Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

2 1/2- 3 # boneless pork loin rib end roast

rolls or buns for the sandwiches

creamy cole slaw

slower cooker with a rack or heavy duty pot with a lid

and a rack

For the rub:

1 heaping T fine ground dried orange peel

1 T fresh ground black pepper

2 t ancho chili powder

2 T kosher salt

3 T granulated sugar

1 t hot paprika

Prepare the rub and the meat the day before cooking the pork. Cut the roast into manageable pieces 3 or 4 hunks. Put it in a zip lock bag along with the spices and move it around to coat the meat. Put the meat into a bowl- as i don’t trust the bag not to leek- and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours.

Preparing the slow cooker or pot and browning the meat.

If it’s a hot day I put my slow cooker on a table outside in the shade. Put the rack in the bottom and fill with water up to the top of the rack. Put the lid on. Turn it on high while you brown the meat. You can either brown the meat on the grill or on stovetop. Remove the meat from the ziplock bag and discard juices. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Heat a heavy saute pan with sides with 2-3 T canola oil. Brown the meat on medium high heat on all sides until it takes on some color. The sugars and orange peel can burn a little- but that’s okay- you want a little color and crunch. This should take 8-10 minutes.

Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and set it on the rack and put the lid on. Cook for about 3 hours or until the meat starts to fall apart some and is very tender. Check every hour or so to see if you need to add water.

If y0u are doing this in the oven- it should take about 3 hours at 300 degrees- Check to see if more water is needed from time to time.

When the meat is done transfer to a shallow large dish- like a lasagna pan and working with 2 forks shred the pork. Reserve the liquid in the slow cooker- skimming off the fat.

My favorite combo:

Sweet Baby Ray’s Original, Stonewall Kitchen’s Maple Chipolte Grille Sauce, and Famous Dave’s Rich and Sassy BBQ Sauce

SLOW COOKED PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

feeds at least 8-10

Traditionally pulled pork is made from the butt or shoulder of the pig. I find those cuts to fatty and gristly. Pork loin is pretty lean and lacks flavor. I have made this with a boneless pork loin rib end roast with great results. My husband was born and raised on North Carolina BBQ which is vinegar sauced pork and delicious. I came up with a compromise of some vinegar and traditional red BBQ sauce and liked the combination. This is a 24 hour deal- with the meat marinading overnight in a spicy rub. The dried orange peel is what really gives this dish some unique flavor. You will need a slow cooker fitted with a rack on the bottom or a heavy duty pot with a lid (Le Creuset) and with a rack or trivet on the bottom. This keeps the meat moist and lets the fat drip away. I combine several commercial BBQ sauces, but you decide what you want, smokey, spicy or sweet. I use a combo of all of them.

Saucing up the pork

After the meat is all shredded I add several small ladles of the juices back in with the pork. Because the meat is fairly lean this will help to keep it moist. If the meat seems a little dry add more juice.

1/2-3/4 cup reserved juices from cooking

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

about 1 cup BBQ sauce- your choice

Combine the sauces and vinegar with the shredded pork very well and taste. Adjust seasoning- it’s better to start with less and add more

I don’t like a lot of sauce- so i keep it on the light side- mixing and tasting. For sauce lovers you can serve it on the side.

To serve the pulled pork

put a generous amount of the pulled pork on the bun with a topping of creamy cole slaw

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