Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork

Packed with quality protein and essential nutrients, slow cooker Texas Pulled Pork is a distance runner’s delight. Affordable, easy to make, can be frozen for additional meals and tastes oh so good. Healthy comfort food to replenish after a long workout.

I incorporate the most natural, minimally processed ingredients whenever possible, and the ingredients for my Texas Pulled Pork reflect that preference. Starting with all-natural, ethically-raised pork from Hatfield, a family-owned farm in Pennsylvania, and cooking the pork with ingredients that include organic chicken broth, organic ketchup, organic olive oil, and organic Paprika. I substituted the organic ketchup and Paprika for the highly-processed barbecue sauces available in the grocery store.

My mantra is “know what you put in your body,” and if I can’t read the ingredient labels, or be assured that the meat doesn’t contain hormones, steroids, antibiotics, artificial preservatives and fillers, I won’t put it in my body.

Ingredients

Note: I doubled the recipe to freeze additional dinners.

1 tsp virgin olive oil
4 lbs pork Boston butt pork roast or pork shoulder roast
1 cup barbecue sauce (I substituted ketchup and Paprika)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp yellow mustard
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp chili powder
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 hamburger buns
Butter, as needed

Slow Cooking the Pork

Pour the olive oil into a large cooking pot or slow cooker. Place the pork roast in the pot, and add and combine the barbecue sauce (I used ketchup and Paprika), apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. The pork roast should be largely covered by the liquid ingredients.

Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, and garlic. Cover and cook on medium-high until the roast shreds easily with a fork, probably 5-6 hours. The pork roast may have to be turned over, and any bone removed, to cook evenly. If necessary, replenish the liquid ingredients to keep the pork in liquid.

Remove the pork roast from the pot, and shred the meat using two forks. Return the shredded pork to the pot, and stir the meat into the juices.

Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, on a baking sheet or in a skillet, until golden brown.

Spoon the pulled pork into the toasted buns. Serve with a side salad.