I have always wanted a slow cooker but was always too frugal when it came down to purchasing one…just couldn’t rationalize such an investment for making cocktail weenies twice a year :0)

On medium heat add onions and cook for 5 minutes. Add sugar and stir until golden brown

So for our wedding, I registered for the largest Cuisinart slow cooker I could find (go big or go home) so that I could start experimenting with new recipes.  This was the first meal (of many to come) and it turned out delicious….

My colleague/buddy Brandon is from Kansas (Rock Chalk Jayhawk- style!)…one day while we were eating lunch from RoRo BBQ in Wallingford, he told me that he had an awesome slow cooker pulled pork recipe.  Being from Kansas and knowing his love for BBQ, I thought we would give his technique a whirl…need to spice up our Duck Dodge crew meals!

Place pork in the slow cooker, fat side down

For the Pulled Pork, you will need:

  • 3-5 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed (leaving the fat on the bottom)
  • 1 tablespoon EVOO
  • 4-5 large onions, thinly sliced (I used sweet onions, but you can use yellow too)
  •  2/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup cane sugar
  • 1 to 2 tablespoon dried oregano, to taste
  • fresh black pepper, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste
  •  5-7 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 to 2 cups chili sauce
  • 1/4 cup minced chipotle chili in adobo sauce, to taste (if you like spice, add more!)
  •  1/3 cup cider vinegar

On medium heat add onions and cook for about 5 minutes until they start softening.

Add the sugar and stir until the onions are golden brown, approximately 8 minutes.

Cover the pork with the onion sauce

Add cider, garlic, oregano, pepper and salt, cook for another minute and then remove from heat while stirring in the chili sauce and chipotle.

Put the pork in the slow cooker (fat down and remove string) and cover with the onion sauce.

Cover and cook for 4 to 5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low making sure to drain the greasy liquid at least once.  You will know the pork is done when it is falling apart!

Using a fork, shred the pork and top with remaining onion sauce

Remove and pull it apart with a fork…as soon as it is all shredded, combine it with the leftover onion sauce and serve with BBQ buns, topped with a chipotle chili sauce and green apple coleslaw! :0) yum.

For the Green Apple Coleslaw, you will need:

  • 3-4 green apples, shredded (I used a food processor for all my shredding needs)
  • 1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded
  • 3-4 sticks of celery, shredded
  • 1 cup of finely diced cilantro (or mint would work too)
  • 1-2 tablespoons of mayo, to taste
  • fresh black pepper, to taste
  • sea salt, to taste

Combined all ingredients and serve!

Green apple coleslaw

With the leftover chipotle chilies in the adobo I made my own sauce…I minced the remaining amount (1/3 cup) and put it in a small saucepan with a pat of butter, leftover chili sauce (1/2 cup), brown sugar (1/3 cup), garlic powder, onion powder and salt.  I heated through, removed it from the heat and let it cool before topping the pulled pork.

Duck dodge pulled pork sandwiches

It was a rainy day on the boat so this was the perfect treat for the crew.  Totally easy to prepare ahead of time…just assemble when you want to serve!

If I were to do it all over, I would probably soak the pork in a brine the night before and dry rub season with salt, pepper, dried chipotle and a touch of sugar prior to topping with the onion sauce.

Thanks B!

Pulled pork cut in half.