Crockpot Pulled Pork

With the NFL playoffs in full swing, I'm sure some of you are looking for a great football party dish to serve over the upcoming weeks. I spontaneously decided I was craving pulled pork yesterday and wanted to find a crockpot recipe that I could throw together in no time. My recipe for Crockpot Pulled Pork is slightly different than the one I worked from, and it turned out amazing!

Ingredients:

• 2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 (4 1/2 -5 lb) bone-in pork shoulder (also called pork butt), twine or netting removed
• 1 Tbs packed dark brown sugar
• 1 Tbs kosher salt
• 1 Tbs chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup BBQ sauce plus extra for topping sandwiches (optional)

How to:

• Lay onions and garlic evenly in the bottom of your Crockpot.
• Pour chicken broth over the onions and garlic.
• Combine the sugar, salt, chili powder, coriander, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Pat dry pork shoulder with a paper towel.
• Rub combined spices all over the pork, covering it as completely as possible.
• Add pork to Crockpot.
• Cover and cook on high for 6-8 hours (8-10 hours on low).
• Turn off Crockpot, and transfer pork to cutting board. Discard bone, and shred pork with two forks. Discard any fat pieces. Set shredded pork aside.
• Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium sized heat proof bowl and pour onion mixture from the Crockpot over the strainer. Return solids to the Crockpot, and set liquid aside. 
• Return the shredded meat to the Crockpot with the onion mixture.
• Add BBQ sauce, if desired and mix to coat pork. 
• If you don't want to use BBQ sauce: Use a spoon to skim and discard the fat from your reserved liquid. Add 1/4 cup of the strained liquid at a time to the Crockpot, until the meat is just moistened. Taste and season with salt as needed.
• Serve on a hamburger bun.

I used a full 5-lb bone-in pork shoulder for this recipe, and it just BARELY fit in my Crockpot. I suggest going with a 4 1/2 pound sucker (unless you have a large Crockpot). The original recipe I worked from uses 2 cups of BBQ sauce, but I thought the pork tasted great after adding only 1 cup. I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Barbecue Sauce - a personal fave.

Enjoy!