Healthy Crockpot Pulled Pork

 From: The Clean Eating Couple

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lbs pork tenderloin
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbsp paprika
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1 cup chicken stock
• Barbecue sauce of your choice (I made my own)

Clean off "silver skin" from pork tenderloin to make sure it's lean.

In a bowl, whisk together olive oil and spices. Marinate pork in olive oil and spices overnight if possible, in a ziploc bag. Otherwise, place tenderloins in crockpot and cover with oil/spice marinade. Make sure all areas of the pork have some marinade on them.

Pour chicken stock on top of the marinated tenderloins.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours in the crockpot, or on high for 4-6 hours.

Use tongs or a fork to pull the tenderloins apart when they are done cooking. All the juices to soak into the pulled pork. 

Toss with barbecue sauce if you choose!

Verdict:

This was a big thumbs up for everyone in my house! We had about three small slices of tenderloin left over. To be honest, it was a little sweet for my taste buds, but considering it was a hit with everyone else in the house, I'll probably make it again.

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken
6 hamburger buns, split and toasted

In a saucepan, saute the onion, celery and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in the salsa, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add chicken; stir to coat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serve on buns.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was so delicious. We didn't eat it on hamburger buns, just plain, and it was so delicious. Everyone in my family ate more than one plate. Stephen, who claims to not like barbecue chicken very much, ate three plates AND took the leftovers to work the next day! Definitely a family-friendly recipe and cheap, for me, because I didn't need to buy a single ingredient. Highly, highly recommend this recipe! 

Crockpot Barbecue

From: Here

Ingredients:
6 lb. pork butt
1 18-oz bottle barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. onion flakes
1/4 tsp. garlic salt
2 drops hickory liquid smoke
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1 c. Coke
2-3 tsp. brown sugar

Cook the pork butt on low in the crock pot from noon until the next morning. Shred the meat and remove fat. Mix the remaining ingredients and add it to the shredded pork. Return all of this to the crock pot and cook 3 to 4 hours on low.



What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't do anything that differently, but here's what I did. My pork butt (that keeps making me laugh) was just about 3.5 pounds. I didn't measure anything, just dumped all the ingredients in. I cooked the roast for six hours and didn't have time to shred it before adding all the ingredients. It didn't matter in the end.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Major thumbs up! Stephen said he'd eat this once a week if I'd make it. I eat it on sandwiches, he doesn't, and it's great either way. I used KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce, flavor of Smoky Bourbon. Stephen dipped his in Budweiser honey BBQ sauce some and he said that was delicious too. He commanded me to not lose this recipe. I think we can call this one a winner. Highly recommend!

Pork Chop Barbecue

From: Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 slice lemon
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tsp liquid smoke
6 pork rib chops, cut 3/4 inch thick
1 to 2 Tbsp cooking oil

For sauce, in a small saucepan combine the water, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add lemon slice and onion. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Return to boiling. Remove from heat; discard lemon slice.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet brown pork chops, half at a time, in hot oil over medium-high heat. Place pork chops in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; pour sauce over chops.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until meat juices run clear, turning once. Remove chops to a serving platter. Pour sauce over all.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I used lemon juice because I didn't have a lemon (just gave it a good squeeze!) and we just used two 1/2-pound bone-in pork chops because that's what we had in the freezer.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP! I am not really a pork chops fan but I keep cooking them because Stephen loves them. I have found many ways now that I like them but this is one of the best! Stephen liked it a lot too, which surprised me because he doesn't like barbecue-flavored things... except for barbecue, obviously! He doesn't like onions so I sauteed just a handful of onions for myself and added them at the last minute - delicious! This recipe is definitely going to become a staple for us!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup water
3 Tbsp vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp yellow mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 slice lemon
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tsp liquid smoke
6 pork rib chops, cut 3/4 inch thick
1 to 2 Tbsp cooking oil

For sauce, in a small saucepan combine the water, vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Add lemon slice and onion. Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and liquid smoke. Return to boiling. Remove from heat; discard lemon slice.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350. In a large skillet brown pork chops, half at a time, in hot oil over medium-high heat. Place pork chops in a 3-quart rectangular baking dish; pour sauce over chops.

Bake, uncovered, for 25 to 30 minutes or until meat juices run clear, turning once. Remove chops to a serving platter. Pour sauce over all.

Zesty Lemon Spareribs

From: Betty Crocker: On the Grill

Ingredients:
6 lbs pork spareribs, cut into serving pieces
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Place pork in Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover pork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove pork to rectangular baking dish. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Pour over pork; turn pork to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; reserve marinade. Grill pork, meaty sides up, uncovered, 4 inches from medium-hot heat about 30 minutes, turning and brushing frequently with marinade, until glazed and heated through. Discard any remaining marinade.

