Pulled pork is something I really love, but it’s also something that’s so hit or miss at restaurants. I’ve had amazing pulled pork sandwiches at a few places, but then some not-so-amazing at others.
I decided to do it on my own this time. The one (and really only one) thing that’s bad about making it at home is that it takes about ten hours, but it starts to smell amazing after about three. The wait is tough. But if you can persevere, it’s absolutely worth it.
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| (This photo is from whatwereeating.com, but a blurry picture of mine is at the bottom) |
Here is my recipe for the perfect pulled pork, followed by a recipe I used for the perfect coleslaw. The two combined were so amazing. I especially like this recipe because it’s so inexpensive; once you own all of the spices from round one, you really only have to pay for the pork ($7) and the BBQ sauce (about $3) for round two.
Ingredients for the Pulled Pork:
Yields roughly 10 fully-loaded sandwiches
One 5lb pork shoulder (the one I got was from Price Chopper, it was about 4.75lbs and only $7 – there’s a sticker on it that says “great for pulled pork!” so it’s very easy to find)
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water
1 bottle BBQ sauce
Sandwich buns
Combine all of the seasonings in a small bowl and rub evenly all over the pork roast. Place meat in the slow cooker and add in the water. Cover and cook on low for about eight hours. We put ours in for about ten because I forgot to remove it when I went to work. It was still perfect so don’t worry too much about the time. If you’re trying to cook it for dinner that night, do it on high for four to five hours.
Once the meat is tender, remove the pork from the cooker (it will probably start to fall apart at this point), and let sit for 10-15 minutes. After it’s sat, pull the pork apart using two forks, empty the juices from the slow cooker and put the shredded pork back in. It will look like the picture on the right. Then just add your BBQ sauce (the whole bottle), put the lid back on and cook on low anywhere from one to three hours.
While you’re waiting, make the coleslaw. This coleslaw by the way is to die for. I really don’t like coleslaw at all, but I love this. It’s so light and refreshing since it’s not made with much mayonnaise. It has such a nice tang that pairs brilliantly with the pork.
Ingredients:
1 medium cabbage, shredded
1 medium carrot, shredded
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp sour cream
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Put cabbage and carrot in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients (buttermilk, mayo, sour cream, shallot, vinegar, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper). Pour the mixture over the cabbage and carrots and toss to combine. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until chilled.
When everything is finished, toast the buns to your liking (we did ours with some butter in a pan). If you’re a pickles fan line some pickles on the bottom half of your bun, cover with the pork, and then top with the coleslaw! Voila!
*Wondering what to do with the extra buttermilk? Try these buttermilk scones. We added 4 tsp of cinnamon to ours for extra flavor.
Image of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce via sweetbabyrays.com
Upper image of coleslaw via plate-by-plate.com