The slow cooker obsession continues!
I don’t think this will get old anytime soon.
I know I said I wanted to try lasagna next, but I’ve been on a BBQ kick lately. I blame the trip to South Carolina at Thanksgiving. There’s just nothing like Southern BBQ, and pulled pork is my favorite. With beer… because beer in food sound a little strange sometimes, but it’s (almost) always good.
For this pork, I decided to cook it relatively plainly so that I could turn it into BBQ and tacos. I can be serving Vegas the same thing twice! (Really – she doesn’t like leftovers.)
Pork isn’t something I make a lot. It creeps me out to eat it on the rare side, but if you cook it a minute too long it turns chewy. However, I’ve discovered that making pork in the slow cooker results in tender, melt-in-your-mouth meat. And who doesn’t like the meat tender? Sorry, I couldn’t help it…
Between the dry rub and the beer, this recipe has a lot of flavor. Don’t be scared – it’s enough to eat plain from the pot with your fingers, but not so much that you can’t add stuff to use it in multiple ways.
Spice blends are so pretty (this is the dry rub)
One night we put in tortillas with salsa for tacos, and the next day we added BBQ sauce to make a BBQ dinner.
Just make sure you save a bit of the beer to sip with your meal. I used Anderson Valley’s Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin Ale (which is fantastic, btw).
In other news, I’m taking a break from the slow cooker for the weekend to focus on Christmas cookie baking. And maybe some more beer recipes… it was so warm here that I missed making my pumpkin beer bread this fall!
[Tweet “Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork – this can make at least 2 different dinners! #fitfluential”]
Slow Cooker Beer Pulled Pork
- 2 lbs boneless pork butt roast
- 1 medium red onion, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces beer (I used Anderson Valley’s Bourbon Barrel Pumpkin )
- 1 T soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
For BBQ Sandwiches:
- 2 C BBQ sauce, plus more for serving
- Sandwich or slider buns
- Toppings of your choice such as guacamole, kale, bell peppers
For Tacos:
- 6 Tortillas
- 1/2 C salsa
- Topping of your choice such as guacamole, cheese, cilantro, salsa
Place pork on a cutting board. Trim off excess fat.
In bottom of the slow cooker, add chopped onion and garlic. Pour in the beer (you should probably take a sip for quality control purposes) and soy sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together paprika, chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture evenly on the pork, making sure to cover both sides and edges. Place the meat on top of the onions and garlic in the slow cooker.
Cover and cook until pork is fork tender, about 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Time will vary by slow cooker.
Transfer the meat to a cutting board. Using two forks, pull the meat apart into shreds, discarding excess fat.
Pour the onion mixture from the slow cooker through the strainer and return the onion bits to the slow cooker. Set the strained liquid aside while pulling apart the meat.
Return the pork to the slow cooker. Use a spoon to skim the fat from the surface of the reserved cooking liquid, then add 1/4 cup of the liquid at a time to the slow cooker until the pork is just moistened.
For BBQ Sandwiches:
Toss with your favorite BBQ sauce and serve on sandwiches with toppings of your choice.
For Tacos:
Place pork on tortillas, spoon salsa over, and toppings of your choice.
How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week? The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.
Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂
***
A week from today is Christmas. OMG. I need to use my own gift guide to finish up!
Have you started holiday baking yet?
Would you rather eat tacos or BBQ?
All meat creeps me out which is probably why I don’t eat much. I need to try this one!
theres a reason why i only eat slow cooked pork! its so good!
BBQ. ALWAYS. But who says you can’t make a bbq taco? That is my question for you.
Valid point, my friend.
Before this recipe, I would have said tacos but now I don’t know! I’m doing some baking tomorrow, we’ll see how much is left by Christmas! Ha!
Beer goes with everything- I went to a beer and cookie pairing this past week and it.was.amazing. I think I only make pork in the slow cooker because pork is a tricky bitch to cook!
Beer and cookies sounds so fabulous. I went to a beer and donut pairing once. Heaven.
I love cooking with beer and this sounds awesome!
I don’t eat pork – but if I ever were to give it a go… This is how I would eat it… I could do this with some CHICKS though for sure – LMFAO!
I snort every time I read this comment.
BBQ!!!!!!
The slow cooker life 😉 Isn’t it just then best!
I have a great recipe for pulled pork, but maybe I will switch it up a little and try this! I love making pulled pork in the slow cooker.
Is it on your blog somewhere? I’m all about trying alllll the pork recipes.
It`s not!! We ate it too fast for me to be able to take pictures of it!! I need to make it again though.. Sometime..
I adore my slow cooker and really need to use it more often, especially now because I have no desire to make myself food past 5 o’clock. Yeah, it’s a legit problem. Thank god for the Hubby. He fed me homemade pizza last night.
Sounds like you have QUITE enough in your cooker already. 😉
I used to not like pork at all (I blame my mom for always burning the pork chops) but now with the exception of ham or bacon, I really enjoy it. Especially pulled pork in bbq! South Carolina truly has some of the best bbq joints. My granddad is actually a judge for bbq competitions. Anyways, thanks for the recipe! I love my crock pot.
You are right on with the Carolina BBQ! I miss it out here. But hold up – you don’t like bacon?!
My boys love it when I make them pork in the crockpot! I haven’t tried adding beer yet I bet they would be all over it
The wedding I went to last night had pulled pork – awesome!
A wedding?! That sounds so much better than crappy overcooked steaks.
Omg thanks for posting this. My husband is always asking for Pork for dinner and I never know how to cook it besides doing a bbq pulled pork. I will be using this recipe soon. I love the crockpot. I might need to find a different beer though, I’ve never seen the one you mentioned!
That’s awesome! I’d love to hear what you guys think. Any beer would be fine. I chose something a bit sweeter because I think pork does well with it.