7 years ago

Slow Cooker Pork 3 Ways

One of
our favorite ways to cook pork is in the slow cooker – you just set it and
forget it! Fast forward a few hours, and you’ve got a delicious dinner waiting
for you when you walk in the door.

Get
inspired with three of our go-to slow cooker pork recipes: Pulled
Pork Sandwiches
, Slow
Cooker Pork Carnitas
(great for a crowd!) and Red Wine Braised Pork.

Pulled Pork Sandwiches

8 servings
Preparation time: 7 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 (2-5 pound) pork shoulder roast
1 ½ cups (12 ounces) bottled or canned root beer
2 ¼ cups (18 ounces) any Lunds & Byerlys Bar-B-Q Sauce
8 Lunds & Byerlys Bakery Buns

Directions

  1. Place pork in a slow cooker. Pour root beer over the meat.
  2. Cover and cook 6 to 7 hours on low until the pork shreds easily. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce.
  3. Serve on buns. Top with Our Deli Coleslaw if desired.

Pork Carnitas

18-24 servings
Preparation time: 8 hours

Ingredients

1 (6- to 8-pound) boneless pork shoulder roast 
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
8 whole cloves garlic, smashed
4 chipotle peppers (canned or dried)
1 (14- or 15-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 to 3 cups liquid (orange juice, beer, stock or a combination)

Directions

  1. Trim any excess fat from the pork.
  2. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is so tender it’s falling apart.
  3. Let the pork cool enough to handle, then remove from slow cooker and place in a large bowl. Shred the meat with two forks (or by hand). You will end up with about 10 cups of meat.
  4. Skim the fat from the leftover juices in the slow cooker and save the liquid for reheating your meat later, if desired, to help keep it moist.
  5. To make carnitas tacos, serve the meat in tortillas with your favorite taco toppings, such as sour cream, cilantro, radishes, pineapple, chopped red onion and lime wedges.

Red Wine Braised Pork

6-8 servings
Preparation time: 6-7 hours on high setting,
9-10 hours on low setting

Ingredients

1 (4-7
pound) pork shoulder roast
2 medium
onions, thinly sliced
1
tablespoon dried basil
1
tablespoon dried marjoram
1
tablespoon dried thyme
1
tablespoon kosher salt
1
teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¾ cup
water
1 cup red
wine (like Cabernet)
1 pound red potatoes

Directions

  1. Rinse the
    roast and pat dry with paper towels.
  2. Layer
    onions in the bottom of a large slow cooker.
  3. Place the
    roast in slow cooker; sprinkle half the spices over the roast and lightly rub
    them into the meat.
  4. Turn the
    roast over and season with the remaining spices.
  5. Pour the
    water and wine into the slow cooker.
  6. Add potatoes around the roast.
  7. Cover and
    cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 6-7 hours, until the meat is falling
    apart.
  8. When the
    meat is done cooking, shred gently with two forks and then toss in the juices
    to keep it moist until ready to serve.