Now that we are living in the South, good BBQ has become a staple. While I love BBQ, I don't necessarily have hours to baby a grill or smoker, at least not during the week for a regular dinner. Pulled pork is hands down my husband's favorite. No matter what BBQ place we go to he always orders the same thing - pulled pork (and a big ole glass of sweet tea). Imagine my excitement when I saw that pork loin was on sale this week for under $2 a pound. Woo Hoo! I love experimenting with new recipes but I hate the thought of wasting that much meat if it was a flop. The "good" BBQ sauce was also on sale so I took that as a sign.
This recipe did not disappoint.
BBQ Pulled Pork (Crockpot Version)
Ingredients:
3-5lb pork loin
1/3 of a cup of brown sugar (some people sub this out for a can of soda)
1 full bottle of your choice of BBQ sauce (I used half a bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle, half Raspberry Chipotle)
Set crockpot for 4-6 hours on high. Rub the 1/3 of a cup of brown sugar all over the pork loin. Place loin in the bottom of the crockpot. (I put in fattier looking side down but I don't think it makes a difference.) Cover pork loin in contents of one bottles worth of BBQ sauce (or in my case 2 half bottles). You may need to lift the meat a little to make sure the sauce gets all the way around. Close the lid of the crockpot and double check your timer.
That's it. The hardest part for me is to resist the urge to open the lid and peek at it but don't do it. Depending on the size of your pork loin, I suggest checking it at the 4 hour mark. Pork is done when it shreds easily with a fork. I shred mine in the crockpot because it seems to be the most neat way of doing it without risking splattering sauce everywhere. Meat should pull apart easily using a couple of forks (my husband's preferred method) or metal tongs (my lazy way of doing it).
We usually it our as sandwiches on hoagie rolls or burger buns. It can also be served as is with whatever sides strike your fancy.
