Thursday, February 5, 2015

Easy Peasy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork


It's almost humorous that I decided to feature this on the blog as I've never been a big pork fan (I don't even like BACON!) and am also not a big lover of BBQ. I know, I know, I'm un-American. Whatever. I'm used to standing out like a sore thumb (but a stylish sore thumb!).

However, that aside, Cody and I enjoy roasting or grilling up one of those packaged pork loins by Hormel every once in awhile for an easy no-fuss dinner. They come in all kinds of flavors and we like the honey mustard, roasted mushroom, and Italian seasoned the best.

Recently, Cody suggested throwing a plain one (Hormel also sells ones without the fancy flavors) into the crock pot to make pulled pork. I immediately cringed since I've never attempted such a feat and always believed it would be complicated. He suggested I chat with his Mom, Brenda, to get her recipe. Apparently B has secrets - delicious, delicious secrets!

So I shot her a text. I got her advice. I pulled together the supplies. I threw in some of my own additions. I made the pork and...

...it was easy! And I LIKED it!

I liked it so much that I knew I needed to share it with the world.

It's as easy as throwing the pork, pineapple juice, and root beer into a slow cooker and letting it cook on low until you're hungry for some dinner. Then you just shred it, combine it with some BBQ sauce and a little more juice, and you're good to go!


I know, I just listed some interesting flavor combos there. Don't let them intimidate you. They work their magic and you get to enjoy some sweet, tangy, and tender as heck pulled pork sammies for dinner after a long day of work - or a long day of shoveling the seemingly endless snow falling from the sky.



So, yeah, I'm sorry, Brenda, if you were hoping to keep this to yourself, but I cannot hold back. It must be released to the people!


Brenda & Sara's Tangy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 6-7 hours

Ingredients
  • 1 pork tenderloin
  • 1 (12 ounce) can or bottle root beer
  • 2-3 cups pineapple juice, plus a little extra
  • 1 (18 ounce) bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
  • 1 bag of rolls (bulkie, hamburger, whatever kind you prefer!)
Cooking Directions
  1. Place tenderloin into bottom of slow cooker.
  2. Pour root beer & pineapple juice over tenderloin.
  3. Cook on low for 6-7 hours until pork shreds easily.
  4. Remove meat from slow cooker and empty wet ingredients.
  5. Place pork back into slow cooker and gently shred with wooden spoon or forks.
  6. Add in your favorite BBQ sauce along with some extra pineapple juice until you've reached desired consistency (everyone prefers their pulled pork a different way - dry, dripping wet, somewhere in-between).