My family loves pulled pork, and since this recipe replaces the smoker with a slow-cooker, it makes pulled pork something I can actually cook!

This recipe is for cooking a 3-pound piece of meat, but if you want to have leftovers or to take a meal to a friend, you can easily double or triple the recipe as long as you have a big enough slow-cooker.

Ingredients:

• 3-pound Boston Butt
  (it is not lean or low-fat but makes tender pulled pork)
• Apple cider vinegar
• Liquid smoke
• Favorite BBQ sauce
  (Sweet Baby Ray’s in our house because it’s gluten- and dairy-free)
• Mustard
• Garlic
• Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper
• Chopped sweet onion (optional)

Directions:

⇒ In slow-cooker, add the following ingredients:

• Boston Butt, fat side down
• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
• Dry rub the meat with
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • salt & pepper to taste

⇒ Cook on low for approximately 7-8 hours. Meat should be falling off the bone and coming apart. For pork, a safe internal temperature is 145 degrees with 3 minutes of rest, but the meat should easily reach that temperature in this cook time.

⇒ Drain and cut off fat.

⇒ Pull apart meat (using two forks work well) or chop meat.

⇒ Return to slow-cooker and stir in the following ingredients:

• 2/3 cup of BBQ sauce
• 1/3 cup of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon of mustard
• chopped onion (optional)

⇒ Let the sauces simmer and the onion cook a bit on warm or low until you are ready to serve.

⇒ Serve on a bun as a sandwich or as an entrée with some side veggies–and don’t forget the coleslaw! Enjoy!

>> Notes

If you have food allergies or dietary restrictions, be sure to carefully read the labels for condiments and spices. For example, some mustards, barbecue sauces and other ingredients may contain gluten and/or soy and/or fish/shellfish and/or carrogeenan (a seaweed-derived food additive difficult for some people to tolerate).

cover photo courtesy of Pixabay.com