Slow cooker pulled pork

This simple dish is made with pork shoulder (sometimes called pork butt, or Boston butt), a few pantry ingredients, and a long, slow cook over low heat. You can throw it in the slow cooker in the morning, and have in sandwiches, nachos, burritos and rice for supper for the next few days.

• 3-1/2 lb (1.75 kg) pork shoulder (sometimes called pork butt, or Boston butt)
  
  
• pinch salt and pepper
  
  
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
  
  
• 2 onions, chopped 
  
  
• 4 garlic cloves, minced 
  
  
• 2 tablespoons chili powder 
  
  
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander 
  
  
• 3 bay leaves 
  
  
• 1/4 cup tomato paste (about half of a 156 mL can)
  
  
• 398 mL can of tomato sauce 
  
  
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 
  
  
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 
  
  
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pan on the stove. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the pork shoulder, and sear it in the pan until it is browned. Transfer to slow cooker.
   
   
2. Add onions to the same skillet and sautee until softened, around 5 minutes. Add garlic cloves, chili powder, coriander and bay leaves, and cook until fragrant, another minute or so.
   
   
3. Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar to the pan, and stir until mixed. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Once sauce has boiled, turn off the heat and carefully pour it into the slow cooker.
   
   
4. Put lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW until pork is tender, 8-10 hours.
   
   
5. Once pork is cooked, remove from the slow cooker and let rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Use 2 forks to pull the meat apart, shredding it into pulled pork.
   
   
6. Pour the liquid from slow cooker into a large pot, and skim the fat off the top. Boil for 15 minutes or so, until sauce is reduced to desired thickness. Compost the bay leaves.
   
   
7. Add the shredded pork into the sauce mixture, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes, until meat is warmed through. Turn off heat, and let rest a few minutes before serving.

• Pork shoulder can be boneless, or bone-in
  
  
• To reduce the cooking time, try cutting the pork shoulder into 4 equal pieces before cooking

• Pulled pork can also be made in the oven. Preheat the oven to 300F, and transfer the pork shoulder and sauce to a covered pot instead of to a slow cooker. Bake for 4 hours. Remove the lid and let bake for an extra 2-3 hours, until the meat is falling apart and can be shredded with a fork. Oven pulled pork can't be left unattended the way that slow cooker pulled pork can, so do this on a day when you're sure to be home.
  
  
• The seasonings are flexible, and can be adjusted to your liking.
  
  
• Classic pulled pork is eaten on buns, with maybe some coleslaw for topping or on the side. It can also be added to nachos, rice bowls, mac n' cheese, burritos, pizza, pasta, or grilled cheese sandwiches; anywhere you'd like a kick of protein and flavour!

• Cover leftover pulled pork and keep in fridge for up to 2-3 days.
  
  
• Freeze in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months.

Recipe adapted from Ontario Pork

Food is Too Expensive! was funded by the City of Saskatoon through our Healthy Yards partnership, the Cyril Capling Trust Fund of the College of Agriculture and Bioresources, and the Department of Plant Sciences. Focus group research to inform this work was collected by CHEP. Thank you all for helping us make healthy food more accessible!