There is a special comfort in coming home to supper already done, especially in August when the days stay busy and a person would rather spend the afternoon poking through thrift shop shelves than standing over a hot stove. This 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Poor Man's Thrift Shop Day Supper is built on old-fashioned practicality, the kind of meal Midwestern home cooks have long relied on when stretching a budget and making something deeply satisfying out of very little. The slow cooker does the heavy lifting, turning a humble roast into a tender, richly sauced main dish with hardly any fuss at all.
This dish is mighty good spooned over mashed potatoes, buttered egg noodles, or plain white rice to catch every bit of that dark, savory sauce. If you want a full supper table, add green beans, sweet corn, or a simple cucumber salad on the side. A pan of warm biscuits or a slice of sandwich bread fits right in too, especially for mopping up the juices.
4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Poor Man's Thrift Shop Day Supper
Servings: 6
Ingredients
3 to 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
1 packet onion soup mix, about 1 ounce
1 cup barbecue sauce
1 cup cola
Directions
1. Place the pork shoulder roast in the slow cooker.
2. In a bowl or large measuring cup, stir together the onion soup mix, barbecue sauce, and cola until well combined.
3. Pour the sauce mixture over the roast, cover, and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours or on high for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat is very tender.
4. Shred the meat right in the cooker with two forks, toss it in the sauce, and serve hot.
Variations & Tips
Chicken version: You can make this with boneless skinless chicken thighs for a lighter supper. Cook until the chicken shreds easily, then stir it back into the sauce for sandwiches or rice bowls.
Make it sweeter or smokier: A honey barbecue sauce will give you a sweeter finish, while a hickory-style sauce brings a deeper smokehouse flavor. Either one works nicely with the onion soup mix.
Best cut tip: Pork shoulder gives the richest, most tender result because it has enough fat to stay moist through the long cooking time. If your roast is especially large, give it the full cooking time before shredding.
Serving idea: Pile the shredded meat onto soft sandwich buns for an easy supper the next day. A scoop of coleslaw on top makes it taste like something from a church social or county fair stand.