to Make Pork in a Slow Cooker

How to Make Pork in a Slow Cooker

Make a flavorful pulled-pork sandwich with the help of your slow cooker. The secret is selecting the right types of meat (we help with beef and chicken options, too), plus seasoning the meat and adding homemade or store-bought sauce at the right time in the process.

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I'm Sue with the Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen. I don't need to tell you that a Crock-Pot is probably one of the most valuable appliances in your kitchen. If you wanna give your slow cook to me, it's an incredible layer of flavor; our secrets to success can help. First, choose the right cut of meat. The beauty of slow cooking or other slow cooking methods like braising or stewing is that you can use tough, inexpensive cuts of meat. Here, we're using pork shoulder, which is also called pork butt. But a pork sirloin roast is good too. Don't want pork? You can also use beef cuts like brisket or chuck roast or even boneless skinless chicken thighs. Then before putting the meat in the slow cooker, cut it in the manageable pieces, trimming off any excess fat that you can. This not only helps keep the meat from becoming greasy, but they're also makes it easier to shred. Now season, add liquid and cook for several hours before testing the meat. You'll know it's done when it tears apart easily. Shred the chunks using forks then return the meat to the slow cooker. Finally, here's our secret for that extra layer of flavor. It's all about the sauce. While the meat is shredded and super tender, add your favorite sauce, maybe a spicy barbecue sauce or something with an Asian twist, say teriyaki or sweet and sour. You can use your homemade or favorite bottled variety. Just add it to the Crock-Pot and heat for 30 to 40 minutes so then meat can absorb all of that delicious flavor. And that's it, a super flavorful way to make your slow-cooked meat dishes even better and that's a secret worth keeping from Better Homes and Gardens.