Thursday, February 12, 2009

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork, Hey It's The Daytoner 500!!!

"First of all I wanna thank God and everyone over at Petty-Roush-Childress racin' for givin' me such a good car. The Cialis-Cheerios-Hooters ToyotaFord Malibu run real good today, and I couldna won without all the help from my crew and spotters.

That two tahr change at the end made all the difference. Coursin' everyone know that tahrs wins races. Goin' with only two durin' that last stop whats gave us the lead.

When you're runnin' a plate race like Daytoner, positions what counts, so Buford Ray rollin' the dahce on a splash and go is what made the difference. We gonna need a lot more days like today if'n we gonna make the Chase."

Y'all get all that?

Here's the deal. I like NASCAR. It's got it's own language. I love the post race interviews, I love how they can't go 15 seconds without mentioning a sponser or changing caps to show their endorsements.
And even though in the last few years it's gotten way too slick, it still has that vaguely "homeboy-hillbilly" feel. On top of it all, unlike Formula 1, cars actually pass each other and you don't know ahead of time who's going to win.

This Sunday the season kicks off with the biggest race of the year, the Daytona 500. So I need an appropriate recipe for the day. I don't want to be too distracted with cooking, so this event is perfect for a slow-cooker/crock pot recipe. Best of all, in these troubled financial times, this recipe can feed a crowd without decimating the wallet. So this Sunday, I'll be in front of my TV, beer in hand with the sound cranked up, enjoying...


Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
by Crabby


1 large onion, chopped
1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and diced
2 pounds pork loin
2 pounds pork butt
1 cup barbecue sauce, your personal favorite
1 cup apple juice

Salt & Pepper to taste
Additional barbecue sauce
1 large jicama, peeled and thinly sliced
Hamburger Buns

Peel and chop a large onion, I prefer one of the sweet varieties that seem to be everywhere these days. Place the chopped onion in the insert of the slow cooker.

Seed and dice the pepper and sprinkle on top of the onion. If you want a spicier result use a jalapeno pepper (or two). I would avoid Chipoltes in Adobo, since every time I've tried them, the slow cooking process seems to impart a bitter flavor.

Place the piece of pork loin and the piece of pork butt in the insert atop the onions and pepper, in a single layer. A 50/50 mix of loin and butt results in a high yield of meat with just enough fat to stop the pork from toughening up.

In a large bowl mix the barbecue sauce and the apple juice and pour over the pork.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours. This is an all day process, so get it started early then relax. Alternatively, use could use a dutch oven/le creuset and cook this in a 200 F oven. No peeking!!!

After 8 hours transfer the meat to a cutting board. Be careful since the pork will fall apart.

Using two forks, roughly shred the pork loin and butt.

Skim any excess fat from the surface of the remaining sauce. Return the pork to the sauce. Add additional bbq sauce to taste, for me it's between 1/2 and a full cup. Taste and adjust seasoning.

You're now ready to serve.

I like to serve my pulled pork with a thin slice of jicama* on top. It gives just the right amount of crunch and has a faint apple taste that complements the pork perfectly.

Serve with your favorite beer, (I suggest Pabst Blue Ribbon or Carling Black Label).


OK crablings, that's it for now. I know pulled pork isn't the fanciest of recipes, but it's amazingly easy to make, tastes great and very cheap too. Next time I'm going to slightly break the bank, so enjoy this meal and remember, you can do it, you can cook.


*Jicama, is often referred to as Mexican Potato. To me it's more like a very mild radish. These days it's available in most supermarkets. If your market doesn't carry jicama, MOVE! Or use a thin slice of red onion.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The one thing that my boyfriend and I can't stand about Eastern Carolina is their vinegar based barbecue. (I like it all right, but sometime you just need barbecue sauce.) You can't find barbecue sauce on anything for your life. Thanks for the recipe to make it on your own.

Anonymous said...

This looks really fantastic - I wasn't surprised to see such a long cooking time. It looks really worth it!

pigpigscorner said...

oo this is something I've been wanting to try for ages! Looks so so delicious!

Anonymous said...

I have personally tried the "Slow Cooker Pulled Pork" cooked by non other than crabby cook himself and it is absolutely delicious. I highly recommend for entertaining large numbers. You will find that even kids will enjoy!

Barbara said...

Dear Crabby Cook, I made pulled pork using your recipe and method for the holiday and it turned out great, the meat literally fell apart and was ever so moist, and the flavor was subtle with just a hint of cowboys-sitting-around-the-campfire. Thanks for posting and sharing!