I have found that having a freezer stocked with pre-cooked ingredients is a huge time saver.  On a busy night, it can be the difference between being able to put together a homemade meal and calling for take out.  I find it especially helpful to have cooked meat in the freezer.  There are so many recipes that can be put together in a snap if you don’t have to worry about cooking the meat.  So I try and always have things like shredded chicken, meatballs and pulled pork in my freezer.

My freezer stock was starting to run low, so when I saw that pork shoulder was on sale for $1.49 a lb, I decided it was time to make some pulled pork.  I usually make my pulled pork in the oven, but this time I decided I would make it in the slow cooker.  That way I could start it in the morning and not worry about it.  I decided to keep the seasonings relatively neutral.  I seasoned it with garlic, lemon zest, oregano, salt and pepper and added some white wine.  The pork tastes great on its own, but it will work great in a variety of recipes.

Once the pork has been cooked and shredded, I like to package it up in freezer bags in one cup portions.  That way you can pull out just what you need and it will thaw out quickly.  Now you’re ready to make all kinds of recipes.  It’s great for pulled pork sandwiches (with or without BBQ sauce).  It’s also great in soups or chili, enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas, Tex-Mex Lasagna, Mexican Cornbread Casserole and the list could go on.

 

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

  • 7-8 lbs pork shoulder or butt
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup white wine

Combine garlic, lemon zest, salt and oregano and mince together.

Place pork in slow cooker, fat side up (cooking it this way will help the meat to stay moist).  Rub garlic mixture all over pork.  Sprinkle or grind pepper over pork.

Cover pork with onion rings and add wine.

Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours until fork tender.

Remove pork from slow cooker and put in a large bowl.  Allow liquid in slow cooker to cool so that you can skim fat from the top.  Meanwhile, remove visible fat and then take two forks and shred pork.  Once liquid has cooled, skim fat and add to shredded pork.

If freezing, put 1 cup portions into freezer bags and freeze.

Use pork in your choice of recipes.  Last night we had pulled pork sandwiches!

ENJOY!

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