pulled pork - a slow cooker recipe

I don't know how long I've been wanting a slow cooker... but I've been lusting after one for an embarrassingly long time.  (Maybe that came with having kids?)  I finally got one (this one - it was on sale at Target at almost 50% off), and the first thing I made was pulled pork.  Immediately I screamed "why didn't I buy a slow cooker earlier?!  We could have been eating this all the time!!"  It's good... like REALLY good.  The 2 year old is a picky eater and wouldn't try it - but the 11 month old couldn't get enough and was licking pieces from his arm after they'd fallen from his pork clenched fists.  I should have taken pictures of the process and finished product, but I was too busy enjoying every moment... maybe next time.

makes 8-10 servings | 30 minutes to prep, 6-10 hours to cook 

Ingredients:
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

4 medium garlic cloves, minced

2 cups chicken stock or chicken broth, (or 2 cups of water and 2 bouillon cubes)

1 tablespoon packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (3-1/2- to 5-pound) boneless or bone-in pork shoulder (also known as pork butt), twine or netting removed

Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker and toss in the minced garlic.  Pour in the 2 cups of chicken broth.  (I actually cheated and tossed in 2 cups of water and 2 chicken bouillon cubes).  Combine the brown sugar, chili powder, measured salt, cumin, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Pat the pork dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork and place the meat on top of the onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender, 6 hours on high, or 10 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to a cutting board. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium heatproof bowl. Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the solids to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside.

If the pork has a bone, remove and discard it. Using 2 forks, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat. Return the shredded meat to the slow cooker.  Use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid, and then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened. (Reserve leftover broth).  Taste and season with salt as needed.  Set slow cooker to warm and keep covered until ready to eat.

Serving suggestions:
Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Carnitas Tacos

Pulled Pork Pizza

Leftovers:
Freeze leftover broth in an ice cube tray.  When frozen, remove cubes from tray and toss into a Ziplock freezer bag.  Label it and use for pulled pork re-heats, soups or rice.

Freeze any un-used pulled pork in individual servings.  Using a muffin tin, fill each spot with pork, cover with saran wrap and freeze the tray for at least 2 hours.  Remove each serving of pork and throw them into a Ziplock freezer bag.  To defrost - let sit in fridge overnight.  When defrosted, toss into slow cooker with a cube or two of broth, or other sauce, as desired, (such as BBQ sauce, salsa verde, etc).

[creamy potatoes and pork chops]

super easy, super basic meat and potatoes

Prep Time: 20 Min
Total Time: 1 Hr 15 Min
Makes: 4

Ingredients:

2 bone-in pork loin chops, trimmed of fat

1/2 tsp seasoned salt

1 (10 3/4-oz) can condensed cream of mushroom soup

1 1/4 cups milk

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

8 red potatoes, washed and quartered with skins left on

1 cup frozen sweet peas 

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt. Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.  Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add pork chops; brown well on both sides.
In 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish, combine soup, milk and Worcestershire sauce; mix until smooth. Add potatoes and peas; stir until coated. Place browned pork chops over potato mixture. Cover with foil.
Bake at 350°F. for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until potatoes and pork chops are tender.

[sweet sausages braised in onions]

serves 2
adapted from Rachael Ray, who can't get cooking times right to save her life...

1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive olil
4 links (about 1 pound) sweet italian sausage
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1-2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme leaves (don't use dried!)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
coarse black pepper
coarse salt
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp honey

Sausages:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat with the Olive Oil. Add the sausage links and brown on all sides, about 4 minutes. Remove the sausages from the skillet and reserve.
Onions:

(trust me, these are good - Ben swears he HATES onions, but these become sweet and delicious... he had seconds... and thirds)

Add the onions to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until they begin to brown. (Depending on pan, 5-15 minutes). Add the thyme and garlic until garlic becomes fragrant. Add the balsamic vinegar, chicken stock and honey. Bring the liquid to a simmer,

Then add the browned sausages back to the pan...
and braise the sausages until they are cooked through and the sauce has reduced by half. (About 10-20 minutes, cut the sausages in half to check - ours took closer to 20 minutes or more).
Serve sausages with onion and braising liquid.

Serve with Horseradish Smashed Potatoes

[pork chops with horseradish-maple glaze]

makes 2 servings
We made this for Christmas dinner '08 and it was delicious.
It's adapted from Bobby Flay's version.

FOR THE HORSERADISH-MAPLE GLAZE:
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/8 cup grated fresh horseradish, or prepared horseradish, drained
1/2 tablespoon Grey Poupon mustard
1/2 tablespoon chili powder

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl. May be refrigerated, covered, for 1 day, use at room temperature.

FOR THE PORK CHOPS:
2 pork chops (1 inch thick, bone in)
Olive Oil for brushing on the chops
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
Horseradish-Maple Glaze

Preheat grill, (or broiler), to medium high.
Reserve 1/2 cup of glaze and use the remainder for brushing during cooking. Brush the chops on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill for 3-4 minutes, brush with glaze, and turn over. Grill for another 3-4 minutes, brush and turn again, for medium-well doneness.
Arrange chops on a serving plate and brush with the reserved glaze.

[apple-stuffed pork chops]

Aluminum Foil
1 6-ounce package stuffing mix for pork (Stove-Top)
1/2 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 1 1/4 inches thick
1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a 10-by-15-by-1-inch pan with foil.

2. Prepare stuffing mix according to package directions. Stir in apple and cranberries.

3. Cut a pocket in each pork chop with a sharp knife. Place chops in the foil-lined pan; season with salt and pepper. Stuff each chop with 1/2 cup of stuffing; press to flatten. Place leftover stuffing mix around chops in pan.

4. Bake for 18-10 minutes; remove from oven. Preheat broiler. Mix brown sugar and melted butter, brush onto chops. Brool 3-4 inches from heat for 5-8 minutes, or until browned.

Makes 4 servings.

[cumin and lime roasted pork tenderloin with spicy creamed corn]

2 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin (sometimes sold 2 tenderloins per package)
Juice of 2 limes
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 garlic cloves (4 cloves cracked and 2 cloves chopped)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
2 10-ounce boxes frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees

Trim the silver skin or connective tissue off the tenderloin with a very sharp, thin knife.
Place the tenderloins on a rimmed nonstick cookie sheet and coat them with the lime juice, rubbing the juice into the meat. Drizzle EVOO over the tenderloins, just enough to coat, about 2 tablespoons. Season the meat with the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Cut small slits into the meat and disperse chunks of the cracked garlic cloves into the slits. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes, cover loosely with foil.

While the pork is cooking, preheat a skillet over medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of the EVOO (twice around the pan) and the butter. Add the onions, jalapenos, bell peppers, chopped garlic, corn kernels, salt and pepper. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the onions are tender. Sprinkle with the flour, and continue to cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the chicken stock then lower the heat to medium low and cook until it is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes. Finish the spicy creamed corn with the parsley and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Slice the rested roasted pork and serve alongside the spicy creamed corn.