Honestly, I wish I could tell you where my love of barbecue sauce came from. Because honestly, I never had it before about a year ago. I’ve always had a dislike for condiments. I hate mayo, can only barely tolerate mustard and can’t even smell ketchup without gagging. Granted, it’s probably better for me that I avoid these things anyway, but people always look at me crazy when I tell them I like my sandwiches and burgers dry. So I guess it makes sense that I just never thought to try barbecue sauce, as I assumed that I would dislike it. And then my roommate and I went to Redbones last year, which is a barbecue joint in Davis Square, right near Tufts University. And then I was sold. I also forced my parents to take me to Dinosaur BBQ this summer, which is probably one of the most renowned restaurants in NYC. And then we were all sold. Since then I’ve been craving pulled pork, but shied away from it because of all the time it took to cook. Until now. I saw a recipe for crockpot pulled pork on Elizabeth’s Cooking Experiments just a few weeks ago that I bookmarked to make once the crockpot arrived. It was so easy and the recipe came out way better than even I could have hoped. I’ve been enjoying the pork on soy pitas from Trader Joe’s for the past few days and have been loving every second of it…a good old dose of southern bbq right here in my own house (err room)! It’s a great way to warm up in the middle of such a cold spell.

Crockpot Pulled Pork
Serves 4, adapted from Elizabeth’s Cooking Experiments

1.5 lb pork tenderloin
1/2 cup barbecue sauce (I used Kraft’s honey roasted garlic bbq sauce)
1/4 cup water
1/4 tsp buffalo sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp parpika
1 tsp sugar

1. Mix together the spice rub and rub it all over the meat. Let it marinate overnight.

2. Place the meat in the crockpot with the water and buffalo sauce and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

This is a sonogram of my pork baby. No really I’m not sure how it happened that this looked so much like a fetus. I felt a little guilty eating it. Kind of barbaric. But then I got over it.

3. Transfer to a cutting board and shred it with two forks. I thought this was going to be difficult, but the meat was so tender it started to shred by itself when I took it out of the crockpot.
4. Discard the fat and liquid from the crockpot, reserving 1Tbsp.
5. Put the meat back in the slowcooker and add the barbecue sauce. Mix together and cook on low for another 40-50 minutes.
You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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11 Responses to Crockpot Pulled Pork

  1. Natashya says:

    Mmmm, that does sound good! I’ll have mine piled up on a bun with a beer, please. (Canadian beer, of course!)

  2. Elizabeth says:

    Ooh, I bet the buffalo sauce added a nice kick.

  3. Elra says:

    Joanne my dear, that pulled pork really look delicious. Love all those spices, not sure about the bbq sauce, but hey…. if you said it’s good, then I must believe you, right?
    Cheers,
    Elra

  4. that looks so good!
    i’ve never made a pulled – anything sandwhich.
    terrible of me!

  5. Sara says:

    Oh yeah, pulled pork is so good! This recipe sounds excellent, and I’m pretty sure I have a tenderloin in my freezer. Thanks for sharing!

  6. Joanne says:

    Natashya – Feel free to stop by anytime, I’d be happy to whip up a batch.

    Elizabeth – It was good. I used it because I couldn’t find liquid smoke at the supermarket. I would like to try it both ways though and compare.

    Elra – BBQ sauce for me at least was an acquired taste, but I think the generally population is pretty enamored with it!

    Courtney – I’d never made one before this because I was scared of it, but it was SO easy. You should try it sometime.

    Sara – I was surprised at how easy it was to make at home…you’ll have to let me know how it turns out if you give it a try.

  7. Kevin says:

    That pulled pork look moist and tasty and good!

  8. Looks amazing, so many flavors, and no fuss in the crockpot! Thanks again!

  9. Anonymous says:

    I laughed out loud at the sonogram of your baby tenderloin! Quick q: the dry spices are the rub, the bbq sauce and water are excluded until later? Does it dry out at all, since tenderloin is such a lean piece of meat?

  10. Joanne says:

    Anonymous – haha thanks! The tenderloin doesn’t dry out at ALL. I put the dry spices on the night before I plan on cooking the tenderloin. Then the next morning, I throw the tenderloin in the crockpot along with about 1/4 cup water and some frank’s hot or liquid smoke, then let it go for most of the day on low or until it’s pull-apart tender. Then, I take it out, pull it, mix it with the bbq sauce, and cook it on high for another hour! Works every time!

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