Smokey Pulled Pork and The Slow Living Trend
A story about slowing down, a sister-in-law's Christmas gift, and a crockpot that made coming home feel like exhaling.
Method · Yield · Time
Slow Cooker · Serves 6-8 · 10-12 hrs.
Two forks, ten hours, and dinner is done.
When I went back to work full time, I was doing my own work plus parts of another job when someone else quit. I was working hours on weekends just to stay caught up at a Monday to Friday job. That was enough of the 110% work ethic for me. My marriage was imploding, work became too stressful, and the kids were still really busy with sports, lessons and club activities.
I left my job, and found another in a calmer family business, where office life often sounded like a big family dinner. 14 years later, I'm still with them, and my work family has supported me through the death of my marriage, of both my parents, and of my silly old German Shepherd dog.
Often when working full-time I would put a meal in the crockpot as I was getting ready in the morning. Coming home to the smell of a meal quietly cooking away was heavenly, and allowed for a gentle transition from work to home and a house filled with teenagers.
My Mom had a huge thick cookbook that was pulled out from time to time for recipes made infrequently. I think most of her recipes were made from memory, though she loved looking through the Best of Bridge and Company's Coming books when they came out. When I was in high school she asked me to write out a number of recipes on cards, so she could avoid looking through the whole book to find the recipes she liked.
I opened my own recipe box the other day, and I realized that every recipe tells a story. And I think maybe that's the best part of having your own recipe collection.
“Coming home to the smell of a meal quietly cooking away was heavenly.”
Smokey pulled pork on crusty buns — the kind of meal that makes a busy weeknight feel like a proper dinner.
⚠️ Pro Tip
Low and slow is the way — 10-12 hours on LOW beats 6 on HIGH every time. The difference in tenderness is worth the wait.
THE RECIPE
INGREDIENTS
[1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cracked black peppercorns
1 cup tomato-based chili sauce
¼ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat, about 3 lbs.
YOU’LL NEED
Slow cooker
Skillet
METHOD
In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic, chili powder and pepper and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Already this smells amazing!
Place pork in the slow cooker and pour the sauce over. Cover and cook on LOW for 10-12 hours. In a pinch you can cook on HIGH for 6 hours, but trust me, the slower, lower heat is the way to go.
Transfer pork to a cutting board and pull the meat apart in shreds, using two forks. Return to sauce and keep warm. Serve in crusty buns with a side salad.
The finished pot — ready to pile onto crusty buns and call it dinner.
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Sue:
Sue tends a kitchen garden in Alberta, growing as much of the family's food as the season allows. She writes about what comes out of the soil and what ends up on the table — honest, unfussy, and rooted in place.