Slow Cooker Pineapple Soy Pulled Pork

Posted on September 13, 2013 By Alex T. slow-cooker meals

I have made it a habit to prepare a slow cooker meal on Wednesdays since our son has taekwondo class that evening. Before TJ started taekwondo, I had only ever used my slow cooker on occasion. It has been fun finding new and exciting recipes to try and tweaking them to suit our tastes.

This recipe is one I found a couple of months ago and it has become a regular in my rotation of slow cooker dinners. I adapted it from this recipe from Steph’s Bite by Bite. I have also found that this same mixture works really well with some beef short ribs or a beef chuck roast if you’re not in the mood for or don’t eat pork.

Ingredients:

2.5-4 lbs pork butt or shoulder (boneless or not, it doesn’t matter)
3/4 cup pineapple juice
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon 100% pure sesame oil
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely diced
2-3 chunks of fresh ginger, peeled
1-2 cups water

Directions:

Brown your pork shoulder on all sides in a hot pan with a tablespoon or two of olive oil. You aren’t trying to cook it thru, just to add some searing to the edges, 1-2 minutes per side. In my opinion, this makes for a better texture when it’s finished cooking. Once you’re done, place the pork into your slow cooker.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the pineapple juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, vinegar and garlic. Whisk to combine.

Pour the mixture over the pork.

Add 1-2 cups of water to the slow cooker. If you would prefer to add enough water so the pork is completely covered, that’s okay too.

Peel a chunk of fresh ginger that is roughly the equivalent of one to two tablespoons. Cut it into two or three smaller pieces and drop them into the liquid of the slow cooker. If you’d like to chop or mince the ginger and mix it in with the rest of the ingredients, you can. I have found that the flavor is still there even when there are just big chunks. I just make sure to remove the chunks of ginger when the pork is done.

Cook on low for eight hours.

Once the pork is ready, transfer it to a plate and start shredding it into yummy bit-sized chunks with a pair of forks. Drizzle some of the liquid over the meat and you’re done!

Our favorite way to eat this pulled pork is with a tangy cabbage slaw on Hawaiian sweet rolls. It’s also tasty with steamed white or brown rice and a veggie on the side. My favorite is green beans or snap peas sauteed in some of the liquid from the pork!

This is always a big hit in our house! Bon appetit!