Home Cooking: Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

I am a relative newcomer to crock pot/slow cooker cooking. My mother didn't use a cooker when I was growing up, and it's only been in the last 5 - 7 years that I bought myself one. But I definitely appreciate the time advantages to using one, and actually now I have two: a big six quart one and a baby two quart. They are both REAL handy!

My friend Sharon Chen of Delish Plan has written a slow cooker cookbook. Disclosure, she was offering some advance e-copies at a discount to members of our food blogger group (Austin Food Bloggers Alliance) for critique and to review on Amazon, which I provided. I was not monetarily compensated otherwise, and all opinions are my own. This link here will take you to her web page for the cookbook; or click here to go directly to Amazon to purchase either an e-book or paperback copy. There are a lot of creative recipes from meats to vegetarian dishes to dessert.  And one of the beautiful things about using a slow cooker, it doesn't heat up your entire kitchen the way an oven does in the Texas summer! But back to pulled pork!

Available on Amazon

I bought a small pork shoulder from Whole Foods, that was about a pound and a half; I decided to make half the recipe and use my smaller cooker. While Sharon advocates for using plastic liners for ease of clean up, I don't care to cook in plastic, so I sprayed the cooker well with non-stick spray. An onion, the meat, and a mixture of ketchup, hard cider (I used Crabbie's, which is more of an alcoholic ginger beer than hard apple cider, but the flavors lent well), Dijon mustard, brown sugar, salt + pepper, bay leaf, and chile garlic paste all went in the pot. I cranked the heat all the way to low and let it work it's magic overnight.  My house smelled good in the morning! Here's what it all looked like still in the pot.

And below, with minimal shredding, you can see how the meat just fell off the bone.  One thing I did though was to reduce the remaining liquid from the pot; I poured it all into a skillet and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. It reduced somewhat, but definitely thickened.

One night for dinner, I made some polenta and brussels and had an easy meal, adding some of the reduced juices.

And this was my favorite, the pulled pork with a great pasta, goat cheese, fresh basil and some of that reduction.

Without a doubt, I would make this pulled pork recipe again! In addition to what I made, there's so much you can do with the pork, like make tacos or pulled pork sandwiches. Easy and versatile. I can happily recommend Delish Plan's cookbook!

Sweet Potato Burgers

 

 

So, I found this recipe online, and while it sounded a little odd, I really liked the idea. I've tweaked it a bit, so here's my version that I made last night. It came out as a nice, hearty vegetarian meal! The sweet potato definitely gives it a the denseness needed, and surprisingly, it held together without egg or other binding agent. I rushed the caramelization of my onions, so they didn't come out quite as I had hoped, but still tasty!

Sweet Potato Burgers (makes 4 medium burgers)

olive oil for sauteeing
2 medium yellow onions, sliced into rings
1 medium sweet potato (or yam), approx. 1 pound, washed & cubed (you can leave the skins on)
1/2 of a red onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
1/4 tsp Spanish smoked paprika (the hot, not the sweet)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
few grinds of fresh black pepper
1 - 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (or use flat leaf parsley if you don't like cilantro)
1/2 cup pecans, toasted & coarsely chopped
whole grain buns (or bread of choice...I used challah bread rolls)
mayo, bbq sauce as condiments

-- In a large, heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil; add sliced yellow onion. On medium-low heat, allow to onion to cook slowly, gradually browning and caramelizing. Remove from heat when done.(You can add a touch of salt to help draw out moisture, and a touch of sugar to help sweeten the deal.)
-- As onions cook, place sweet potatoes in a small saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender. Drain, run a little cold water over them to stop the cooking, drain again, and set aside.
-- As sweet potatoes, cook, heat a medium skillet over medium heat, and add a tablespoon of oil. Add chopped red onion, cooking about 5 minutes until becoming translucent and tender. Add garlic, and saute for 2 minutes, then remove from heat.
-- In a food processor, combine oats, cinnamon, chile, paprika, coriander, cumin, salt & pepper; pulse a few times until the oats are finely ground.
-- Add sweet potatoes, onions/garlic, and cilantro, and pulse until well combined. Stir in pecans.
-- Form mixture into 4 medium patties.
-- To cook, heat a large, preferably non-stick skillet, with a little bit of oil over medium heat. Cook about 3 minutes per side, or until browned.
-- Serve on buns (I like mine toasted, with a little mayo & bbq sauce, and the caramelized onions on top. Enjoy!

The next go-around, I may saute the sweet potato a bit after boiling/steaming so they get a bit more texture to them. Actually, roasting them from the get go may be the way to do it! Adjust the spices to your comfort level. If you don't want so much cumin, use less... there are no rules here!