Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Batch Cooking for the win!

I am SO excited to share with you this recipe today! It is such a simple thing….I know you are going to love it! And I’m on a mission to amp up my batch cooking and meal prep game - there is nothing I love more than having tons of leftovers that people actually enjoy eating or putting a meal away to pull out in a chaotic moment. We’ll have some for dinner, then I’ll repurpose it for lunch during the week and freeze the rest so we can have it again in a few weeks. This makes feeding my family infinitely easier!

It’s made in the slow cooker with almost zero prep effort. There are SO many ways to enjoy pulled pork. Pork shoulder is an inexpensive cut of meat.

I’m excited to see what you’ll do with this one!

5 Reasons why you absolutely need to try this recipe!

1. Saving $$: Pork shoulder is a large, inexpensive cut of meat that will feed your family several times over.

2. Saving Time: This recipe takes less than 5 minutes to prep and you’ve got dinner waiting for you at the end of the day.

3. You’ve got a fresh, healthy dinner that everyone will love.

4. You can spend your evening on something other than making dinner.

5. Batch cooking: You’ve created at least 2 meals at the same time.

   And bonus: You’ll feel so proud of yourself for the dinner you’ve created.

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

• 1 (6 to 8-pound) bone-in pork butt (aka pork shoulder)

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tbsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup chick stock/broth

  For the bowls:

• 1 package vermicelli noodles (AKA rice sticks)

• 1 head of romaine, thinly sliced

• Desired amount of roasted pork butt

• Garnish Veggies: 1 cucumber, cut into matchsticks; 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks; 1 red bell pepper, cut into match sticks

• 1/4 cup roasted salted peanuts or cashews

• Handful of fresh mint and cilantro

  For the drinkable sauce:

• 1/3 cup hot water (hottest your tap will go)

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• Juice of 3 large limes

• 1/4 cup fish sauce

• 1 minced garlic clove

• 1 chile, seeds removed, minced (I left this out since we can’t handle the heat, but if you like a little spice, definitely add this!

  Directions:

1. Pat the pork with paper towel until it is dry. Season it with the S&P and brown sugar on all sides. Place into a slow cooker with 1 cup of chicken broth. Place the lid on. Set to low heat and cook for 6-8 hours.

2. When finished cooking, remove the pork and allow it to rest for 15 to 20 minutes, until it’s cool enough to handle.

   Use two forks to shred the meat, mixing the crispy outside layer in with the inner juicy bits. Discard the bone and any big hunks of fat.

3. Make that delicious sauce. You can do this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.

4. Put the vermicelli noodles into a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Cover the bowl (a large plate will do, a la ramen prep) and allow the noodles to soak until softened. Approx 2 mins. Drain them.

5. Build your bowls! Place the noodles in bowls with a little bit of the pork. Then allow people to make their own. Top it off with a few spoonfuls of the drinkable sauce. Enjoy!

   Let’s Get Cooking!

Note:

How to reheat your pork! Whether you’re re-heating it from the fridge or the freezer, the best way to do so is in the oven. The goal is to NOT dry out your meat after you put all that time into cooking it low and slow the first go round! So put the pork in an oven-save dish and add a bit of water (or broth or even apple juice) to add back some of the moisture it will have lost. Cover the dish with foil and bake it at 300°F for about 20-30 minutes, or until warmed through. You could also use the same approach on the stovetop, heating it over low or medium-low.