Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders

We tend to throw at least one football party per year.  This time, it was for the Big Game – the Super Bowl!  I made tons of food including some of the same recipes from last year’s party.  But one of my new items was my Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders.  I topped them with cole slaw and they were equal to or better than any pulled pork you’ve had at any restaurant.  Promise!

I made up this recipe but I did use some pre-made items from Mr. Stubbs who, I think, makes the best BBQ items available commercially.   The BBQ seasoning has a great kick to it and natural smoke flavor.  The BBQ sauce is more tangy than sweet – just how I like it.  Oh, and best of all, it doesn’t have any high fructose corn syrup.  Obviously, you should get whatever BBQ sauce suits your taste.  If you like sweeter sauces, you may want to try something different.  This BBQ sauce is on the thinner side so it doesn’t overpower the pork or drown out the wonderful dry rub ingredients.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp Stubbs BBQ seasoning

1 tbsp dry mustard

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp pepper
cooking spray

2-2lb pork shoulders

whole yellow onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

¼ c apple cider vinegar

cole slaw (see recipe)

1 bottle of Stubbs BBQ sauce

slider buns

Combine the BBQ seasoning, dry mustard, brown sugar, salt, and pepper to create a dry rub.  Generously rub spice mixture all over pork shoulders and inside all creases. Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat and spray with cooking spray.  Sear pork shoulders on all sides.

Place onions and garlic in the bowl of a slow cooker.  Place seared pork shoulders on top of onions.  Pour apple cider vinegar over top of pork shoulders.  Set slow cooker to low heat and cook for 8 hours.

While pork is cooking, make cole slaw using this recipe.

Once pork is done, remove shoulders from bowl and shred meat using two forks.  Pour cooking liquid into a sieve to separate out solids.  Add solids back to shredded meat.  Add a little cooking liquid and BBQ sauce to shredded pork.  Stir to combine.  Place pulled pork on a slider bun and top with cole slaw. 

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches, Mom’s Famous Cole Slaw, and Mini-Lemon Cakes

June 2012 marks the start of the summer and also the start of the “No Pressure Cooker”.  More importantly for me, this June marks the start of the COOKOUT season.   Cookouts are a joy for everyone.  They bring about fun, smiles, and of course, great food.  Here are three staple cookout items that will make your friends and family keep coming back for more!

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

3 skinless boneless chicken breasts

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

½ c ketchup

½ c bbq sauce

2 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp molasses

1 tbsp yellow mustard

1 tsp onion powder

¼ tsp cumin

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp hot sauce

½ tsp crushed red pepper

4 whole-wheat hamburger buns

Cut onion in half and slice into thin half rings.  Line bottom of crock-pot with onions.  Trim chicken breasts and place on top of bed of onions.  Sprinkle chicken with salt and black pepper.

Mix remaining ingredients together and pour on top of the chicken covering completely. 

Place a paper towel under the lid of the crock-pot to prevent the sauce from getting watery during cooking.  Cook chicken on high for 3 hours.

Take two forks and shred the chicken.  Serve on top of lightly toasted whole-wheat buns. 

Tip: Sauce can be made ahead.

Shredded (insert meat here) sandwiches are great paired with coleslaw.  Pick whatever meat you want!  The coleslaw can either be served on the side or on the sandwich itself.  This coleslaw is very special to me because it’s been made famous by my own mother.  And she’s going to KILL me when she finds out I’m giving away her secret ingredient…celery seed!

Mom’s Famous Cole slaw

24 oz packaged cole slaw mix

1 ½ tsp ground black pepper

1 ½ tsp celery seed

salt to taste

10-12oz Marzetti’s cole slaw dressing (because this is the BEST!)

Mix all ingredients together in large bowl.  Ensure that cole slaw mixture is moistened just enough to coat cole slaw lightly.  The cabbage will reduce and continue to moisten as it sits.

Note: To make a more homemade version of this, refer to Sarah’s “Cilantro and Lime Cole Slaw” and use her mix of red and green cabbage with carrots.

Citrus with sugar is an amazing combination so I’m going to my all-time favorite cake for dessert.  The cake itself is from the Duncan Hines “Lemon Pound Cake” recipe.  But the glaze is what makes it!  The glaze has the perfect balance of sweet and sour.  Also, it’s very light so it completely soaks into the cake and leaves you looking forward to every glorious bite!  The mini-bundt pan just makes it all the more endearing (and adorable).

Mini Lemon Cakes

1 pkg lemon cake mix

1 (3.4 oz) pkg instant lemon pudding and pie filling mix

4 large eggs

1c water

1/3 c vegetable oil

Glaze

1/3 c lemon juice (about 3 lemons)

2 c confectioner’s sugar

Preheat oven to 350F.  Grease and flour a mini-bundt cake pan.  Tip: Use a sandwich bag as a glove, dip into margarine, and spread generously throughout the pan.  Combine cake mix and pudding mix in an electric mixer bowl and stir on low to combine.

Lightly beat eggs and combine with water and oil.  Add wet mixture to dry mixture; beat at medium speed until well mixed. 

Pour cake mix into a large freezer bag.  Cut a dime-size hole in the bottom corner of the bag to allow for easy filling of the cake pan.  Fill each cavity until about half full.  Bake at 350F for 18-20 mins or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. 

While cakes are baking, combine lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar using a hand mixer until smooth.  Place glaze in a small freezer bag and cut a tiny hold in the bottom corner of the bag to allow for drizzling of the glaze over the cakes.  Tip: Drizzle glaze over the bottom of the cakes prior to removing from the pan for added gooey heaven :)

Remove cakes from pan by inverting onto a cookie sheet.  Once cakes are successfully removed, pour glaze over each cake.  Garnish with lemon slices.