I can honestly admit that I could easily give up most meat products…except for pork. I love pulled pork, sliced ham, bacon and practically all forms of pork! I have made BBQ pulled pork on many occasions, so I was intrigued by this recipe I found in Southern Living magazine. I did adapt it to suit our tastes and the pork turned out so well, I have already made this delicious pork again. We served it on bread with homemade cole slaw on top.
4 pounds of pork (I used lean pork loin)
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 medium onions, coarsely chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 banana peppers, chopped
10-12 garlic cloves, chopped finely
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons cornstarch or flour
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Cut pork into large chunks, about 2-3 inches each. Heat a large skillet or walk, and add olive oil. Add pork to sear the sides, sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side until all sides are lightly browned.
Transfer pork to a slow cooker (at least 5-6 quart size) and add the garlic and onion.
Whisk together brown sugar, soy sauce and vinegar until the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the pork.
Cook the pork for 8 hours on low.
Transfer pork to serving platter. Pour liquid from your slow cooker through a mesh strainer into a sauce pan to remove solid pieces. Spoon 1/4 cup of the fluid into a measuring cup, then whisk in the flour and lemon juice until dissolved. Return the mixture into the pan and bring to a low boil, whisking the entire time to thicken the sauce. Serve sauce with the pork.