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.

Family Favorites, Main Meal

33 comments »

6 Responses to “Homemade Chicken Broth and Veggie Chicken Soup in the Crockpot”

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Kristen - Dine & Dish — June 16, 2010 at 12:29 pm

This is brilliant. What an informative post! I need to use my crockpot more often… poor thing is so ignored.
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Kristen - Dine & Dish — June 16, 2010 at 12:29 pm

This is brilliant. What an informative post! I need to use my crockpot more often… poor thing is so ignored.
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Jen — June 16, 2010 at 1:35 pm

I love my crockpot. Most people think they should only be used in the winter, but I love using mine in the summertime because then your kitchen doesn’t get hot and you still have a hot meal ready when you get home from work!
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Sarah — June 16, 2010 at 9:59 pm

I have been in love with Stephanie O’Dea’s crockpot blog for a few years now and cook from it all the time. It was so exciting to see that you were linking back to her in this post – it’s like the corners of my culinary universe have collided into deliciousness! I highly recommend Stephanie’s blog and book for those who are looking to utilize the crockpot more often.
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Memória — June 17, 2010 at 4:00 am

I’ve always wanted to make a chicken stock like this. (I thought that chicken broth involved the chicken meat while the stock involves the carcass. I could be wrong since I just started cooking over a year ago.) Anyway, thanks for sharing this recipe!
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Anonymous — December 17, 2010 at 7:05 pm

I’m excited to try this recipe. I love homemade soup and love your idea omn how to freeze it!!