Crockpot BBQ Pork

I have several friends and family who ask me for recipes... I thought what better way to share what we're cooking here, than to post our recipes and pics?

My brother and sister-in-law got us a great crockpot for a wedding gift. It's a really nice one- oversize, with a timer, that will also work as a buffet serving piece. I am always looking for good crockpot recipes so I can put it to use. My usual go-to crockpot recipe is Southern Pot Roast. Tim didn't like pot roast... until he had mine. It's really good and really easy. But aside from that, I've struggled to find crockpot recipes that are flavorful and don't turn out like overdone mush.

Crockpot dishes also typically make great leftovers... and in our quest to save money on groceries, eliminate waste, etc, I like the idea of having some BBQ in the house when we get hungry over the weekend, rather than running out for a burger. The spices are all things we have on hand, so really this meal (or several meals, for us) costs less than $9.00, even including buns.

I came across this recipe on www.beantownbaker.com... I don't want to get in trouble for borrowing recipes!

Pulled Pork - from The Way The Cookie Crumbles - originally from Cooks Illustrated - serves 6

Spice Rub:
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper - I used black pepper

1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder- I used boneless
½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional) - I omitted
2 cups barbecue sauce
Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Massage spice rub into meat (I recommend doing this on a jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet with sides- be careful with raw pork!). Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. (I refrigerated ours for 2 days-again, be careful with the raw pork in your fridge. I double wrapped it in plastic and then set the whole thin inside a grocery bag in the bottom fridge drawer).

Carefully unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and 1/4 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.



Transfer roast to cutting board (again, I used a large cookie sheet with sides. This helped to contain the mess); discard liquid in liner. Pull by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

..........

This BBQ turned out really well! It was super tasty and it was easy. A few tips- it was very spicy. I would recommend cutting out some of the pepper and cayenne. Also- we used a honey BBQ sauce that balanced the spiciness. I think next time I will try it with the liquid smoke. It was missing that smoky flavor that is so important.

Growing up in Alabama, I've had some very good BBQ... so I'm probably a BBQ snob, but we both give this recipe 4 out of 5 stars. Very good, but not the best :)