Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork is so easy to prepare and so flavorful, you’ll wonder why you’ve been buying pre-made pulled pork for all these years. Use your slow cooker or just a good ol’ heavy bottom pot to prepare this. Low and slow is what it’s all about.
Make this large batch for a crowd or enough for a small family dinner and freeze the rest. Either way you’ll be happy you made this and others will wonder why you would make anything else this summer.
Have you ever made a grilled cheese sandwich with pulled pork? Have you ever made a grilled cheese with mac and cheese? Have you ever put the two together and made a Mac and Pulled Pork Grilled Sandwich? If you didn’t answer yes to one of these, you’re doing it wrong and you need to get in the kitchen immediately to experiment. Take it from me, you need to make this sandwich.
Sweet and Spicy Pulled Pork
Ingredients
- 1 whole Onion, chopped
- 1 {4 – 6 pound} Boneless Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt, twine removed
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to season
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup Apricot Jam
- 3 whole Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce, sliced
- 1 cup Ketchup
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Liquid Smoke
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, for seasoning
Directions
- Step 1 In your slow cooker place the chopped onion on the bottom. Place the pork shoulder on top of the onion and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 2 In a bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, bbq sauce, apricot jam and the sliced chipotle peppers. Pour mixture over pork. Cover and cook until the pork is fork tender and falls apart, about 5-8 hours on high, 6-8 hours on low.
- Step 3 Turn off the slow cooker and remove the pork to large bowl to shred. Pour the liquid from the slow cooker through a fine mesh strainer into a medium sized saucepan. Use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from the surface of the strained cooking liquid. Add the ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, and Worcestershire sauce to the strained liquid and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer to thicken, about 15 minutes. Add the shredded pork back into the slow cooker and pour the sauce over the top and stir to combine. Keep warm until ready to serve.
- Step 4 Serve the pulled pork on your favorite buns with coleslaw or if you’re feeling crazy, serve on top of mac and cheese.
Savor and Enjoy!