Pulled Pork in Slow Cooker help please

[Gravy Queen]

After all your fantastic help on my slow cooker thread, I'd like to try some pork in it at the weekend.

I love hot pork butties. And it has to be nice soft pork so the pulled pork sounds ideal.

Can you just run me through the slow cooker method then - no liquids? I usually use a shoulder of pork - it has a thick layer of fat on it - so obviously this wont crisp I know. Will it just sit in its own fat then?

Any seasonings/herbs I should add or just leave it to it?

Any advice on other cuts of pork to use would be welcome.

Thank you.

 

[Gravy Queen]

Might try the caramelised onions too, sounds like they would go with pork.

 

[Harry Cobean]

After all your fantastic help on my slow cooker thread, I'd like to try some pork in it at the weekend.

I love hot pork butties. And it has to be nice soft pork so the pulled pork sounds ideal.

Can you just run me through the slow cooker method then - no liquids? I usually use a shoulder of pork - it has a thick layer of fat on it - so obviously this wont crisp I know. Will it just sit in its own fat then?

Any seasonings/herbs I should add or just leave it to it?

Any advice on other cuts of pork to use would be welcome.

Thank you.

you are right about the fat queenie.it won't reach a temp where it will melt all of it or brown either.so either brown in a frying pan first or trim it off.as you so delicately mentioned my age in another post i opt for the "healthier" trimmed version(so important in other areas too!).shoulder of pork is perfectomondo costal anterio scorchio!.
seasoning/herbs is up to you.naked,salt n' pepper...whatever floats your boat really.as you know i like spicy so i either make up a rub with salt,pepper,soft brown sugar,smoked paprika(gives a bbq flavour),ground cumin,garlic powder(not salt),onion powder(not salt) & cayenne or just sack it & buy a pack of one of the nando's rubs from tesco for a quid.
do what tom said,put some thickly sliced onion in the pot,rubbed pork(ooh la la)on top of the onions,NO LIQUID,the pork/onions will make their own stock,lid on,LOW setting,leave it all day.....bish bash bosh....pulled pork!
depending on size of joint i would give a min of 6 hrs up to 10 hrs but you really can't overcook in a slow cooker.
because of the low wattage of a slow cooker MAKE SURE YOUR MEAT IS AT ROOM TEMP BEFORE IT GOES IN otherwise the first couple of hours does nothing except bring it up to temp.
exactly the same procedure with lamb,beef,ham or chicken etc only difference is what seasoning you use & cooking times
lets see the pics hunny bunnz!

 

[Harry Cobean]

you know what gravy,reading what i've just posted it occurred to me that if we'd heard of pulled anything back in the 60's/70's they'd still be making carry on films.....ooooh matron how i love you(read in a kenneth williams stylee)
Carry on Matron - YouTube

 

[GotGarlic]

I made the tastiest pulled pork I've ever made myself a couple weeks ago. I used this spice rub mix from Cooks' Illustrated on a three-pound pork shoulder roast and have a little left:

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper

I used 1 tsp. cayenne and smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.

I cut the roast into two pieces, to provide more surface area for the rub, then I massaged the mixture all over the roast and refrigerated it in a plastic bag overnight. In the morning, I took it out of the fridge to warm up a little, peeled and sliced a yellow onion to put in the bottom of the slow cooker, and put the roast in. Then I poured in a cup of apple cider vinegar, being careful not to wash the rub off the pork. I think the steam from the vinegar added a lot to the flavor.

Eight hours later, it was fall-apart tender when I went to turn it, so I put it in a bowl, let it cool down a bit, then removed the fat and pulled the pork. I poured the liquid (vinegar plus drippings and any rendered fat) into a cup measure and refrigerated it to make the fat congeal on top. My idea was to use the liquid to make a sauce, but it turned out, I didn't need it

We had it one day as a taco with homemade salsa and pickled onions, and another day as North Carolina pork barbecue with cole slaw. The meat had so much flavor, it barely needed anything more. So so good. I have a 7-pound roast in the fridge and will make it again this weekend. Hope this helps

I'm not familiar with "hot pork butties." If it's different from what I've described, can you tell us what it is? Thanks.

 

[CraigC]

Ah, the names they will steal and apply to a dish that has nothing to do with the proper cooking method. To each their own. IMO, a slow cooker allows your butt to swim in a pool of fat. There was a reason the crock pot fad died in the '70s.

 

[sparrowgrass]

Craig, first rule is don't yuck my yum. You don't like it--too bad for you, but please keep snark to yourself.

