When I think about crock pots (interchangeable with slow-cooker), I imagine my grandmother using it to make a big stew. Cut up potatoes, a roast, maybe some carrots. While those are usually well-liked, I'm not particularly fond of stews. Slash cut to 2009 - the year of the revival of the crock pot. Let's walk through some basics of what I've learned. Trust me about all of this though - crock pots rock.
FIRST - go buy a crock pot. You can buy them for cheap at a store - like
this Rival slow cooker for $30. Or you can buy a nice one - like
this high quality All Clad slow cooker for $200. Or go to craigslist and buy one used for $10. There are minute differences between models, but as long as it has at least a 5qt capacity, you'll be fine.
SECOND - make some pulled pork. This is a ridiculously good recipe that requires only a little work. Here's how you do it.
1. Go buy a pork shoulder, preferably bone-in. I bought a 6lb shoulder for around $12.
2. Take some fat off. There should be a large amount of fat on one side - cut it off with a knife. This step isn't necessary, but will make your life a bit easier later.
3. Mix equal parts brown sugar, cumin and paprika. A large spoonful of each should be good for the 6lb shoulder. Add some salt and pepper to this mix (this will be your rub).
4. Coat the outer surface of the pork shoulder with the rub. It should be just more than a dusting.
5. Put the pork shoulder in the crock pot, pour a bottle of beer (I used Yuengling Lager) in the pot with it. Set the slow cooker to low, make sure to put the lid on it.
6. Go to sleep, or go run errands all day long. The pork should cook 10-12 hours in order to get really succulent.
7. After the pork is cooked, use a pair of tongs or a couple forks to pull the pork apart. This will be very very easy to do if it's well cooked. Discard the bone and fat. You can pull the pork apart into small pieces, or keep it in larger pieces. Do whatever fits your fancy.
8. The meat is ready to eat at this point in time, but I prefer a sweeter pulled pork with some bbq sauce. Feel free to eat it, or you can trust me and follow the next couple of steps.
9. Empty the juice out of the crock pot, toss the meat back in. Add 1/2 bottle of bbq sauce - I use Sweet Baby Ray's. Mix this sauce in with the meat.
10. Let this cook on low for another couple hours. This will help some of the barbeque flavor cook in with the meat.
11. You're ready to serve! Do the meat justice, and pick up some fresh bread or rolls to serve it on. Have a bottle of the barbeque sauce out for those who prefer a little extra.
You can refrigerate the extra that you weren't able to eat. It's wonderful to take in for lunch. My only thought here is that you don't want to reheat the pork more than once, so pull out only what you need.
It took a good amount more time to write this than I was planning, so I'll call it a day for the blog. Tomorrow: let's make chili.
