Even slower, even more cooked pulled pork.

I was originally considering seeking a new job working for a company that manufacturers slow-cookers. I was sure that once the people at Cuisinart or KitchenAid read my rave reviews and lengthy testimonials, they would see that I would be an indisputably valuable addition to their staff, and they'd hire me on the spot. I'd get to loads of slow cooking, and hopefully be plied with free appliances in lieu of payment. However, while doing a google-image search for Cuisinart Slow-Cookers, I discovered the image above, actually from their website. I realized, dreams dashed, that I am not the domesticated lass Cuisinart is seeking, nor does John resemble the mindless fellow supposedly helping her cook. I mean seriously-- doesn't that picture look like it's from Betty Crocker's Cookbook, circa 1956? Oh well... I guess I'll just have to keep my day job. : )

This past weekend, in exchange for Julia's blood, sweat, and tears (mostly sweat to be honest...) John churned up another slow-cooked pulled pork recipe. This was a new recipe he found online, and once he finished cooking it, he proclaimed that it was "Far superior to every other recipe we've tried." This was confirmed after we devoured every last morsel, first for dinner and then again as lunch, in the form of pulled pork sandwiches on toasted sesame rolls with red cabbage salad as a slaw. This was ludicrous. There is no better way to say it. It was the perfect balance of tart and sweet (vinegar vs. brown sugar and molasses) the perfect balance of crunchy and chewy (crisp red cabbage vs. tender melt-in-your-mouth meat) and the perfect balance of healthy and guilty (lying... pretty sure this is all bad for you.)

John's Latest & Greatest Texan Pulled Pork (via AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast
• 1 cup barbecue sauce (*We highly recommend Bull's Eye Original BBQ sauce. Well regarded by chefs far and wide. We know one chef who used to skip homemade sauce in favor of serving this BBQ sauce whenever he catered summer events. But that's just our secret.)
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon chili powder (*John said to skip this, but to each their own...)
• 1 extra large onion, chopped
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme (*He also nixed this out of the recipe.)
• 8 hamburger buns, split
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Directions: (John combined two different sets of directions to create these 3 simple steps for the ultimate pulled pork recipe.)

1. Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. Place the pork roast into the slow cooker; pour in the  apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cover and cook on low until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 10 to 12 hours.
2. Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred the meat using two forks. Strain off all of the fat and liquid. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and add the barbecue sauce . Cook for another 5 hours on low. 
3. Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. Spoon pork into the toasted buns.