Anybody else wishing for warmer weather right now? Oh yeah. I’m ready for summer. Or, you know, to go back on vacation to the Dominican Republic. Either one. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Good thing it’s only January and we have approximately four months and five days before the pool even OPENS. But who’s counting, right?
I’m not exactly sure why this recipe reminds me of summer, since it’s made in the slow cooker that seems like a winter cooking kinda thing. Even though I’m weird and use it approximately…all the time. Well, that was super accurate. Deal.
ANYWAY. The inspiration for this recipe came from Nom Nom Paleo’s Slow cooker Kalua pig (pulled pork). It’s so delicious, so easy to make, and perfect for batch cooking on the weekend so you have an easy/fast breakfast/lunch/dinner option to eat all week. And all you need to change it up from day to day is a different sauce or spice blend and voila, new meal, same (already made) ingredient!
Plus, you know I’m down for anything pork related. Especially bacon. Or this pulled pork. Or bacon WITH this pulled pork. Oooohhh. (the chinese fireball.) If you get that reference, please comment and/or contact me because from this moment on we are already best friends.
Got a bunch of leftovers and don’t know what to do with them? Keep scrolling down, my friends. I have a ton of creative, delicious ideas just for you! And, well, everyone else who reads this blog post.
- 4-5 lb pork shoulder/butt (bone-in or boneless)
- 1 ½ Tbsp coarse sea salt (or 1 Tbsp fine sea salt)
- 6 small cloves garlic, peeled (or 1 Tbsp minced)
- 1 ½ tsp dried ginger
- 1 ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp black pepper (omit for AIP)
- optional: 3 slices bacon
- Place your pork butt on a cutting board and use a small, sharp knife to make 6 X-shaped slits, 3 on either side. Do this by pushing the tip of your knife straight into the center of the pork, about ½ to 1 inch deep.
- Push the garlic into each one of the slits.
- Place the pork in the slow cooker and cover on all sides with the sea salt, ginger, onion powder, and black pepper.
- If you’re using the bacon, lay the slices across the top of your pork roast.
- Put the top on and set your slow cooker to low for 10 hours, or high for 5. Prepare for porky goodness.
- Take the pork out, drain the liquid (reserve some of it), and put it back in the slow cooker. Shred with two forks. You can drizzle a little of the cooking liquid back over the roast if you like. (If you leave the liquid in and shred it, the pork will be WAY too salty.)
- Devour! If you start eating it straight from the slow cooker, I won’t judge you. Been there, done that...every time I make this recipe.
Need some ideas for how to use your leftovers? Try these:
Pair pork with eggs – scrambled, fried, or make a frittata with the pork, some caramelized onions, and some veggies!
Pork-stuffed squash : Sauté your leftovers up in a pan and stuff them in half a baked squash. I’ve done this LOADS of times and it never fails on the delicicousness scale.
Make a salad! Throw some veggies in and some Tessemae’s dressing.
Pour some chimichurri on top or serve with guacamole! This is what I do 90% of the time. Duh.
Serve it with applesauce, sweet potato hash, or barbeque sauce! Or if you wanna go full hawaiian-style, serve with pineapple AND bbq sauce. Trust me on this one.
For a simple lunch, serve your pork with some spaghetti squash and avocado. Condiments are encouraged, but totally not necessary.
Looking for mexican flare? Fill crisp lettuce boats to make tacos with the pork and top with homemade guac and tomatoes or salsa.
Dana, I am SO glad you commented on my blog because I’m loving yours! I’m such a Mexiphile and I can see you have lots for me to try out! Yum!
Hi Kathy,
Of course!! I love your blog too 🙂 It’s gorgeous! Hope you like the recipes!