Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

When my parents were down visiting for a month they stay out on Siesta Key, just minutes from our house. It's nice having them so close. Of course it sometimes takes awhile to get over the bridge to go to their condo with all of the seasonal "tourists" traffic. The traffic on a warm sunny day can back up to US 41. This time of year us "locals" just have to time things a little differently....anyway they decided to have the Super Bowl Party at their condo this year. The friends where we usually go didn't have one this year so we crashed my parent's party. My mom had the menu planned and we all were going to bring something. She wanted me to bring some dessert and I was going to bring the Coconut Chocolate Bars...yes! easy peasy!

Then she asked if I would do the pulled pork and she would make the dessert since I had the crockpot. Sure! She bought the pork and I put in in the crockpot the night before to let it cook all night. That way I would know it would be done and ready for her party. I also brought some black beans and cilantro rice...which weren't on her menu. Oops! Well we loved the leftovers.

I saw this recipe on Deep South Dish and it sounded very good and not too sweet, and she had a large piece of pork like I did! Perfect. I adjusted it just a little from her recipe which she first saw on Food Network.

1 large sweet onion, sliced (I used a Florida sweet onion)
6 to 9 pound pork shoulder or( I used Boston butt roast)
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon smokey chipotle powder or rub (there are many available now, I like Penzey's too)
1-1/2 cups of barbecue sauce - (I used a Memphis style I haven't perfected making my own yet)
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of mustard
2 teaspoons of hot sauce (I used peri-peri sauce)
Couple dashes of liquid smoke - optional (since I used the smokey chipotle I skipped the liquid smoke)

Season the pork with salt and pepper and rub the chipotle powder into the meat like anytime you apply a meat rub. If you are using a rub that has salt already in it you can skip adding more salt.

Scatter the sliced onions on the bottom of a 6 quart crockpot. Place the season pork on top with the fat side up.

In a bowl or large measuring cup mix the rest of the ingredients with a whisk and pour over and around the pork. Cover and cook on low for 10 - 12 hours, or on high for 6 hours until the meat is cooked through (160-170 on instant read thermometer) I did it overnight for twelve hours!

Carefully take the pork out of the crockpot and let it rest on a platter for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it cools enough to shred it by hand. You can use forks if you prefer, but I can feel the fat and remove it when I use my hands.

I decided to try using the remaining sauce in the crockpot. Carefully pour the juice from the crockpot into a saucepan, I used a fat skimming cup first to remove a lot of fat. Bring the mixture to a boil; boil until reduced by half and thickened, stirring regularly. I added a little Worcestershire sauce, hot mustard powder, ginger/garlic paste and a touch of honey, but you don't have to.

We picked up some little slider type buns, and served them with some extra sauce, and the sauce that I reduced from the crockpot. One was spice and the other a little more sweet...that way everyone is happy. The meat by itself was so full of flavor it was even good without sauce!

Everyone enjoyed it and said it was so moist and tender! They teased my mom saying how nice she could have the party "catered". They were all finished eating by the time I could get my camera out. I know...wild crowd huh? They were all full and ready for the game...


...they even invited some Steeler's fans!

My mom liked it too and thought I did a good job, whew!... and here I was worried because she kept telling me how my older sister did this for Christmas...I felt the pressure, then to find out she didn't have my sister's it was for the other side of her family!

I will definitely make this again....