First I cut the pork roasts in to large chunks (you do want to use a butt/shoulder roast, not a loin roast; loin won't pull into big shreds), seasoned them with some garlic powder and pepper, browned them on all sides in a big heavy skillet and then popped them into a crockpot.
I sliced up an onion and cooked it in the same pan I used for browning the meat until it was softened a bit, added 4 cloves of minced garlic and cooked for another minute or two and then added that to the crockpot along with a couple of bay leaves. I had some poblano peppers in the freezer that I roasted and seeded last summer so I decided to chop up a couple of them and add them to the pot for a little extra flavor.
I added four cups of water, put the top on the pot and let it cook for about 6 hours on high, until the pork was "fall apart" tender. I shredded the meat with two forks ...
After the meat cooled I portioned it out into freezer bags and popped them into the freezer ...
Hmmm ... what else is in there? Chicken adobo, short ribs in balsamic vinegar, chicken cacciatore, arroz con pollo and some of the stuffed shells I made a while back. I'll be adding recipes for all of the rest of these soon :)
So ... what will I do with the pulled pork? How about tacos, enchiladas, burritos ... and the ever popular pulled pork sandwich ...
And one more thing ... all those plastic bags ... remember that unless they have had raw or partially cooked meat in them you can wash and reuse ... here's my handy dandy FitzGyver'd plastic bag dryer in action :)
I am adding this to Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard. Join Robin to find out what others are cooking up from their garden produce.
Enjoy!
What a cool bag dryer! I always plop mine over the electric can opener or the dish detergent bottle.
ReplyDeleteWeek before last I got a nice big pork butt for $1.09 a lb here. They are probably our cheapest meat when on sale because they are so popular here. I don't make pulled pork though, never have, seems like such a waste of a good Boston butt but then I am originally from New England.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! We love pulled pork! We are about out of made ahead meals around here. I think we (The Italian) need to spend a day making some.
ReplyDeleteLove that bag dryer!They take forever to dry.
Deb, have you ever used a Food Saver to store your creations? I swear by mine. For most things it really does work wonders for long term storage. Or doesn't your stuff stay frozen that long? Anyway, my sister-in-law told me about using shields of paper towels or the tray the meat comes in cut into pieces to protect sharp meat bones from cutting thru the plastic and all is well. They can be reused also, but they do get smaller as you go. Even washable in the dishwasher.
ReplyDeleteHey, Penny! I used to use a Food Saver but it stopped working, so I'm using bags right now ... I double wrap with freezer paper if it's some thing that might be frozen for a while.
ReplyDeleteRobin, what I've been doing is taking one day a week to make meals that all use similar ingredients ... ie.Week one : arroz con pollo and chicken cacciatore both use chicken thighs, tomatoes, onion, peppers, etc. Week 2 : pulled pork, Week 3 beef for stew, soup, etc and so on... it's working really well and the freezer is full.
Becky, sometimes I roast the pork first and have a meal with all the roast pork trimming and then pop the rest in the crockpot for pulled pork ... nothing better than soft tacos made with pulled pork :)
I always forget to wash out save our plastic bags. Maybe if I were creative and thought of some handy-dandy dryer like you did, I might be more motivated to remember!
ReplyDelete