Pulled Pork

We also served Pulled Pork for the Stake Conference Dinner.

I used Sirloin Roasts and I had 8 of them in one roaster oven.  I rubbed them with Sue's Sweet Rub and turned them on to 225 degrees and went to bed.  In the morning I inserted my meat thermometer and turned them up to about 250.  I cooked them to about 200 degrees so they would shred easily.  After about 18 hours I shredded them and added some BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's).  I did not drain any of the juice off.  Left it all in there.   Continue to cook until heated thru.  Serve with additional BBQ sauce on the side.

Sweet Pulled Pork & more......Costa Vida Style

We are getting ready for the Atkinson Reunion this weekend.....Justin has agreed to take care of Pulled Pork for sandwiches on Saturday.  A few ideas for him....

Sweet Pulled Pork for a Crowd

Makes 100 4 oz servings or sandwiches; 12 hours
1 C Brown sugar
1/2 C Cocoa powder
6 Tbs Chili powder
4 Tbs Cumin
6 Tbs Salt
4 Tbs Black pepper
25 lbs Pork loin, boneless
5 cans Diced tomatoes (28 oz)
5 Onions, diced
100 sandwich buns
1 gallon BBQ sauce

Make rub, season loin
In a bowl mix together brown sugar, cocoa powder, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over and rub into loin with hands until loin is completely covered, set aside for 30 minutes and let marinate.

Sear loin, prepare cookers
In a large pan over medium-high heat sear loin in olive oil (1 or 2 at a time). Mix together tomato, onion in large roasters or crock pots.

Cook loin, shred
Place seared loin on top of vegetable mixture in slow roasters or slow cookers. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours. Remove lid and shred loin with a fork, then stir together meat, juices and vegetables.

Make sandwiches
Place a portion of pork on a sandwich bun 

Sweet Pork Barbacoa
2 pounds pork (I like to use the pork butt – my butcher concurs)
2 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 c. water
1 can diced green chiles
3/4 can enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
1 c. brown sugar
Put the pork in a reclosable bag to marinate, pour in one of the cans of Coke and 1/2 c. brown sugar. Marinade for a few hours or overnight. (I’ve done both…they both work.)
Drain marinade and put pork, 1/2 can of Coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours. Remove pork from crock pot, drain off liquid, shred pork. (I use twoforks because I’m too impatient to wait until it’s cool.)
Mix together (in a bowl or in the blender) other 1/2 can of Coke, can of chiles, enchilada sauce and brown sugar.
Put shredded pork back in the crock pot, cover with sauce, heat just until warmed through.

SWEET PORK
2 pounds pork (we like to use boneless pork ribs)
3 cans Coke (NOT diet)
1/4 c. brown sugar dash garlic salt
1/4 c. water 1 can diced green chilies
3/4 (1ooz) can red enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso brand, medium spiciness)
1 c. brown sugar Put the pork in a heavy duty Ziploc bag to marinade.
Add about a can and a half of coke and about
1/4 c. of brown sugar.
Marinade for a few hours or overnight. Drain marinade and put pork,

1/2 can of coke, water, and garlic salt in crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours (or until it shreds easily, but don’t let it get TOO dry). Remove pork from crock pot and drain any liquid left in the pot. Shred pork. In a food processor or blender, blend 1/2 can Coke, chilies, enchilada sauce and remaining brown sugar (about a cup, you can add a little more or less to taste..). If it looks too thick, add more Coke little by little. Put shredded pork and sauce in crock pot and cook on low for 2 hours. That’s it!

CILANTRO-LIME RICE
1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth 1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
In a saucepan combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes, until rice is tender. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

CILANTRO RANCH
1 packet TRADITIONAL Hidden Valley Ranch mix (not BUTTERMILK)
1 c. mayonnaise
1 c. buttermilk
2 tomatillos, remove husk, diced (I boiled it)
1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro
1 clove garlic juice of
1 lime
1 jalapeno (we like it SPICY so we kept the seeds in it, if you like it mild, just remove the seeds) Mix all ingredients together in the blender. That’s it!

Crock Pot Pork Chops

I made these for dinner tonight and will definitely do it again.

