Ode to Sandy Brennan Crock Pot Pulled Pork
Sometimes you just don't have time to fire up the smoker, the crock pot can be your best friend in these situations.
INGREDIENTS
1 bone in BUTT
1 tablespoon salt (seasoned salt or whatever) this time I used 2 tablespoons of chipotle salt
1 cup water
2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 large sweet onion
2 teaspoons cayenne or chipotle (play with the flavors)
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
Original recipe calls for 2 tbs brown sugar. I do not use sugar in mine, sometimes I add honey.
DIRECTIONS
Slice the onion in 4-5 thick slices and lay in bottom of crock pot. Add water until the onions are just covered.
Add I cup vinegar
Lay the butt fat side down or up. if you put it up it is easier to remove. If you put it down you get a much richer flavor and you can still remove a lot of the fat.
Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on the top of the butt.
Place crock pot on low for 12-14 hours (I like to start this on Thursday night and we eat it Friday night and munch on it all weekend).
Remove the butt and try to strip off the layer of fat. Use a fork or let it cool first and use your hands to shred it. I prefer the second method.
Strain the liquid from the crock pot. Keep the onions and one-two cups of the liquid (depends on size of the butt).
Return the butt to the pot and stir in the remaining dry ingredients. Now add in the remaining vinegar and the reserved liquid. Stir it and put that sucker on warm for another 8-14 hours.
NOTES
I don’t make the sauce separately as the butt stays really juicy this way and we add a spoonful of the liquid on our plate if we want. Here is a good Carolina recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/eastern-north-carolina-bbq-sauce/
I like to play with flavors. Once I added about a 1/8 cup cumin and everyone went nuts for it in the office. Today’s contribution has a healthy dose of masala on and in it as well as Italian cherry peppers and baby bell peppers.
The Stars and Stripes
Take the opportunity to honor our great nation
Image from this site tattoo by Marc Durrant
Yesterday afternoon I stood on the edge of a middle school wrestling mat in a modified position of attention, right hand over my heart, gazing upward to the center of the gymnasium at our nation's flag as our national anthem played. I thought about the middle schools and other schools that do not play our national anthem, say the Pledge of Allegiance, or honor the flag in some other way before athletic competition. I thought about the schools that did not do this but now do simply because I asked them if they were going to play the national anthem. And I smiled. And then my thoughts turned to the flag itself and what it represents. The United States of America, progress, freedom, sanctuary... thousands upon thousands who have and will make the ultimate sacrifice...not for a flag or even this country but for what this country represents and for each of us. Please dwell on that for a moment or two, close your eyes and reflect on what our nation's flag means to you. Ask yourself, is that not worthy of three minutes of honor? And the next time a school does not take the opportunity to render that honor, please ask them to do so next time.
~Peace