Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Cooking for Kids

My employers gave me a slow cooker for my birthday and I love making the kids recipes from Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker (Williams -Sonoma) in the slow cooker. When I make extra pulled pork and serve the hearty sandwiches to the contractors that work in the same house as me the workers say the sandwiches remind them of the meals their mothers made for them when they grew up in Bolivia. I serve the pulled pork on good quality hard rolls but you can use soft rolls if the kids prefer softer sandwiches. Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker (Williams-Sonoma) suggests serving pulled pork sandwiches with homemade or good-quality prepared coleslaw or potato salad from your favorite deli or upscale market.

You Will Need:

3 Tbs. canola or corn oil
4 lb. boneless pork shoulder, cut into 3 equal pieces
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup tomato ketchup
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light molasses
2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Sandwich rolls, split and toasted, for serving

What to Do:

1. Brown the pork in a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the pork pieces and brown well on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer the pork to a slow cooker.

2. Make the sauce and cook the pork. Pour off all but about 1 Tbs. of the fat from the fry pan and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the vinegar and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. Stir in the ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, red pepper flakes, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the mixture begins to bubble. Pour over the pork. Cover and cook according to the manufacturer’s instructions until the pork is very tender, 4 to 5 hours on high or 8 to 10 hours on low.

3. Shred the pork and serve. Transfer the pork pieces to a platter. Using a pair of forks, shred each piece of pork, removing and discarding any large pieces of fat. Skim the excess fat off the sauce, return the pulled pork to the sauce and stir to combine. Serve the pork and sauce atop the sandwich rolls. Serves 6 to 8.

References:

Photo by Stephanie Felzenberg

Food Made Fast: Slow Cooker (Williams-Sonoma)





The New Slow Cooker: Comfort Classics Reinvented






Crock-Pot SCCPVL610-S Programmable Cook and Carry Oval Slow Cooker