Hawaiian pulled pork in a slow cooker is a match made in heaven. Pork shoulder is generally used in restaurants, but they’re rarely available in grocery stores. If you have a good butcher, you could order one and make a lot. Pulled pork does freeze well. Or share with friends and have them return the favor.
If you can’t find a shoulder, look for a Boston butt, which is half of the shoulder. The other half is called the picnic shoulder.
Watch the video to see how easy it is
Recipes
The basic recipe is sugar and spices for a dry rub on the pork. Then you put it in the slow cooker with some form of barbecue sauce. You could make it yourself, or buy a bottle.
You can vary how it tastes depending on the type of barbecue sauce that you use. You’ll get a very different flavor with mustard-based than you will with a tomato-based sauce.
For a more Hawaiian flavor, you will want to use honey, pineapple and soy sauce if you make your own. You can find Kings Hawaiian’s recommended recipe along with a slaw here. Of course, they recommend their brand of barbecue sauce! (and why not…but feel free to make your own)
Another type of Hawaiian pulled pork is the Kalua pork. It’s a lot simpler. NomNom Paleo recommends a 5 pound Boston Butt with 5 strips of bacon and Hawaiian sea salt. The bacon and salt provide the smokiness that’s the hallmark of the dish.
Other recipes call for sea salt and liquid smoke. See what you have on hand. Some people pop it in their slow cooker for 16 to 20 hours to cook it like it’s pork for a luau.
What to Do With It
You could make a sandwich or sliders. It’s delicious on its own with sides like spinach or chard. If you’re going Hawaiian you could have poi as well. Coleslaw is always a great side.
You could turn it into a salad with a variety of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and whatever else you like. The sauce would act like a dressing.
Pulled pork also makes great nachos. If you want to be more Paleo, then use sweet potato chips instead of corn chips.
Resources
[amazon_link asins=’B00917VTZS,B00VGT365K,1449450334′ template=’ProductCarousel’ store=’cyt-azn-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’0bf86604-2226-11e8-b826-d3112cc74458′]
Cook Yourself Thin is the resource hub for women 35-55 looking to lose stubborn pounds by cooking and eating the foods you love.
