My household celebrates today by figuring out how to store all of yesterday's leftovers while transitioning to the Christmas season with lights, a mini-tree, and a sleigh bell for the dog that is already driving my boyfriend crazy.
 |
| Our Thanksgiving feast; Course #2 |
Given the food hangover we all have, cooking will be minimal and meals will include sneaking bits of the chocolate-pecan pie (omg you guys, SO good) and eating pulled pork sliders - also leftover based.
I opted for pulled pork because I am one of the few who doesn't like turkey and opts for a more Southern alternative but it's also a great dish to throw in the crock pot and come back to hours later.
To start: Place a 2lb, boneless pork loin in a 3.5-5qt crock pot, poke it full of holes with a fork (do this on all sides), rub with salt and pepper, and slather with 3 cups of your favorite barbecue sauce. I chop up some garlic and onions to sprinkle over the top, along with an even coating of brown sugar.
Place the crock pot on 'low' and leave for 5 hours. Check on the pork loin at 5 hours - it should be a bit tough and a whitish-pink on the inside. Some of the fat should have also melted off, forming a thin sauce with the cooked vegetables, brown sugar, and bbq sauce. Ladle this over the pork loin and let cook for another 3-4 hours, checking it every hour. When it's done, large chunks should easily fall away when plied with a fork.
At this point, take the pork loin out of the crock pot (don't turn off) and place on a large cutting board to pull. You can pull the pork by hand (old school style) or use two forks to pull and shred the pork. Set aside when done.
Turning your attention back to the crock pot - use a sieve to strain the mixture of fat and bbq sauce into a medium-large pot and set aside.
Place the pulled pork back in the now empty crock pot and cover with an additional 2 cups bbq sauce and a few tablespoons of the sauce you just strained. Mix and turn the crock pot setting to 'warm.' This will let the pulled pork continue to soak up the bbq sauce mixture while not drying it out.
I give it another hour or two from here, based on how much time you have but you can let it sit for as little as 30-45 minutes and serve.
*Remember that sauce you strained and put aside? Place the pot over medium-high heat, whisk in 2 tbsp butter, and equal parts flour and water (starting with 1/3 c of each). The mixture will thicken as you whisk and you may need to add another tbsp or two of water, depending on how thick you want it. Once done, remove from heat and serve with the pulled pork as gravy.
Plate with some toasted bread and maybe a bit of leftover mash and enjoy!
Ingredients:
- 2lb boneless pork loin
- 3 c bbq sauce (homemade or Jack Daniels honey bbq)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 large, sweet onion, chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 c bbq sauce (same as above)
Gravy:
- strained sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3-3/4 c AP flour
- 1/3-3/4 c water
- 3.5-5qt crock pot
- large sieve
- cutting board
No comments:
Post a Comment