Paula Deen's Pulled Pork

Last weekend I made pulled pork for Brady as he geared up for his big test. I wanted to make something that would last all week and be easy for him to reheat when he got home from studying. I have a go-to recipe for pulled pork but I felt like trying something new. I came across the following pulled pork recipe and loved how it turned out. It's nice to have an alternative to my normal barbeque sauce based pulled pork and it's a recipe that is super simple. Put everything in the slow cooker, set it for 8 hours, and you are good to go. This recipe also get's a huge plus because it has to be the only Paula Deen recipe that doesn't involve butter or oil!

Paula Deen's Pulled Pork

Serves 8-10
Prep/Cook Time: 8 1/2 hours

1 1/2 Tbsp salt
1 1/2 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp cayenne pepper
4 pound shoulder pork roast (aka Boston Butt roast)
2 cups apple juice
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Worcestershire
1/2 Tbsp liquid smoke
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
8 hamburger buns or large rolls
1 1/4 cups bbq sauce

In a small bowl, whisk together the salt, pepper, brown sugar, paprika, and cayenne pepper.  Place pork in a slow cooker and rub entire roast with dry rub mixture, pressing mixture into the roast. 

In a medium mixing bowl, combine apple juice, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire, liquid smoke and garlic powder. Pour several tablespoons of the apple juice mixture over the top of the roast, then pour remaining mixture on the side of the roast.  Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat 8 - 10 hours.  Remove roast from slow cooker and shred.  Return shredded pork to slow cooker (in broth) and allow to cook 30 more minutes.  Ladle out majority of the broth (leave about 1/2 - 3/4 cup) and pour in barbecue sauce and stir.  Serve warm, on toasted hamburger buns or rolls.

Easy Pulled Pork

I love a good pulled pork sandwich.  I had never even thought to make my own until my friend Kirsten invited me over for homemade pulled pork sandwiches a few years back. They were delicious and it turns out incredibly easy to make. I make this recipe quite frequently because it is perfect for a crowd or multiple dinners plus it requires very little ingredients and effort. I have passed this recipe on to numerous people and it always gets great reviews.

Thanks Kirsten for sharing your recipe :)

Hopefully the last of the camera phone pictures!

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

Serves 6
Prep/Cook Time: 8 hr on LOW

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 cup barbeque sauce
1 cup chili sauce
1 small can crushed pineapple with juice

Place the pork tenderloin in a large crockpot. Add the barbeque sauce, chili sauce and crushed pineapple with juice to the crockpot. Stir and make sure the pork is well covered. Set the crockpot to LOW and cook for 8 hours. After the 8 hours use the back of two forks to shred the pork.

Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I have said this before but I love the convenience of a crock pot. This week I bought a pork tenderloin and planned to roast it for dinner. As I looked through recipes I realized that I wouldn't be home till 8pm and at that point I wasn't going to want to cook dinner. I decided to switch gears and began searching for a good crock pot recipe. I came across this recipe on Paula Deen's website and to my surprise it was actually healthy.  Anything that Paula makes I expect to be full of butter and oil but this dish has vegetables and no butter!! I thought it turned out great and was super simple. I threw everything in the crock pot in the afternoon and by 8pm I had a delicious hot meal!

Picture courtesy of  Paula Deen's website- my picture didn't turn out

Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin
** from www.pauladeen.com
print recipe

Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 6-7 hours

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin
2 cups baby carrots
1 medium red onion, thickly sliced
1 cup chicken stock
1 (18 ounce) jar apricot preserves (I used sugar free)
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and pepper

Line the bottom of the crock pot with carrots and onions. Season pork with salt and pepper and place on top of the carrots and onions.

In a medium mixing bowl, mix stock, apricot preserves, mustard and thyme. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pour glaze over the pork tenderloin. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-7 hours, or until tender.

White Chicken Chili

Sunday was a perfect chili day, cold and dreary. Brady and I decided to go see "The Fighter" but I wanted a warm dinner waiting for us when we got home. So I pulled out the crock pot and threw in the ingredients for one of my favorite crock pot recipes, White Chicken Chili. The idea of my kitchen catching on fire definitely crossed my minds multiple times throughout the movie but luckily the crock pot worked the way it's supposed to and the chili turned out great.

My friend Sarah gave me this recipe a few years back and I love it. I have made it countless times and it never disappoints. It's great because you can let it cook on low for up to 10 hours and doesn't require too many ingredients. I tried a jalapeno cornbread recipe that I had been wanting to make for awhile and unfortunately you wont be seeing it on the blog. I like spicy food but this was just miserable. Brady couldn't stop coughing, I couldn't drink enough water; it wasn't pretty. But at least the chili turned out well! 

White Chicken Chili
** from my friend Sarah Kelly
print recipe

Serves: 8
Prep/Cook: 8-10 hours on low, 4 hours on high

3 15oz cans cannellini beans
2 1/2 c. cooked chicken, chopped (I just use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store)
1 c. yellow onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground oregano
3 1/2 c. chicken broth
shredded monterey jack cheese
broken tortilla chips
salsa verde

In a 3 1/2 - 5 quart crock pot combine drained beans, chicken, onion, peppers, jalapeno peppers, garlic, cumin, salt, and oregano. Stir in chicken broth. Cover; cook on LOW heat for 8-10 hours, or on HIGH for 4-5. Ladle into soup bowls, garnish with cheese, tortilla chips, and salsa verde.

Crock Pot Carnitas

I love cooking with a crock pot.  I don't use one that often but every time I do, I am reminded of how great it is and think to myself that I really should use it more often.  I love walking into my apartment after a long day of work and instantly smelling my hot dinner.  Yes, I usually panic a couple of times throughout the day thinking my apartment is burning down, but so far it has not burned down and it seems that whatever I throw into the crock pot always turns out great despite being left alone for 10 hours. 

This week I made Carnitas in the crock pot and it was delicious!  This is a simple recipe to throw together in the morning before leaving for work and uses very few ingredients which is always a plus!  I served mine with a side of Mexican rice (brown rice tossed with salsa) and some chips and homemade guacamole.

Crock Pot Carnitas
Serves 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8-10 hours on Low

1 pork tenderloin, approximately 1.5 lbs., trimmed of excess fat
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt
2 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tbsp. ground coriander
1/2 tbsp. minced orange zest1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1 jalapeno, diced
1 bottle or can of beer (you want a lager)
2-3 dashes of Cholula (hot sauce)
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

Suggested Extras:
flour tortillas, avocado, corn salsa, queso fresco

Combine the salt, cumin, cinnamon, chili powder and coriander and rub on to the pork until completely covered. Add the onions, garlic, and jalapenos to the crock pot and place pork tenderloin on top. Carefully pour the beer around the pork, try not to knock too much of the rub off. If you have any extra spice rub, you can add it to the braising liquid. Cover and set the crock pot on low and cook for 8-9 hours.  I left mine on for 10 hours and it was great. You'll know when it's done when the meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

Shred the meat with a fork or your hands.  Mix 2-3 dashes of hot sauce into the pork and taste to see if you need to add any more seasonings.  Mix the cilantro into the shredded pork and serve with warm tortillas and any of your favorite toppings.