Crockpot Pulled Pork

I'm trying a new recipe today.  I'm excited and nervous.  I'm excited because I LOVE trying new recipes and finding new favorites for the family.  I'm nervous because there has been an occasion, or several, when certain new recipes have flopped...leaving us with garbage, or worse yet, food that we HAVE to eat because it's too expensive to trash.  Been there?  Yeah, not fun. 

So, what is today's experiment delicious recipe?  Pulled pork.  I'm honestly not even a fan of typical BBQ pulled pork.  So, why am I making something I don't typically like?  Because I went nuts and bought 4, yes FOUR, entire pork picnic roasts. 

At about 11-12lbs each, that's a lot of pork. 

 

Why did I buy so much?  Well, we use this type of pork for our tamales, which we make each Christmas Eve (and a few other times throughout the year).  So, when it came on sale for $0.99lb, I snatched up a bunch thinking we could have a lot of pork to make a lot of tamales.  But, I will admit, I could have gotten away with just two.   And since I don't plan on making 4,000 tamales, I need to figure out another way to use this pork...hence, the pulled pork.

Now, before you start thinking I'm wasting pork to make something I don't even like, don't worry.  The part about pulled pork that I'm not crazy about is the BBQ sauce and soggy bun part.  So, this recipe promises to be delicious, without the BBQ sauce!  Almost like a french dip pork...and I LOVE a french dip beef, so surely this will be just as amazing!

The first thing I had to do was cut off a chunk of pork.  As you can see in the above pic, there is a thick skin layer (these make amazing chicharrones, or pork rinds) that I didn't want in the pulled pork.  There is also a huge L shaped bone that runs through the whole thing.  So, not being a butcher by trade, I just hacked away at the widest part until I got about a 3-4 lb chunk.  Professional, I know.  Once I got the pork, I started getting everything prepped.

Crockpot Pulled Pork

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar (I didn't have this so I just used 1 tbsp regular white vinegar)
2 tbsp BBQ sauce
1 tsp mustard
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp pepper
1 tbsp crushed/chopped garlic

Add everything in a large storage bag and shake to mix.  Add the pork and shake around until it's coated.  Put in the fridge for a few hours to marinade.  Place in the crockpot and cook on low for about 8hrs or high for 4-6hrs until it falls apart.

Gather your ingredients for the marinade.

Pour all the ingredients into a storage bag and shake around until everything is mixed.

Add the pork and put into the fridge for 3-4 hours (overnight if you want).  I usually flip the bag over somewhere in the middle of the marinading session just so any pork that may not have been covered gets it's share of yummy goodness.

After it's done soaking in it's marinade bath, dump everything into the crock pot and set on low for 8-10hrs or high for 4-6hrs (until it pulls apart easily).

Once the pork is done you can drain the juices and add your fave BBQ sauce for pulled pork sandwiches, or like we did, eat it on top of rice with all the yummy juice.  It was pretty delicious.

Enjoy.

 

 

Happily Homemade

Sandra