Flipping through the channels one night last week I stumbled upon the World Series. Confession: I didn’t know the Series was even being played. Worse still, prior to seeing it live, I couldn’t have told you if I’d missed it entirely, or if was weeks away. I know, I know. Shame on me.
That fact is, I’m just not much of a spectator sports fan beyond watching my own kids at a Saturday morning game. On the odd occasion that my hubby manages to get me to a professional or college stadium, I’m more focused on the company I’m keeping and the offerings at the concession stand than what’s happening on the field (love the hot roasted peanuts, hate the garlic fries). So, when I made these fork-tender pulled pork sandwiches in my slow cooker recently, it occurred to me that they are just the sort of distraction I’m looking for on game day. Plus, they’re a whole lot healthier than the typical greasy line up of nachos and chicken wings.
Pulled pork is usually made using the shoulder, also known as the Boston butt, a heavily marbled cut, which is what makes it so darn juicy when cooked low and slow. My version isn’t as rich and decadent as the classic, but tasty enough that I managed to wolf down a whole one while standing in my kitchen at three in the afternoon. I later had to explain to my crew why I wasn’t hungry for dinner.
You start by cooking the tenderloin in apple cider and barbecue sauce for several hours in the crock pot until the meat is fall-apart tender. Then, shred the pork and coat it in some of the cooking liquid and more barbecue sauce. By swapping out the pork shoulder for pork tenderloin, you cut out about three quarters of the fat. Adding a generous helping of nutrient-packed cabbage slaw makes it even healthier and adds an appealing crunch. The recipe makes a generous portion of slaw, enough to have extra as a side salad.
Sports fan or not, no need to wait for the next big game to eat this. It’s just a suitable for a weeknight supper since it requires very little time in the kitchen. The sandwiches also work great in a lunchbox if you happen to have leftovers. Simply assemble and heat a sandwich (minus the slaw) in the toaster oven and wrap in foil. Pack the slaw in a separate container to be added at the lunch table. The combination of pork, cabbage, and whole grain bun make it a one-dish meal.
I still don’t know who won the World Series, but at least I know what I’m going to cook when the Super Bowl rolls around…that is, unless I miss it entirely.
Slow Cooker Cider-Braised Pulled Pork with Apple Cabbage Slaw
• ½ cup apple cider or apple juice
• 1 cup favorite barbecue sauce, divided
• 1 medium red onion, peeled and cut in half, divided
• 1 ¼ pounds pork tenderloin
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 cups shredded green cabbage (about ¼ of a large cabbage)
• 1 large apple, peeled and coarsely grated
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
• ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Black pepper to taste
• 4 to 5 soft whole wheat hamburger buns
Pour the apple cider and ½ cup of the barbecue sauce into the slow cooker and stir until combined. Cut 1 of the onion halves in half again and add to the pot along with the pork and the garlic. Nestle everything down into the sauce. Turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and can easily be shredded with a fork.
Measure out ¼ cup of the cooking liquid and set aside. Transfer the pork to a medium bowl until it is cool enough to handle.
While the meat cools, make the slaw. Cut the remaining ½ onion into thin slices. Mix together the cabbage, apple, carrot, and onion in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the apple cider vinegar and sugar, stirring until the sugar is largely dissolved. Pour the vinegar over the cabbage, add a couple of turns from your pepper grinder, and toss well.
Once the meat has cooled a bit, pull it apart with your hands until the whole tenderloin is shredded. Put the meat in a medium bowl and add the remaining ½ cup of barbecue sauce and the ¼ cup of reserved cooking liquid. Stir until the meat is evenly coated with the sauce.
Divide the meat over the bottom halves of the hamburger buns. Pile a generous portion of slaw on top of the meat and cover with remaining bun. Serve any extra slaw on the side.
Makes 4 to 5 servings.
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I don’t have a crockpot (it’s on my wishlist) so can you suggest a temp/cooking time for a covered roaster in the oven? Want to try this soon!
Hi Renee
I would expect this would work in the oven using a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid at a low temperature…maybe 200 degrees. I haven’t tried it myself so can’t vouch for it. Keep an eye on it to be sure there is enough liquid in there and to check for doneness. Let me know how it goes!
That looks wonderful. I’m sure it would go over well in my house.
Thanks, Katie, I’ll make sure to give you the full report!
Katie – Would this recipe work with chicken for my non-pork eating husband? Also I saw a recipe for pumpkin mousse that uses uncooked eggs. What is your opinion on serving uncooked eggs to kids? Thanks
I would try it using skinless, bone-in chicken thighs. Cook them flesh-side down. The timing may be different. As for raw eggs….touchy issue. There is a small risk of salmonella with raw eggs. The government advises against it completely. It’s a personal call. Certainly they should be avoided for young children, elderly, pregnant women, and anyone who is immune compromised. If you do use raw whites, I’d say choose good quality, local organic eggs over ones from a factory farm.
I made the slow cooked pork on Friday night and it was amazing. Unfortunately, my schedule that day didn’t really allow a long, slow, low heat roasting, so am excited to try it again so the meat will just fall apart. Having said that, I cooked two tenderloins at about 300 for about an hour and half and lowered it to 200 for another hour or so. I sliced/pulled the meat into pieces and returned them to the juice in the roaster for about half an hour before putting them into sandwiches. I used King’s mini Hawaiian sweet bread rolls (which I love with pork) and served the sandwiches with the slaw, which I actually made with red cabbage since I already had it. Delicious. We had a friend over and each of the adults ate four (!) sandwiches and James ate two. And I admit that I just ate some of the apple cider roasting juice with a spoon. Thanks for a great recipe that was voted a keeper at our house!
Awesome. So glad it worked out doing this in the oven.
These were easy and yummy! My kids (2 and 5) loved them! My hubby says this recipe is a keeper. Katie, you are like a great new friend!
Yay. Victory. Thanks for letting me know….you are so sweet, Starla. xx
We love this recipe an I was thinking about making it, freezing it and taking it up to have during an upcoming ski trip. I don’t freeze a lot of things so do you have any tips for doing it properly? Thanks. It is great to have your blog as a resource!
Probably the easiest for travel is to cool the cooked pork completely and then put it into a freezer bag. Press out all the air before sealing it. You could also use a lidded container, just pick one that just fits the volume of the pork without a lot of extra room. Cooling is important because its unwise for hot food to come in contact with plastic.
Thanks Katie!