This is the sort of slow cooker supper that feels like it could have come straight out of an old Amish farmhouse kitchen, but with the shortcuts a busy home cook needs today. You simply set a pork shoulder in the slow cooker and pour bottled barbecue sauce and four pantry ingredients right over the top. Hours later, you’ve got tender, shreddy pork and cozy noodles that taste like Sunday after church, the kind of comforting meal that never gets old and doesn’t ask much of you besides a little patience.
Serve the pork and noodles in wide, shallow bowls so the sauce can pool around the edges. A side of buttered peas or green beans, a simple lettuce salad with a light dressing, or some steamed carrots all sit nicely alongside this dish. If you’re feeding a hearty crowd, add warm dinner rolls or thick slices of bread to mop up the extra sauce. A jar of pickles or sliced cucumbers on the table brings a bit of brightness that balances the rich, homey flavors.
Slow Cooker Amish-Style Pork and NoodlesServings: 6
Ingredients
3 to 3 1/2 pounds boneless pork shoulder (pork butt), trimmed of excess fat
2 cups bottled barbecue sauce (your favorite store-bought brand)
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
12 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked according to package directions and drained
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
Place the pork shoulder in the bottom of a large slow cooker, fat side up if there is a cap of fat remaining.
Scatter the sliced onion evenly over and around the pork in the slow cooker.
In a bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the bottled barbecue sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken broth until well combined.
Pour the barbecue sauce mixture evenly over the pork shoulder and onions in the slow cooker, making sure the meat is mostly coated.
Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
When the pork is done, use two forks to gently shred it right in the slow cooker, mixing it into the onions and sauce. Taste and season with salt and black pepper if needed.
While the pork rests in its sauce on the WARM setting, cook the egg noodles according to the package directions in salted boiling water. Drain well.
Stir the hot, drained egg noodles into the saucy shredded pork in the slow cooker until everything is well coated. If it seems a little thick, you can splash in a bit more chicken broth or hot water to loosen.
Cover and let the pork and noodles sit together in the slow cooker on WARM for 5 to 10 minutes so the flavors mingle, then ladle into bowls and serve.
Variations & Tips
For a milder, more traditional Amish-style flavor, choose a sweeter, less smoky barbecue sauce and add an extra splash of chicken broth to soften the tang. If you like a bit of creaminess, stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt at the very end, off the heat, for a richer sauce. You can also swap the egg noodles for cooked mashed potatoes: serve the shredded barbecue pork and onions spooned over a bed of potatoes instead of stirring in noodles. For extra vegetables, tuck a few peeled, chunked carrots around the pork before pouring on the sauce; they’ll cook right along with the meat and add a gentle sweetness. Leftovers keep well and can be rewarmed in a covered dish with a splash of broth to loosen, or tucked into buttered rolls for next-day sandwiches.
