With the Memorial Day weekend coming up, most of you probably have visions of barbecue dancing in your head, but with all the rain many of us around the country are experiencing, the dream may not become a reality. Crock pot to the rescue! With this recipe, you can have delicious barbecue pulled pork, with little effort, no matter how much it rains. I’m a big fan of barbecue but don’t have the special equipment needed to make authentic smoky barbecue at home, and I am not willing to pay the price to eat it out very often. This easy recipe satisfies my barbecue craving and my budget. It’s also a great one to make when time is short because you only need a few minutes to tend to it at the beginning of the day and then again when it is almost done. Bonus: It is really fantastic!

If you want precise measurements and times, you will be disappointed with this recipe. It is more of a method than an exact recipe. This is one of those recipes that I just “pour” and “sprinkle” without having exact amounts. I am confident that it will still turn out delicious for you.

Root Beer Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

• pork (This time I used about a five pound pork shoulder blade roast, but you can also use pork tenderloin or other cuts that you like. Choose the size for what you need. If you don’t know what to buy, just ask the butcher what would make good pulled pork. It should be relatively inexpensive.)
• root beer (For my five pound roast, I used about 16 ounces of root beer.)
• your favorite barbecue sauce (I use Sweet Baby Ray’s original.)
• salt, pepper, garlic salt
• minced onion (This time I used fresh onion, but you can also use dried minced onion.)

Directions:

1. Generously sprinkle your pork with salt, pepper, and garlic salt on all sides. Use a fork to poke several holes in the pork to let the root beer and sauce soak in while cooking. Place meat in the crock pot.
2. Mix root beer (I used about two cups) with some of the barbecue sauce (I probably used about a cup) to make a sort of glaze. Pour this over the meat in the crock pot.
3. Sprinkle a generous amount of fresh or dried minced onion over the top of the meat.

   

   

   

    

4. Turn the crock pot on low and cook meat until the meat shreds easily. (I cooked my five-pound roast for 7 hours.)
5. At this point, remove the meat to a large plate or platter to shred and remove any fat or bone. I let the meat cool for a little while and then used my hands (with some disposable gloves on) to hand shred the meat.
6. Drain the juice from the crock pot and then place the shredded meat back into the crock pot.
7. Add more barbecue sauce to your liking along with some water to “loosen” up the meat. I usually taste the meat and add more salt at this point.
8. Turn the crock pot back on (on low) until the meat is heated through.
9. Enjoy on a bun as a sandwich or however you like your pulled pork.

Note: The leftovers from this are great. You can easily freeze some to eat later or refrigerate and eat over the next few days. I had plenty left from my five-pound roast that I will be able to freeze in two containers for future meals for my family. Source: Adapted from Allrecipes.com

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Category: Crock pot, Main Dishes Tags: barbecue sauce, crock pot, pulled pork

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