At first I felt a little strange about pulling out the slow cooker in the middle of the summer (especially during a heat wave!), but then I realized, what a great way to make dinner without cooking in a hot kitchen! This pulled pork is so easy to make, I used a pork butt roast (pork shoulder) from Autumn’s Harvest Farm. Autumn’s Harvest’s pastured raised meats are top-quality, and they’re available many places. Check out their website, and their new CSA option. You can start the pulled pork the night before or in the morning to be ready in time for dinner. Combine the sauce ingredients, mince some garlic, and cut your pork into 3-4 smaller pieces. Boneless is ideal, but if your pork shoulder has a few bones just cut around them and remove them after cooking.
Place the meat in the slow cooker, pour the sauce over the meat, and cook on low for 8-9 hours. That’s it. To shred the pork you can use two forks, but I always use my KitchenAid mixer
Drape a towel over the top of the mixer so sauce doesn’t splatter all over your kitchen. Make sure the towel is won’t get caught on anything.
Mix on low, increasing speed gradually, until pork is evenly shredded. For bigger chunks you won’t need to mix past medium. For pork and beef I use the thicker paddle, and mix only up to medium. For shredded chicken, which I like thinner, I use the whisk attachment and mix all the way up to high. Serve pulled pork as it is or with hot sauce or barbecue sauce.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
3 – 4 pound pork shoulder, cut into 3-4 pieces
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cloves minced garlic
Mix together honey, red wine vinegar, and olive oil. Add spices and mixed garlic, mix thoroughly. Place pork in slow cooker, pour sauce over. Cook on low for 8-9 hours.
Shred meat. Transfer to a KitchenAid mixer or use two forks to shred.
