eat it then, but we stuck to the recipe and added the BBQ sauce and threw it back in for another 45 minutes or so.

Pulled Pork – from The Way The Cookie Crumbles – originally from Cooks Illustrated – serves 6

Printable RecipeSpice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper – I used black pepper

1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional) – I omitted
2 cups barbecue sauce

Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Massage spice rub into meat (I recommend doing this on a jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet with sides). Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. (I refrigerated ours for 2 days).

Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and 1/4 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.

Transfer roast to cutting board (again, I used a large cookie sheet with sides. This helped to contain the mess); discard liquid in liner. Pull by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

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33 comments »

4 Responses to “Spaghetti and Meatballs for a Crowd”

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Nancy Blume-Watson — November 30, 2013 at 1:42 pm
Jen made the meatballs for our family. She made both regular spaghetti and spaghetti squash for the carb watchers in the family. I chose the spaghetti squash to go with the meatballs and it was delicious! My only dissapointment was there were none left over when I checked the fridge for lunch! I can’t wait to make these!!!
- beantownbaker — December 1st, 2013 @ 6:51 pm
  
  Let me know how they turn out for you. I’ve subbed bacon for the prosciutto in the meatballs in the past before. It makes a LOT so be ready for leftovers/
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schatzi — March 19, 2014 at 12:59 pm
I use a 19 oz package of Johnsonville Italian sausage (hot) for the ground pork and prosciutto when i make these meatballs. The gelatin is a key ingredient (don’t omit).
I grew up in an Italian home and I gotta tell ya this is my go-to recipe for the best meatballs and spaghetti sauce.
Making it this weekend for my manicotti — looking forward to the compliments!
- beantownbaker — March 25th, 2014 @ 9:27 pm
  
  So glad you agree that this is a great recipe! The gelatin is definitely a key ingredient.