Who doesn’t love pulled pork? And who doesn’t love coming home to the mouth-watering smell of dinner already cooked and waiting for you? Heaven.

This pulled pork is so easy. Make up the marinade paste the night before, quickly rub it onto the pork in the morning and whack it in the slow cooker for the day – job done! All you need to do is make a simple slaw and grab some buns or wraps and you’ve got a guaranteed crowd pleaser for dinner.

As a bonus, this recipe makes enough for 3-4 meals for our family. Just freeze the pork in portions, making sure to include some of the delicious juices, then reheat for an even easier dinner another night. It also makes a great dish to serve to a crowd at parties.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1.5-2kg pork shoulder roast

3 tbsp rapadura sugar (or brown sugar)

1 ½ tbsp paprika

3 tsp onion powder

3 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp salt

1 teaspoon chilli flakes (optional – I leave it out when cooking for kids, but we add some at the table when we serve)

3 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Mix sugar, spices, vinegar and olive oil together in a small bowl to form a paste.
2. Remove meat from any netting/packaging. Remove the skin and cut the pork into about 6 large chunks and place in slow cooker bowl.
3. Pour over marinade paste and massage into pork.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. It is not necessary to add any other liquid – plenty of juices come out of the pork.
5. Remove meat and shred. Return to slow cooker and mix through the juices.
6. Optional step: If you want some crispy bits, spread the amount of pork you want to serve onto a baking tray and pop under a hot grill for a few minutes.

Note: When reheating the pork in an oven, you may need to mix a little balsamic vinegar and rapadura sugar together and pour it over the pork so it doesn’t dry out.

We love this served with slaw and in wraps, usually with some roasted veggie “chips” on the side. I make a simple slaw of red & green cabbage, carrot and coriander, dressed in lime juice shaken with a little rapadura sugar.

Or serve it up on a jacket sweet potato with some baby spinach and melted cheese, topped with guacamole and fresh salsa.

Enjoy!