What I did differently from the recipe:
We only had 3 lbs of ribs, so I just used a little less lemonade. I still did use the same amount of barbecue sauce. I'm glad, because more lemonade would have been way too much of a lemon flavor.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! New favorite in our house! Stephen said to make sure to tell everyone you must turn these frequently. Because the sauce is sugar-based (the lemonade mix) the glaze will burn very easily. You can't get any easier than this, although I do admit it takes a lot of preparation time, but all of that is so easy.

We also grilled corn on the cob. I don't know how other people grill corn, but we slather the cobs in butter and salt, wrap them in aluminum foil and grill them. The corn was soooo good. Anyway, I didn't get a picture because it was ready about 5 minutes after the ribs, and I couldn't wait to dig into the ribs. :)

Ingredients:
6 lbs pork spareribs, cut into serving pieces
1 can (6 oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed
3/4 cup barbecue sauce

Place pork in Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover pork. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer about 1 1/2 hours or until tender.

Remove pork to rectangular baking dish. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Mix lemonade concentrate and barbecue sauce. Pour over pork; turn pork to coat with marinade. Cover and refrigerate, turning pork occasionally, at least 4 hours but no longer than 24 hours.

Heat coals or gas grill. Remove pork from marinade; reserve marinade. Grill pork, meaty sides up, uncovered, 4 inches from medium-hot heat about 30 minutes, turning and brushing frequently with marinade, until glazed and heated through. Discard any remaining marinade.

Smoky BBQ Pork Sandwiches

From Pillsbury: Annual Recipes

Ingredients:
1 boneless pork shoulder roast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp liquid smoke

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to skillet; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Place roast in 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover; cook on low heat setting 8-10 hours. About 40 minutes before serving, remove roast from slow cooker and place on cutting board; discard liquid in slow cooker.

In slow cooker, stir together all remaining ingredients. With 2 forks, shred pork roast. Return pork to slow cooker; stir gently to mix with sauce. Increase heat setting to high; cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until thoroughly heated. Serve on buns.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Everything. No, just kidding. Leila had gotten a Honeybaked Ham for Christmas (YUM!) and we wanted to make this with the leftovers. Therefore, I didn't have to go to all the hassle of cooking a shoulder roast. All I did was shred the ham that we had, add that and all the other ingredients to the slow cooker, and cook it on high for about 30-40 minutes. SIMPLE! Also, I only used about one cup of barbecue sauce.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above, I'm sure.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! This was really delicious! The shredding of the ham took some time but it was much easier than cooking the whole shoulder roast, I think. Plus, it only took about 45-60 minutes to make (including the shredding) instead of 11 hours.

P.S.
Yes, that is delicious cucumber salad on my plate. Unfortunately you'll have to get that recipe from Corky. Yum!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 boneless pork shoulder roast
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp honey
1 tsp liquid smoke

Heat 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle pork roast with salt and pepper. Add roast to skillet; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Place roast in 4-5 quart slow cooker. Cover; cook on low heat setting 8-10 hours. About 40 minutes before serving, remove roast from slow cooker and place on cutting board; discard liquid in slow cooker. In slow cooker, stir together all remaining ingredients. With 2 forks, shred pork roast. Return pork to slow cooker; stir gently to mix with sauce. Increase heat setting to high; cover and cook 30 minutes longer or until thoroughly heated. Serve on buns.

Sweet BBQ Crockpot Ribs

Ingredients:
3-1/2 lbs pork loin back ribs
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup cola beverage
2/3 cup barbecue sauce

Cut ribs into 2 or 3 rib portions and place in slow cooker. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and pour cola over. Cover crockpot and cook on low for 8-9 hours until the ribs are tender.

Drain liquid and discard. Pour barbecue sauce into crockpot and mix so ribs are coated.

Cover crockpot and cook on low 1 hour until ribs are glazed.

What I did differently from the recipe:
We had beef ribs in the freezer, so I used those instead of pork. I almost used cherry Pepsi instead of regular but I wasn't brave enough. I really don't think the taste would have changed much. I used Smoked Hickory BBQ sauce because that's what we had open. I also squeezed ketchup in the crockpot with the sauce, about two squeezes. Then I put about a teaspoon of liquid smoke in there, because I love that flavor!

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! This was the easiest thing ever (love the crockpot!) and it was so delicious. The ribs were really juicy and the flavor was incredible! I highly recommend this recipe for you guys that don't have time to fix dinner after work!