Slow Cooker Mexican Pulled Pork

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Do you know what a cook lives for? The look in friends’ eyes when they’ve bitten into something you’ve made, and they’re deliriously happy about what they’re eating. Their wide-eyed smiley faces would say, “OMG, WOW,” if they weren’t so busy eating, and wanting to be polite and not talk with their mouths full. That’s the response I got from my friends last night when I served them tacos with this slow cooked pulled pork. A pork shoulder roast is rubbed with a spice mix of traditional Mexican spices, marinated in the rub an hour to overnight, seared, and then slow cooked until the meat is falling apart tender. It’s a great filling for tacos, tamales, and burritos.

We’ve cooked this pull pork in a slow cooker, because it’s really easy this way. We do sear the roast first. I have a slow cooker that allows you to do that in the cooker pan itself, but if you don’t have that kind of slow cooker, you can sear it on the stovetop, or skip the step all together. Searing helps on two counts, it browns the meat on the outside adding a little more of that wonderful browned flavor to the dish. It also toasts the chili and the cumin in the spice mix, helping their flavors to deepen as well.

The Rub:

4 Tbsp chili powder1 Tbsp kosher salt1 Tbsp brown sugar2 teaspoons ground cumin1 teaspoon cayenne1 teaspoon ground oregano1 teaspoon onion powder1 teaspoon garlic powder1/4 teaspoon cinnamonScant pinch of ground cloves

The roast:

3 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 Whisk together the rub ingredients in a small bowl.

2 If the roast is tied up with butcher string, untie it. Pat the roast dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mix into the roast all over, reserving any leftover spice mix for later. Marinate in the rub at least one hour or overnight.

3 Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan on medium high heat. (If you are using a slow cooker with a removable container that can be used on the stovetop, use that, otherwise use a separate pan.) Place the roast in the pan and brown on all sides.

4 Place the roast in a slow cooker, and add any reserved spice rub. Cook on the low setting for 6 to 10 hours, until the pork is fall apart tender.

5 Remove the roast from the slow cooker and place on a cutting board. Cut into large chunks. Then use two forks to pull the meat apart into bite sized shreds. Return the shreds to the slow cooker and toss to coat with the juice from the roast.

Serve with tortillas, avocados, and salsa.

Yield: Serves 8.

Filed under Gluten-Free, Main Course, Mexican, Mexican and Tex Mex, Pork, Pork Shoulder, Pulled Pork, Slow Cooker, Southwestern, Taco

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