It’s so satisfying to put something in the slow cooker and let it cook all day, knowing that you will have a yummy dinner ready for you when you’re ready to serve it. Some days it’s nice to be able to relax and get other things done without having to stop and think about starting dinner. Using the slow cooker ensures that the bulk of your meal is taken care of earlier in the day. Don’t get me wrong, I love to take the time to be in the kitchen to make dinner for my loved ones, but every once in a while, it’s nice to get it done early.

Yesterday was one of those days where I wanted to use my slow cooker and just putter around getting other things done during the day. Over the weekend, I had purchased a 3 pound pork shoulder so I could make pulled pork for sandwiches. You could also use this pulled pork in tacos, burritos, tostadas or even on a Southwestern salad. Just add black beans, corns and a few fixings and you could use this pork for quite a selection of dinners. It’s actually quite versatile.

I Started by sprinkling my pork shoulder with kosher salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Next, I added the zest of two navel oranges to the pork.

I placed the pork into my slow cooker, which I had sprayed with non-stick cooking spray for easier clean-up. Then, I squeezed the juice of those two oranges over the pork.

I added 1-1/4 cups of barbecue sauce (I used no sugar added, but you can choose your favorite bbq sauce), 1 bottle of beer (I used Stella Artois because I thought it would blend nicely with the orange flavoring. Feel free to use any beer you have on hand.) and I then added diced jalapeños and chopped garlic before placing the lid on the slow cooker and setting it to low for 8 hours.

I diced and seeded three jalapeños, 1 jalapeño per pound of pork. I chopped 9 cloves of garlic, 3 cloves per pound of pork.

Once the pork was done, I removed it to a cutting board and shredded it with two forks. I used the juice from the slow cooker to top my pork on the sandwich before adding the coleslaw.

After the slow cooker was set to go, I made coleslaw, using a package of precut red and green cabbage and a bit of bottled lower fat coleslaw dressing. I’d be using this to top our sandwiches.

This dinner was a huge hit with everyone! Lucky us, there’s leftovers to make another meal out of! Maybe tacos for tonight … It is Taco Tuesday after all.

Ingredients

3 pound boneless pork shoulder

9 cloves garlic, chopped

3 jalapeños, diced

2 navel oranges, zest and juice

1 bottle of beer

1-1/4 cup barbecue sauce

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

buns

coleslaw

Directions

1. Sprinkle pork with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Add orange zest and place in slow cooker.
2. Squeeze the oranges over the pork. Add barbecue sauce and beer to slow cooker.
3. Sprinkle jalapeños and garlic onto pork.
4. Set slow cooker to low for 8 hours.
5. Remove pork to a cutting board and shred with two forks. Place desired amount on bun, spoon a little of the juice over the pork and top with coleslaw.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris