Crock pot spicy sweet pulled pork sliders

The crock pot is probably the the most important and under-appreciated cooking implement for the modern man. You can cook pretty good sized meals in them, slow cooking really works the flavors together and you can use it in any sized kitchen. You can make anything from meats to deserts in them and may be the only way to have a hot meal waiting for you when you get home if you are one of those forever-alone types.

The obligatory slow-cooked meal is pulled pork. Get a nice 6-7 pound pork shoulder and the ingredients below and you’re on your way. Throw it together in the fridge the night before you start cooking, flip it on when you head out for work the next morning and you will have some marinated and slow cooked pork to die for when you get home.

This is the type of crock pot you want. 6 quart for a big shoulder.

Stainless Steel 6 Quart Crock Pot

What you will also need:

• 2 onions
• 6-10 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 cup sriracha sauce.
• 1 pack generic pulled pork seasoning
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2-2 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp liquid smoke
• mini buns, dinner rolls, or full sized burger buns. Just get some bread to put it on.
• 1 bag of little carrots and a pound or so of fingerling or other tiny potatoes.

For a 3 pound shoulder, cut measurements about in half.

First, dice up those onions and soften them up in a big skillet. Once you have them turning soft add the liquids then dump everything else in there. Bring to boil then simmer.

Now pour it on the pork shoulder (trim the fat and skin off the shoulder first) in the crockpot stoneware and either stick it in the fridge to marinade overnight or start cooking it for 10 hours low or 5-6 hours high. I like to leave just a bit of the shoulder sticking out of the fluid. If you don’t have enough, throw a little more vinegar in there. The acid in the vinegar is what works on breaking down the fat anyway.

You may have noticed I’m not a chemist. The good thing about crock pottery is that you don’t have to be exact. You aren’t making a souffle’. You are just making a good meal. It will be hot, brown and plenty. If you don’t like spicy food leave out the sriracha and put in some tomato sauce. Mix it up, throw a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce in there instead of tomato sauce. Odds are your pulled pork will still kick ass.

About 2 hours before it’s ready, throw those carrots and tiny potatoes in there. Or if you don’t have time cook them in the microwave and put them in the pot to soak up that fluid.

Once it’s all done cooking, pull that hunk of pork out and pull it apart into a bowl . Put on your eatin’ shirt and serve it up!