Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled Pork

Food.

Slow cooker chipotle pulled pork soft taco

There is nothing better than having a meal ready at home after a long, hard day at work.  Slow cookers are truly the answer to having a meal almost completely cooked with minimal effort. 

With winter around the corner, the cold weather, and the short days, I have been using the slow cooker a lot more lately.  This recipe is super easy and very versatile for the type of dish you want to create or the items you already have in your house.  This smoky and spicy pork can be used in tacos, on top of salads, in a sandwich, topping rice and beans, in quesadillas, or simply by itself.  It’s delicious and pairs with a salty margarita perfectly. Yes, I know it isn’t margarita season, but who cares!

Slow Cooker Chipotle Pulled Pork

1 boneless pork shoulder (about 3 lbs), trimmed of fat

1 canned chipotle chilies, chopped (approx. 4 oz)

1 Tbsp brown sugar

3 cloves chopped garlic

¼ cup fresh lime juice

¼ cup water

¼ cup chopped cilantro

Salt and pepper

Package of taco seasoning

Line the slow cooker with the liner or spray with cooking spray if you do not have any liners. In a bowl, mix together the can chopped of chilies and liquids from the can, brown sugar, garlic, lime juice, water, and cilantro.  Rub salt, pepper, and half of the taco seasoning packet all over the pork shoulder and put into the slow cooker.  Pour the sauce mixture into the slow cooker.  

Cook on low heat for 7 to 8 hours.

Remove pork from the slow cooker and set in a shallow dish.  Cool pork slightly and then shred with two forks. 

Once pork is shredded, add some of the remaining cooking liquids and possibly some more of the taco seasoning to your taste liking.  Warning, taste the liquids left in the slow cooker cautiously as they can be extremely spicy.

After a hard day of working outside, this was so nice to come inside to and eat.  Jeff and I enjoyed ours on flour tortillas with some sharp cheese, fresh cilantro, squeeze of fresh lime juice, sliced avocado, and some more chipotle sauce.  Chipotle sauce is my favorite, I just couldn’t get enough.  The heat was intense, but the margarita just cooled it all down.

It was even better that the clean up was minimal because of the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners.  Once all the cooking is done, just pull out the bag and throw it away.  Easy, peasy!

Enjoy!

<3 mk

Slow Cooker Short Ribs in Wine Sauce

Food.

Check out that exterior char and interior tenderness!

I love food.  Anything that tastes and looks like you spent a lot of time on it is my favorite kind to cook. I came upon this recipe from one of my favorite blogs; Eat, Live, Run.  It had the perfect amount of effort to put into it and it included a meat item that would win my husband's affection immediately.

This dish is amazing.  The meat becomes perfectly charred on the outside and the interior is just right.  It can be split with a fork.  Keep your knives in the drawer for this one!

Making it was relatively easy. You can’t just throw the ingredients in the crockpot, but you won't be slaving over the stove the entire time either.  I cooked it for a quiet at home supper for Super Bowl Sunday.  The smell it created in the house was amazing.  Paired with simple roasted veggies and a nice glass of Cabernet wine, it made for a classier football meal.  No, we didn’t drink with our pinkies in the air.  Okay, maybe after halftime.

Slow Cooker Beef Short Ribs in Cabernet Sauce with Roasted Root Vegetables

Adapted From Eat, Live,Run

Ingredients

3 ½ lbs beef chuck short ribs ( done in or  boneless)

2 whole shallots, minced

3 stalks celery, diced

2 tbsp vegetable oil

2 ½ cups Cabernet Sauvignon

1 cup beef broth

3 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 ½ tbsp all purpose flour (or Wondra)

Salt and pepper

1 Slow cooker liner

Directions

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. When hot, add the short ribs. Sprinkle some salt and pepper over the ribs in the pan and brown. This will take about three to four minutes per side. You want them brown and caramelized.  Try to get each side of the short ribs on the pan.

After the ribs have browned, remove using tongs and set them at the bottom of your slow cooker. You can use a slow cook liner which makes for an easy clean up. Take the pan off the heat briefly to cool down, then return to medium heat and add the minced shallots and diced celery. Sautee for about five minutes until tender and then add the tomato paste. Mash the tomato paste into veggies using a silicone spatula and continue to sauté on medium heat for another four minutes.

Pour the wine and the beef broth into the skillet and stir. Add the brown sugar, a teaspoon of salt, half a teaspoon of pepper and the flour. Wondra works well in this recipe because it doesn’t clump and is specifically for sauces. Wisk well to be sure of the no-clump factor.

Bring sauce to a boil, then to a simmer. Pour sauce right over ribs in the slow cooker. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on HIGH for six to eight hours or on LOW for 11-12 hours. 

Time Prior to Crock Pot about 20 minutes.

Crock Pot 6-8 hours

Roasted Root Vegetables

Ingredients

4 carrots

2 parsnips

4 red potatoes

1 medium red onion

3 cloves garlic

2 twigs of fresh rosemary

3 Tblsps olive oil

salt

pepper

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Peel and chop carrots and parsnips to about the same size
• Clean and cut the potatoes into eights or about the same size as the carrots and parsnips
• Peel and cut the red onion into 8ths or 16ths depending on the size of the onion
• Smash the garlic with the side of a big knife and peel off the outside
• Remove rosemary from twig and mince
• Combine all  ingredients in a large bowl and cover with olive oil
• Generously season with salt and pepper
• Mix with hands to ensure coating of all the vegetables
• Pour the veggies onto a roasting pan that is lined with foil or parchment paper
• Bake for about 30-40 minutes or until golden brown
• Gently stir half way through to make sure the veggies get golden in color on all sides.

<3 mk