The afternoons might still be warm, but the nights are cold and the mornings are chilly. I’m craving warm blankets while watching TV, but am still hoping to leave the house without socks. It’s the perfect time to dust off your slow cooker and make a batch of pulled pork while you spend your day at the office or running errands. You come in your front door and the smell of spices and slight sweetness catches your nose – nothing beats having your meal cooked while you are doing something else, right?
Growing up we didn’t have a slow cooker and I don’t believe I ever had pulled pork before moving to North America – it’s not really a Swiss staple. I know I’ve had a Cuban version when living in Miami, but over the past couple of years I’ve been making our own simple, but very tasty version of it. For me it catches the in-between season – moving from the BBQ to the slow cooker while not quite yet succumbing to the heavy stews.
The good thing about making pulled pork is that you are quite flexible in your ingredients – as long as you add a tenderizer and some spices you should be good to go, no need to run to the store for special ingredients.
Pulled Pork and Red Cabbage Slaw (adapted many times, but closest to Martha Stewart Living recipe)
- Mix 1/2 cup of ketchup with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
- Add a couple of cloves of finely minced garlic
- Add 1/2 cup of Coke
- Season with salt, pepper and oregano and mix well
- Add 3lbs of boneless pork-shoulder, trimmed of fat and cut in half
- Flip the meat to cover fully in sauce
- Cook on low for 8 hours
- Toss 2 cups of shredded red cabbage with 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon of sugar and a dash of salt. Let sit for at least 1/2 hour for it to turn bright red and soft.
- Assemble meat and cabbage into sandwiches with fresh rolls or baguette. I’m sure this would be great in tacos as well.
