Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Good barbecue is so subjective, and it's all based on the sauce.  If you've got a good sauce, you could slather it on just about any cut of meat and make it taste good.  If you don't have a good sauce, nothing will save you.  But what constitutes a good sauce?  Ask any cook and he/she will tell you something different, especially as you travel through different parts of the country.  Not only that, but some people will argue that different types of meat warrant different types of sauce.

I have tried about five different sauce recipes for my crock pot pulled pork sandwiches and I think I have landed on one that it worth sharing.  Like I said though, good barbecue is in the eye of the beholder, so you will have to judge for yourself.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Makes 6-8 servings

Start to finish: 8 hours

2-3 lbs pork roast (shoulder is traditional, pork loin is leaner)

1 large onion, quartered and separated

1.5 cups ketchup

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1.4 cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp liquid smoke

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp of garlic powder

6-8 Hamburger buns

pickle slices

Place the roast in your crock pot with the onion pieces.

Mix together the ingredients of your sauce in a medium bowl.

Pour the sauce over the pork. (it will be thin as far as sauces go but the liquid will be absorbed by the pork)

And then just put the lid on and let it cook on the LOW setting for 8 hours.

Now, I don't know about you, but I can never leave something in the crock pot for exactly 8 hours.  Chances are I am doing this before work and the time between when I leave and when I get back is more like 9-10 hours.  In my old crock pot, this would make everything dry and overcooked.  But, no more.  Not with my new crock pot.

I registered for this when I got married.  You can choose to program it for a desired amount of hours, and then when that time has elapsed, the slow cooker switches over to warm.  You can also insert a thermometer and program it to stop cooking once the desired temperature is met.  No more over-cooking!  Best crock pot ever.

Now, that being said, I personally think the meat keeps cooking a little even after it changes to "warm" so I will often shorten the cooking time by half an hour or so to compensate.  So, if you have a programmable slow cooker, try 7.5 hours.

When you get home, that smell in the air is your beloved pork roast.  Take the lid off and shred the meat with a large fork.

There will be juices at the bottom so make sure you incorporate all those into the shredded pieces.

You are not probably ready to eat as soon as you get home, so pop the lid back on and let the pork sit on warm until you are ready to sit down to dinner.  This extra time will allow the juices to soak up into the meat.

When it's time to eat, pile your meat onto a hearty bun that won't turn into soggy mush and top with pickles.

I served these sandwiches with fries and salad.  Baked beans would also be good.

Pork Fried Rice

I love takeout fried rice, but it is super hard to make at home if you don't have a personal hibachi chef in your pantry.  I have tried many times and the flavor is always off.  It just doesn't taste the same.  However, I am stubborn so I keep making it again and again.  When I made this, I was more just trying to use up miscellaneous ingredients than anything else, and what I ended up with was quite delicious!  Maybe all this time I've just been trying to hard?  Makes you wonder.

Pork Fried Rice
Makes 4 main course servings
Start to finish: 30 minutes

2 pork loin chops
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup instant brown rice
1.75 cups water
1/2 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp ground ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs, scrambled
3/4 cup frozen diced carrots
3/4 cup frozen green beans, cut into small pieces
3-4 green onions for garnish

Bring 1.75 cups of water to a boil and cook the instant brown rice as directed.  When it is done, set it aside.

Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Season your chops with salt and pepper before laying them in the skillet.  Brown on each side for three minutes, turn the heat down to medium and wait for the chops to come up to 145 degrees.

Remove from heat and let them rest for several minutes so the juices can redistribute.  When they are cooled, chop them into bite size pieces.  Go ahead and chop your carrot and green beans as well.

With the leftover oil still in the pan, add in a teaspoon of oil and bring it up to medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute for one minute.  Add another teaspoon of oil with the vegetables and saute for two minutes.  Then add the final teaspoon of oil when you add the rice and pork.  After you toss everything around and let the rice brown for a minute or two, add the soy sauce.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and cover the skillet while you scramble your eggs.

When you're ready to eat, add the egg to the rice and top with green onion slices.

 This is really a one pot meal so make sure you put a heaping serving on your plate.  Egg rolls would be nice here, wouldn't they?  Maybe next time...