Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches

"What is one to say about June, the time of perfect young summer, the fulfillment of the promise of the earlier months, and with as yet no sign to remind one that its fresh young beauty will ever fade. "

~Gertrude Jekyll

 

If you are one of the following please stop reading now.

 

1. A pitmaster from Texas with your own home built smoker that cooks 14 racks at a time.

2. If you compete in the BBQ circuit and win Grand Championship titles for your talents

3. If you have your own show on the Food Network called, "BBQ Country Cook Off."

This isn't for you.

Country Pork Ribs in Crock pot

But if you are not a BBQ aficionado and you like having easy, tasty food with little effort, then this is for you.

Cover with BBQ sauce

This is a meal we eat often. Pulled pork of some fashion. It's stupid easy. Put stuff in crock pot, turn it on, walk away, come back a while later and voila! Perfect, tender, delicious meat for days worth of sandwiches.

It's done cooking

When I say "of some fashion" this version being barbecue, of course. But I also do this with taco spices to create pork for tacos. Another version I've made, is with a teriyaki sauce to make Asian style pork. My husband loves pork, and it's so easy, I can't resist keeping country style pork ribs in the freezer for days I don't want to cook, but want some yummy food.

Shred it up

Sometimes I just add barbecue sauce, and that's fine, it's perfectly delicious. But other times when I want something a little more special, I rub down the meat with some smoky BBQ blend of spices to add some more depth of flavor.

Add more BBQ sauce

It's really amazing how the slow cooker can create such tender, satisfying meat with such little effort. Every time I make it I am amazed by how great it is, and how little I did to create it!

Ready for a bun

If you have been following along at home, you know I've been working on my Etsy shop, House of Lucien. I've been loving being a part of Etsy. I also love finding all of the great things other people have made, (since Etsy features handmade items as well as vintage.) I'm going to start featuring some great items from other sellers on my blog. In this day and age, when so many things are mass produced inexpensively overseas, it's so nice to come across original and well made items. Not to mention, the effect that shopping at small businesses has on the economy. It's a win win, in my book.

So stay tuned for more on that.

My Easy Creamy Coleslaw is the perfect accompaniment to these sandwiches.

Wedgwood Blue Willow Plates, and Milk Glass Hobnail Water/Ice Tea Pitcher available at my Etsy Shop, House of Lucien.

Easy Pulled Pork Sandwiches

You need a slow cooker for this recipe. I use whatever size is appropriate for how much meat I am cooking. You can easily double this amount with a large slow cooker. It's best to have the meat snuggled close together, the less empty space in the slow cooker, the better.


Ingredients

3 Lbs. Country Style Pork Ribs, boneless
2 standard size bottles of your favorite BBQ sauce

BBQ Spice Rub - optional

6-8 of your favorite buns

Directions

Salt and pepper your ribs on both sides, and rub BBQ spices into both sides of meat.(if you are using.) If the rub has salt in it, go easy on the salt, or omit it.

Add meat to slow cooker. Pour a bottle of sauce over meat, make sure it's all covered. If the bottom ribs look a little bare, sometimes I add a 1/2 inch of water to the bottom or crock pot.

Set timer for 8-10 hours on low. (10 hours is better.) FYI - If you have a tendency to keep opening the lid of the slow cooker to see what's going on in there, just keep in mind doing that adds 40 minutes more of cooking time for the cooker to come back up to temperature and regain the heat it's lost.

After 10 hours has passed, remove the meat from the cooker. Using 2 forks, shred it. Add a little of the cooking juices, to add some moisture it it. I add maybe 2-4 Tablespoons. That liquid will be watery looking, if you add water earlier or not, since it has pork juices and melted fat added to it as well as the BBQ sauce.

Add as much of the 2nd bottle of BBQ sauce as you like, I use maybe a half a bottle at this point. The rest of the bottle I use to add a little to the meat later, when reheating the next day, as well as sometimes I add some to my bun.

Toast a bun, spread with butter or a little more BBQ sauce, add meat (and maybe some coleslaw) and enjoy!

The meat reheats well for a few days, in the microwave, or in the oven, covered.