serves 4
You might need to buy:
  • pitted green olives
  • tightly packed basil leaves
  • crumbled feta cheese
You might need to buy:
  • chuck roast or stew meat
  • white vinegar
  • lemon
  • Worcestershire
  • chili powder
  • chopped celery
  • ketchup
  • brown sugar
  • mustard
  • water

This fanciful reinterpretation of pulled pork uses chicken and lots of tomato sauce. Have sliced jalapenos, sliced red onions and some sour cream on hand to top this hearty main course.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

You might need to buy:
  • reduced-sodium tomato sauce
  • cider vinegar
  • honey
  • sweet or smoked paprika
  • tomato paste
  • worcestershire sauce
  • dry mustard
  • ground chipotle chile
  • salt
You might need to buy:
  • For the Sauce:
  • ketchup
  • apple cider vinegar
  • chili powder
  • hot pepper sauce
  • For the Slaw:
  • mayonnaise
  • yellow mustard
  • apple cider vinegar
  • celery seeds
  • salt
  • pepper
  • hamburger buns

Traditional pulled pork is barbecued, which gives it a smoky flavor. But the slow cooker happens to be the absolute easiest way to cook pulled porkā€”and you can get a hint of smoke by adding chipotle chile. Serve the pulled pork with potato salad, collard greens and grits. Or make it into a sandwich and serve it on a bun with coleslaw.

Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 1, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To finish, bring the sauce to a simmer and continue with Steps 2 & 3. The cooked pork can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. | Equipment: 4-quart or larger slow cooker

You might need to buy:
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • dried oregano
  • freshly ground pepper
  • salt
  • cider vinegar

If you don’t wish to make such a large roast, you can use the same ingredients for a smaller roast too. You can likely cut down a bit on the cooking time, and use less barbecue sauce when adding it in at the end.
For the most tender pulled pork, I do not recommend trying to short-cut the recipe by cooking it on HIGH heat. Low and slow is best!

You might need to buy:
  • salt and pepper
  • root beer
  • buns

Shoulder or butt are recommended because the meat shreds very well. Other cuts do not shred as readily. It is a fattier cut, but the fat melts away in the cooking and is poured away when you discard the liquid.
I have an older, smaller crock pot. The above times work perfectly for me. But if you have a newer or bigger crock pot, you may need to revise times downward, esp. after the bbq sauce is added. I think you need at least a couple of hours for it all to meld, but that may be all you need. Update: I recently bought a bigger crockpot, I think 5 or 6 qts. I cooked a 6 lb pork shoulder in it for 8 hours and it was shreddable at that point. Shredded, added the sauce, and cooked for another hour or so to meld everything. So use your best judgment on timing!
You might want to turn your roast over after it’s cooked a while, to ensure more even cooking. I think this may depend on the size and shape of your roast and the size of your slow cooker. Remember that each time you remove the lid you lose heat and be careful, as turning a large piece of meat is awkward.

You might need to buy:
  • large onions
  • ginger ale
You might need to buy:
  • water
  • chopped onion
You might need to buy:
  • olive oil
  • ground cumin
  • ground cinnamon
  • ground allspice
  • vegetable broth
  • long-grain white rice
  • Plain yogurt
  • Chopped fresh mint

This is the classic Cuban comfort food, the base on which the rich flavors of Cuban cuisine is built. Take you time with these beans and add salt during the last 1/2 hour of cooking. This recipe may be doubled or tripled for a larger crowd.

You might need to buy:
  • dried black beans
  • chicken stock
  • small onion diced
  • half of 1 green pepper chopped
  • half of 1 red pepper chopped
  • oregano
  • cumin
  • whole bay leaves
  • small bunch of cilantro chopped
  • cider vinegar
  • dry sherry
  • kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste