Crockpot Pig Roast with Insane Barbecue Sauce

Friday night was Southern barbecue night here in my little corner of New Jersey. I don’t know why I had the hankerin’ for some smokey, sticky, utterly satisfying barbecue, but I did and it had to be sated. So, I started the 5 pound pork shoulder in the crockpot at around 9am. By 5 o’clock, we had glorious pulled pork sandwiches and coleslaw with my new addiction, homemade mayo. As usual, the end result was a culmination of a few different recipes.

The insane barbecue sauce is from The Barefoot Contessa. I read all of the reviews on Foodnetwork.com, and then made some tweaks to the sauce based on the user comments. First, I doubled the recipe because there was a common complaint that it didn’t make enough. Doubling makes just the right amount for a 5 lb. shoulder with extra for dolloping on top. The recipe below has already been doubled. The only ingredients I didn’t double were the tomato paste and chili powder. I read several comments that these ingredients over powered the sauce. So, what you get in the end is a sauce with a very complex bite. It’s sweet with a vinegar tang and a lingering heat that is just right. We all sat around the table thinking about what other ways we could use it; on ribs of course, chicken, any kind of pork really. I have a feeling I will be making this sauce on a weekly basis during the summer.

The pulled pork itself doesn’t take much. Be sure to trim the fat off of the outside. The cooked fat becomes a gelatinous blob that is really quite disgusting. I found that kitchen shears are the best tool for this job.

I rubbed the meat on all sides with the Essence of Emeril concoction.

Then sliced up two onions. Place one onion on bottom, place pork on top of onions and spread the second batch of onion on top of the meat. Fill the slow cooker with water until it is approximately 2/3 up. I added one capful of Liquid Smoke to the water. Next time I think I’ll add more, not enough smokey flavor for me. Slow cook on Low for 8 hours. Take pork out and let cool until it is easy to handle. Shred with fingers or two forks. Throw out onions and water. Place pork back in crockpot and stir in desired amount of sauce. Pour the rest of sauce in bowl for individual dollops. Chop last onion and brown in a couple tablespoons of butter. Add to pork and mix well.

Pulled Pork Recipe

INGREDIENTS

5 lb. pork roast
3 onions (2 sliced, 1 chopped)
Water
2 capfulls, liquid smoke
Essence of Emeril

Barbecue Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 large red onion, diced (2 cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
2 tsp. lime zest
2 Tbs. grated ginger
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup honey
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup fresh orange juice

Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-low heat and saute the onions and garlic for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onions are translucent but not browned. Add the chili powder, ground cumin and red pepper flakes and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the zest and ginger and cook for an additional minute. Add the vinegar, tomato paste, honey, mustard, soy sauce and orange juice and simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes, until thick.

Creamy Coleslaw

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 Cup mayonnaise
3 Tbs. sugar
11/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp dry mustard
1/8 tsp celery salt
1 dash black pepper
1 Tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large bag of shredded cabbage or 1 large head, shredded

This recipe is adapted from Diana Rattray’s Creamy Coleslaw recipe on About.com. The original recipe called for a 1/2 cup of half-and-half. I omitted the last ingredient and thought the coleslaw was perfect. Be sure to toss your cabbage with dressing and refrigerate for a few hours to soften the cabbage. Serves 8.