Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork - Family Favorite Recipe

I love a good slow cooker recipe. What I especially love is a slow cooker recipe that feeds my family dinner and leftovers for lunches. This slow cooker pulled pork is delicious, easy and a hit in our house. So, let's start with the age-old questions - crock pot or slow cooker? It must be a regional thing, right? We have always referred to the cooking tool that slowly cooks our food as a slow cooker. But, I know that many of you call it a crock pot. Isn't the english language funny? Back to the task at hand...pulled pork. Whatever you call it - crock pot pulled pork or slow cooker pulled pork - the bottom line is this recipe rocks. There's a little prep work involved, but the work you do before popping the pork in the cooker leads to a rich sauce and a simple to shred pork.  This is a must-make dish in our house. It works well for busy weeknights and for Superbowl Sunday. So, let's get to the recipe.

How to Make Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

3lb pork shoulder roast (pork butt) For the dry rub 2 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon chili powder 2 teaspoon paprika 2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon ground mustard ½ teaspoon onion powder 2 tablespoon olive oil 2 green onions, finely chopped 1 can tomato paste (6 ounce can) 2 tablespoon packed brown sugar 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce 1 cup beef stock Thoroughly rub the pork shoulder with the dry rub. Sprinkle the dry rub over the pork, with one hand. Rub it into the pork with the other hand. Don't put your pork contaminated hand into the dry rub. That way any left over dry rub can be used in another recipe. Once the pork is totally coated with the dry rub, it is time to brown the meat.  Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, place the pork into the pan. You want to brown each side (don't forget the ends) of the meat. Take your time with this step. All those brown bits will make for a delicious pulled pork and the brown bits in the pan will help flavour the sauce you are going to make. When each side of the pork has been browned, place the pork into the slow cooker.  Chop the onion finely and place in the slow cooker with the pork. I used green onions because my husband has a sensitivity to onions and he finds green onions less - oniony. Feel free to use one small white onion instead. Now, it's time to work on the sauce. Add the tomato paste to the same skillet you browned the pork in. Turn the heat down to medium. Cook the tomato paste until it turns from bright red to a reddish-brown. When the paste turns brown, add in the brown sugar, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and beef stock. Bring this to a boil and it will thicken into a lovely sauce in about 2 minutes. Pour the sauce over the pork and onions.  Cook the pork in the slow cooker on low for 8 hours or on high for 6 hours.  When the pork is done, remove the pork from the slow cooker and place it in a large heat proof dish. Let the pork sit for 10 minutes before you pull it. Use two forks to pull the pork into shredded pieces. In the meantime, scoop any fat off the surface of the sauce in the slow cooker.  Return the pulled pork to the slow cooker and stir the sauce through the pork. Keep the pork in the slow cooker until ready to serve. We serve our pulled pork on buns with a homemade coleslaw. The best part of making a big batch of pulled pork is the leftovers. Pulled pork makes a great addition to the kids' thermos in their lunch box. Make sure you heat up the thermos first, and add a slider bun so the kids can make their own pulled pork sliders for lunch. So good. 

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