Easy Pulled Pork

I love this pulled pork recipe.  It is very easy to make and takes very little time.  ANY FREAK CAN MAKE THIS, regardless of kitchen skills! If you can’t make this, then you must not have arms or something. At the very most, 15 minutes is required in the kitchen, as the rest of the work is all done by crockpot mojo.   Alyssa JoJo and I have a very fond affinity for our crockpots and probably own more than ten between the two of us…just sayin…we are compulsive crock pot purchasers, and we use every single one of them.

The SOB is very fond of pulled pork on sandwiches and quesadillas.  He especially loves it piled high into a gigantic pork volcano in the midst of a BBQ sauce eruption, no other accouterments other than a thick slice of toasted bread needed.  My personal favorite dish is pork tacos topped with a pineapple, onion and cilantro salsa and topped with some cotija cheese (consider it a Mexican parmesan).  No, you do not need to buy the pineapple salsa.  All it takes is chopping some fresh or canned pineapple and onions and mixing it together with some chopped cilantro.  Add some jalapenos for extra heat. 

This pulled pork also makes an excellent nachos topping. There is a certain “kitchen from Hell” here in the Twin Cities that prepares a pork nacho plate that is covered with BBQ sauce and diced pickles.  Sounds a little odd until you try it and your taste buds explode with happiness, and it is very easy to replicate at home.   Pulled pork is also tasty served over rice.   I used the very last of this pulled pork to make a enchilada pie sort of hot dish (which also freezes extremely well)  I do not add the BBQ sauce to the crock anymore, as it doesn’t seem to be as versatile afterwards.  The BBQ sauce is easy enough to add in when you want it, and it already has plenty of flavor with the salsa mixed in, so try it and see how many dishes you can make out of this.  I mean, c’mon freaks!  Look at how many ideas I already supplied you with!  Last, but not least, as always in Mama Lanette World, it freezes beautifully. 

Ingredients

 3 pound (approximately) pork loin roast

16 ounce jar of salsa

Salt and pepper

Oil for browning

On a clean plate, pat pork roast dry with some paper towels.  Liberally salt and pepper all sides of the roast.  Heat oil in pan on medium high heat.  Add roast and brown on all sides.  Make sure to get a nicely browned crust, as it will improve the flavor of the final dish.   Even if you burn it a little bit, it is okay.  It will just make it taste like it was grilled.

Next, place the roast into a preheated crockpot.  Pour the entire jar of salsa over the meat, cover, and cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on medium.  That’s it.  Really…that…is…it!  If you want to make it even easier, skip the browning step.  It will still taste delicious, but browning it first really does add a lot of extra flavor, and I highly recommend it. 

This is a perfect meal to make on a work day.  You can brown the roast the night before, and in the morning place the meat and salsa into the crock pot, turn it on low setting, take off for the day, and let the crock work its magic.  I finally invested in a crock with a timer on it, and it is one of the best purchases I’ve ever made for my kitchen. I can turn it on in the morning, and it automatically switches to the “keep warm” feature as soon as it is done cooking.  It is so nice to come home after a long, cold, winter day and smell cooking food in the air as soon as you walk in the door.  When the roast is done cooking, remove from crock and, using two forks, pull apart into pieces.  Add back to crock and stir together.  Let sit for all the flavors to meld.

The two pictures of finished dishes are a grilled pork and cheese sandwich dipped in BBQ sauce (SOB style), and pork tacos (Mama Lanette style).  If you would like to play around with any of the ideas supplied above, send me a note, and I will gladly supply you with a recipe.  

Next week, Freaks!  <3 Mama Lanette