Crock Pot Pork Chops
Place in crock pot:
4 or 5 pork chops
2 to 3 T. ranch seasoning mix, sprinkle over pork chops
1 can Cream of Chicken soup
Cook on high for 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
The pork chops are fork tender and there is plenty of gravy for mashed potatoes

Sue's Best Sweet Dry Rub

Last week we spent the week Sturgeon Fishing with our friends, Mike & Sue Gruning and Terry & Ellen Johnson from Utah.  Mike & Sue grilled some pork chops with a great rub.  They were yummy!!  Sue sent me her recipe.....

  Best Sweet Dry Rub
    1/2 c. white sugar
    1/2 c. brown sugar
    1/4 c. kosher salt
    2 T. freshly ground black pepper ( I do not use this much, I just grind some in until I think it looks right. I don't care for a real strong pepper taste)
    2 T. dried minced onion
    1 T. paprika
    1 T. garlic salt
Combine all ingredients. Use desired amount on meat about 60 minutes prior to grilling. Store extra rub in an airtight container. Makes 1 1/2 cups
    Enjoy!

Crock Pot Pork Chops

These pork chops are very tender and yummy!  It makes a good gravy for mashed potatoes. 

Crock Pot Pork Chops
package of boneless pork chops
1 can of Cream of Chicken soup
1 packet dry Ranch dressing mix

In crockpot layer porkchops, cream of chicken soup, then sprinkle dry Ranch dressing all over.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR Low for 6 hours.

Sweet Pork

Sweet Pork
3 lb pork loin roast, thawed
2 c. Salsa
4 oz. can green chilies
½ c. brown sugar
15 oz. can black beans, undrained
Tortillas
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomato
In the bottom of a large crock pot mix salsa, green chilies, brown sugar, and black beans.
Add the pork roast and cook on high for 4 hours.
Take the meat out of the crock pot and shred it up with a fork.
Return meat to the crock pot and cook 1 more hour.
Serve on tortillas with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes.

Slow Cooked Pork Tacos

SLOW COOKED PORK TACOS
1 boneless pork sirloin roast (2 pounds), cut into 1-inch pieces
1-1/2 cups salsa verde
1 medium sweet red pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Dash hot pepper sauce
10 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
TOPPINGS: Reduced-fat sour cream, thinly sliced green onions, cubed avocado, shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese and chopped tomato, optional
In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until meat is very tender.
Shred pork with two forks. Place about 1/2 cup pork mixture down the center of each tortilla. Serve with toppings if desired. Yield: 10 tacos.

Need a NEW Main Dish??? here's a couple to try...

I sent these recipes to Loralyn and I thought you might like them too. I got them off of Realmomkitchen.com. Alisha

Thank you Alisha!!!

South-of-the-Border Chicken & Pasta Skillet
2 cups medium-size pasta
1 chicken breast, cubed
2 cups salsa
4 oz.Cream Cheese, cubed
2 cups corn
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 cup Cheese, divided
Cook pasta as directed on package. Cook and stir chicken in large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 6 min. or until done. Add salsa, cream cheese, corn and cumin; simmer on medium-low 6 min. or until corn is heated through and cream cheese is melted, stirring occasionally. Drain pasta; add to skillet with half the shredded cheese. Simmer 3 min. or until heated through. Top with remaining shredded cheese; cover. Remove from heat; let stand 5 min. or until cheese is melted.


Applesauce BBQ Sauce Shredded Pork
1 pork loin (around 3 pounds)
some apple juice, if desired
Applesauce BBQ Sauce
1 cup applesauce
1/2 cup BBQ sauce or ketchup
2 cups brown sugar
6 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Place pork loin in crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours. Add a little apple juice, if desired. Remove from crock pot and shred. Remove any juice or fat left in crock pot. Place meat back in crock pot and add prepared applesauce bbq sauce. Heat until warm.
To prepare sauce: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, mix applesauce, BBQ Sauce OR ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, ground black pepper, salt, paprika, garlic powder and cinnamon. Stirring frequently, bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. (Also good with chicken)

The recipe calls for ketchup, but when Alisha made it she said, "I accidently put in BBQ sauce and we loved it". Since the recipe has BBQ in the title, I was just thinking BBQ sauce. Kinda funny! A lot of good recipes come from mistakes.
So with that....you choose which way you prefer to make it!??!?!?!?