Have we mentioned how much we love sandwiches? There is something so wonderful about having your meal in between two lovely pieces of bread. Ever since Mom forgot to buy hamburger buns, we have been on the hunt for recipes that require buns so we can make them for dinner. When we found this recipe, we decided to try using the slow cooker for the first time. Our conclusion? Kids can make easy and lean pulled pork.
Trimming the Pork:
When we pulled the pork out of its packaging, we have to admit, we were a bit grossed out. There was so much fat! Mom said some people rave about the benefits of flavor by keeping this on the pork, but she isn’t one of them. Carefully, we started cutting away at the Boston Butt to pull off some larger chunks. This was a bit tricky, and we suggest you get some adult help unless you are comfortable with using a sharp knife.
Starting the Slow Cooker:
It did feel odd to be making dinner first thing in the morning. As we were eating our cereal, we were cutting up an onion. It was unpleasant. However, mixing the spices was easy before rubbing them on the meat.
Next, we layered on the onion that made us cry, and plopped in the Barbeque sauce, Ketchup, and water. We set the slow cooker on low for eight hours. This was turning out to be an easy dinner!
Lean Pulled Pork:
The benefit of the slow cooker is that you do not have to do a ton of work right before serving dinner. However, does anyone else find the smell a bit intense all day? This started putting off a scent after about two hours and by the time it beeped after eight, I will admit that I was getting tired of the smell.
Carefully, we opened the lid and pulled out the meat into a serving dish with some of the onions (because Mom said we had to). Then we started digging. Mom warned us that there would be some parts that might gross us out, and she was right! We carefully pulled out some of the slimy parts and put them back into the slow cooker with the rest of the oils and juices from cooking. (There is the option of using some of the juices as extra flavoring and to keep the pork from drying out.) But we brought this outside dumped it in the woods instead of clogging our kitchen sink and ruining our chances of Dad ever letting us cook again.
We added some extra Barbeque sauce to keep it moist.
Serving Easy and Lean Pulled Pork:
After baking some fresh hamburger buns, the smell in the kitchen definitely improved. We even added a bit of fancy slaw to bring it up a notch. This easy and lean pulled pork was a success.
How Kids Can Make Easy and Lean Pulled Pork
Kids can make easy and lean pulled pork! This slow cooker recipe makes a perfect meal with some homemade hamburger buns.
Ingredients
- 5lb Boston Butt
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Salt
- 1 Teaspoons Black Pepper
- 1 Onion Chopped
- 1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce (Plus a bit more for serving)
- 1/4 Cup Ketchup
- Homemade Hamburger Buns*
- Optional Fancy Slaw*
Instructions
- With the help of an adult, remove the pulled pork out of its wrapping and cut away excess fat.
- Mix the spices together then rub onto Boston Butt and place inside slow cooker.
- Cut Onion into large slices and place on top of the pork. Add BBQ sauce and Ketchup to the top.
- Add 2 cups of water and cook on low for 8 hours.
- Remove the meat out of the slow cooker with as many of the onions as you prefer and place in a large bowl. Using two forks, shred the meat. Discard any part that you would rather not eat, along with juices in slow cooker.
- Return meat to the slow cooker and add more BBQ to your taste preference.
- Place on homemade hamburger buns. Add optional Slaw*.