Where I live in Georgia, pulled pork is serious business, second only to fried chicken in popularity. Georgians tend to like their barbecue sweet and smoky. The recipe below has all the tender succulence and fire-brushed flavor of the stuff made in a smoker, but with the worry-free convenience of a slow cooker.
The deep smoky flavor in this recipe comes from a mixture of paprika, liquid smoke, and bacon. Pulled pork is best served on a soft roll topped with a generous scoop of coleslaw. I prefer a tangy and slightly sweet coleslaw with a substantive crunch. The red cabbage used here retains its bite longer than the classic green variety.
Slow Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Pulled Pork
8-10
15 minutes
6 hours
6 hours, 15 mintues
3 lbs. (1350 g) boneless pork shoulder
1 tablespoon (21 g) sea salt
1 teaspoon (2 g) garlic powder
1 tablespoon (6 g) chili powder
1 tablespoon (6 g) smoked paprika
2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey
1 teaspoon (5 ml) liquid smoke
8 strips of bacon
8 buns, for serving
Coleslaw:
½ cup (120 ml) mayonnaise
2 tablespoon (15 g) sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) lemon juice
1 tablespoon (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon (7 g) salt
1/2 teaspoon (1 g) black pepper
1 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 large carrot, shredded
Cut the pork into 4 even hunks and place in a large bowl. Add salt, garlic powder, chili powder, paprika, honey and liquid smoke. Toss to coat.
Wrap two pieces of bacon around each hunk of pork.
Place meat into a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
Meanwhile, make the coleslaw. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly.
After 6 hours, preheat the broiler. Use tongs to transfer pork from slow cooker to a baking sheet. Shred the meat with 2 forks to desired texture.
Broil on high for a few minutes, until the ends of the pork start to crisp.
Serve on a bun, topped with slaw.
Pro Tip: Pulled pork sandwiches can get soggy. Solve the problem with a toasted bun. Lightly butter the inside surface of each roll. After pork has finished crisping, turn broiler off and slide buns in for a minute or two. The residual heat is just enough to crisp the bread.