Laura Keogh shares her easy pulled pork recipe that doubles as two different dinner options for the whole family.
Pulled Pork Transformer
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 8 hours
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
· 1 3 to 4lb. boneless pork shoulder blade roast, trimmed of excess fat
· ¼ cup (60 ml) brown sugar
· 4 tsp (20 ml) salt
· 4 tsp chili powder
· 2 tsp (10 ml) dried mustard powder
· 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
· 1 tsp (5 ml) garlic powder
· 1 tsp (5 ml) ground black pepper
· 1/2 tsp (2 ml) cinnamon
· 1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground nutmeg
· 2 tsp (10 ml) vegetable oil
· 1/2 cup (125 ml) apple cider vinegar
· 1/2 cup (125 ml) orange juice
· 3 Tbsp (45 ml) tomato paste
· 6 brioche buns
Method
In a small bowl, combine 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of brown sugar, salt, chili powder, dried mustard powder, cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Rub the spice mixture all over the pork.
Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the pork and cook, turning until brown on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Be careful and watch your meat as well as the heat because the sugar in the rub can easily burn. Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside on a plate.
Add 3/4 cup (185 ml) water to the skillet and whisk into the drippings.
Transfer the liquid from the de-glazed pan into your slow cooker.
Add the vinegar, juice, tomato paste and remaining 2 Tbsp (30 ml) of brown sugar to the slow cooker and whisk.
Add the pork and cover, cook on low for 8 hours.
Depending on the size of your slow cooker, if the liquid does not fully cover your shoulder (as is the case with mine) you’ll need to turn it half way through the cooking process so the other side benefits from the juice pool in the cooker.
Remove the pork and transfer to a cutting board.
Strain the liquid into a Dutch oven over low heat to keep it warm.
Shred the pork, using two forks, into bite-size pieces or roughly chop.
Add the shredded meat to the Dutch oven and combine with sauce.
Taste and season with salt. Remove Dutch oven from heat and serve.
Pulled pork, sweet potato and caramelized onion Quesadilla
· Serves 4
· 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil, plus more for pan
· 1 tsp (5 ml) butter
· 1 large sweet onion, cut into 1/8 inch slices
· 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
· 1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder
· 1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin
· 1/4 tsp (1 ml) dried oregano
· salt
· 2 cups (500 ml) grated fontina cheese
· 1 1/2 to 2 cups (375 ml – 500 ml) leftover slow cooker pulled pork (depending on how much you have left or like inside your quesadillas)
· 8 medium whole wheat flour tortillas
· fresh cilantro
· avocado
·
Method
Preheat the oven to 400.
Grease a large baking sheet with non-stick spray.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive and the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the onions and allow them to slowly cook, stirring them every 10 minutes, until they are a golden brown; about 40 minutes.
Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, in medium bowl, toss the sweet potato cubes with the remaining tablespoon of olive as well as the chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt.
Lay the sweet potatoes in a single layer on the baking sheet and roast in the oven until golden brown and fork tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and set aside.
In the same skillet you caramelized the onions, heat a drizzle of olive oil over medium heat.
Place a tortilla in the pan and sprinkle with grated fontina cheese, onions, sweet potato and pulled pork.
Then place a second tortilla on top.
Cook until the bottom of the tortilla gets golden brown and starts to crisp.
Then carefully flip the quesadilla and cook on the other side until it browns, about 2 -3 minutes. Remove quesadilla from pan and place on a cutting board to cool for a minute.
Then slice it into triangles.
Repeat process with the remaining tortillas.
Serve each quesadilla with fresh cilantro, slices of avocado and sour cream.