Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Holy cow. This recipe was good. SO GOOD. Chris doesn't even like pork (with the exception of bacon, of course) and after taking his first bite he proclaims "Holy crap, that's good". He proceeded to eat seconds. Folks, this is a MAJOR indicator of how good this recipe is...

So get your butt to a grocery store, buy some pork shoulder and get to slow cookin'. You will not regret this.

I love barbecue. I discovered a few years ago, two things...1) there's a phenomenal barbecue place 30 seconds away from my office called Smoky Jon's and 2) that I sometimes want barbecue on the weekends when I'm 30 minutes away from Smoky Jon's, but I'm too lazy to drive to the opposite side of town to fulfill my barbecue craving. Initially, I turned to pulled chicken sandwiches as my solve for barbecue sandwiches at home. It's good, but not the same. Once, I tried pulled pork using a pork tenderloin and the same method I use when making pulled chicken (place meat in crock, pour sauce on it. Turn on low, cook for 8 hrs). Well, it was ok. But not knock your socks off good. I mean, let's be honest...You can't make pulled pork from pork tenderloin. It's not the right type of pork.

So I recently set out to find an awesome slow cooker pulled pork recipe that'd meet my needs. I got lucky on the first try! I found this recipe on The Way the Cookie Crumbles blog. It's very straightforward and easy. The key is using pork shoulder and using a dry rub. I like my barbecue spicy, so I made sure to amp up the cayenne and use my hot chili powder. Other than that, mixing up the dry rub, rubbing down my pork, and throwing it in a crock pot for 8 hours is about the least amount of work you can do for the highest reward possible...a pulled pork sandwich that dribbles down your chin when you eat it and forces you to make Homer Simpson sounds throughout the entire meal. *Drool*

Recipe from The Way the Cookie Crumbles:
This will make a LOT of pulled pork. I used just under a 3lb roast and was able to make several sandwiches over the course of a couple of days. The original recipe suggests about 15-20 servings. This freezes and reheats well. Yum!


Ingredients:
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

• 1 (6-8 pound) bone-in pork shoulder
• ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (optional)
• 2 cups barbecue sauce

Directions:

1. Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.
2. Massage spice rub into meat. 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.)
3. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker liner. Add liquid smoke, if using, and ¼ cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 8-10 hours, until meat is fork-tender.
4. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard liquid (or strain it and re-mix some of the liquid with the pork after pulling). “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers. Discard fat.
5. Place shredded meat back in slow cooker; toss with 1 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.