 

[GotGarlic]

Ah, the names they will steal and apply to a dish that has nothing to do with the proper cooking method. To each their own. IMO, a slow cooker allows your butt to swim in a pool of fat. There was a reason the crock pot fad died in the '70s.

I guess you're not familiar with carnitas or confit ... Fat = flavor, dude.

 

[CraigC]

Craig, first rule is don't yuck my yum. You don't like it--too bad for you, but please keep snark to yourself.

You're entitled to yours, I'm entitled to mine.

 

[Hoot]

I reckon it don't matter what you call it, just be sure and call me when it's time to eat!

 

[CraigC]

I guess you're not familiar with carnitas or confit ... Fat = flavor, dude.

Quite familiar, but they are called what they are and true to the cooking method. Pulled pork uses a slow cooking method, using wood to add smoke flavor and heat.

 

[GotGarlic]

Quite familiar, but they are called what they are and true to the cooking method. Pulled pork uses a slow cooking method, using wood to add smoke flavor and heat.

I know exactly what it is. I don't have the equipment to do it that way. With this slow cooking method, the result was tender pulled pork, delicious from the spices and vinegar, with smoky flavor from the smoked paprika. Why do want to spoil my enjoyment of it?

 

[jennyema]

Ah, the names they will steal and apply to a dish that has nothing to do with the proper cooking method. To each their own. IMO, a slow cooker allows your butt to swim in a pool of fat. There was a reason the crock pot fad died in the '70s.

Yes it does wallow in a pool of grease but that's why God invented gravy separators and taught us how to easily de-grease sauces.

 

[FrankZ]

Pulled pork uses a slow cooking method, using wood to add smoke flavor and heat.

I would say pulled pork BBQ uses a slow cooking method with wood to add smoke, but pulled pork just defines how handled after cooking. One can also have chopped pork BBQ, tis cooked the same way but handled different at the end.

 

[kadesma]

I trim any big pieces of fat then put the meat in my cooker and let it go all night. In the morning I add, cumin,garlic and onion powder, a small amount of either white wine or chicken broth not much mind you as there is liquid in the cooker from going all night. I never season at night I find that putting seasoning in in the morning works fine.You will get moist, easy to pull meat. I at times I add some brown sugar, tomato paste from the tube,Worcestershire. and Tabasco just decide what you want get some great rolls, make some coleslaw, and enjoy.
kades

 

[Dawgluver]

Gravy Queen, you can also cook any hunk of meat in the CP in just barbeque sauce and onion. I've also used cola and salsa. Chicken slow cooked in salsa is nice.

 

[Harry Cobean]

I made the tastiest pulled pork I've ever made myself a couple weeks ago. I used this spice rub mix from Cooks' Illustrated on a three-pound pork shoulder roast and have a little left:

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon dried oregano
4 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons table salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon ground white pepper

I used 1 tsp. cayenne and smoked paprika instead of regular paprika.
I'm not familiar with "hot pork butties." If it's different from what I've described, can you tell us what it is? Thanks.

hey garlic,i'll translate you call pork shoulder "butt" we call sandwiches(sammiches) "butties" so a hot pork sandwich is a hot pork "butty" over here.too many bl**dy butts me old mucker!!.
while i've got you gg your rub has a few more bits & pieces than mine.what's the benefit of brown & white sugar?.mine just has the brown,if it improves it i'm all for that.like you i use the smoked paprika for the bbq flavour!!

 

[Harry Cobean]

I reckon it don't matter what you call it, just be sure and call me when it's time to eat!

wise words oh sage of the dismal swamp(well,edge of anyway),wise words!!

 

[GotGarlic]

Thanks, Harry. I don't have the answer re: the two types of sugar. The article on the Cooks' Illustrated site doesn't address that. I haven't tried it without the granulated sugar, so I can't compare. All I know is that I *loved* it and will be making it again this weekend with a larger roast, so I can freeze some for later.

 

[Harry Cobean]

Thanks, Harry. I don't have the answer re: the two types of sugar. The article on the Cooks' Illustrated site doesn't address that. I haven't tried it without the granulated sugar, so I can't compare. All I know is that I *loved* it and will be making it again this weekend with a larger roast, so I can freeze some for later.

i do brisket the same way but i leave out the paprika & put in a few drops of stubbs mesquite liquid smoke.seems to work better with the beef than paprika imo.
by the way gg,i think the word "butties" comes from bread & butter as in sandwiches