Slow Cooker 'Crack' Pork

If you loved my slow cooker 'crack' chicken recipe then you will love this one just as much!

Here is what you'll need:

Ingredients: serves 6

Pork dry rub:

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1/2 tablespoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

1 teaspoon salt

1 Pork Shoulder (approx 1lbs/1/2kg)

1/2 cup chicken stock

6 Brioche Buns

Pork Sauce:

1 red bell pepper/capsicum

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup tomato paste

Method:

Firstly lets make the dry rub, into a bowl add smoked paprika, garlic powder, some cayenne pepper which gives it a real kick in the tastebuds, for some sweetness I add brown sugar, next I add in some celery salt, dried mustard powder and finally some salt. Mix together well and leave aside for the moment.

For the pork, I’m using a shoulder roast - I find it breaks down really well when slow cooked and is also a fairly cheap cut so it makes it very budget friendly. I leave the fat on as well, it will turn gelatinous and you can eat it but it keeps the pork moist. Now rub the seasoning all over the pork, including the fat side.

Into the slow cooker I add chicken stock, this helps with the flavour but mostly it keeps the pork from drying out. Now add the pork skin side down, another tip here for the slow cooker is I always preheat the slow cooker just like I would an oven, don’t put anything in cold. Now cook this on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-6 depending on the size of your pork and slow cooker.

When the pork has around an hour left, start making your sauce. Into a saucepan over a medium to high heat add your red bell pepper or capsicum and sweat that down for several minutes. Add in apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard - now you could use American mustard but dijon is quite mild and theres so many big flavours in the recipe adding a punch of fiery mustard is just one step to far. Next add the brown sugar, a pinch of salt and finally tomato paste. Mix well for 20 minutes and then using a hand mixer or blender puree the mix until smooth.

Once the pro has finished lift off the lid and carefully remove the pork, what is left is all the cooking juices and stock which is all flavour we want to keep. Strain the liquid into a strainer as you don’t want any fat or sediment and keep aside. Slice the fat off the pork and pace it back into the slow cooker and using forks start to shred the meat. Through this process gradually add back in the cooking juices. Finally add the sauce and mix through well.

To serve, I toast some brioche buns and heap the shredded pork on top. You can serve this with an apple slaw as well if you’re after some extra texture to the sandwich. Its packs so much flavour it will leave your mouthwatering before and after you’ve finished and will have people asking you for the recipe all year long!