Slow Cooker Hoisin Pork with Peanut Slaw

This tasty meal is super easy to make, perfect for a busy workday.  It’s adapted from a recipe I found on one of my favorite food blogs, The Kitchn.

about 3 pounds pork shoulder (also called Boston Butt), trimmed of thick fat
Salt and pepper
3-4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large piece fresh ginger, about 3 or 4 inches long
1/2 bottle hoisin sauce (use about 7 ounces)

Rub the trimmed pork shoulder all over with salt and fresh cracked black pepper. Put in the slow cooker. Add the smashed garlic cloves, tucking them around the pork. Peel and grate the ginger and put it in too. Pour the hoisin sauce over everything. Cover and cook on low for about 10 hours or overnight.

When finished and tender, use two large forks to shred the meat and mix it with the sauce.

Serve with warm whole wheat tortillas, peanut slaw (recipe below) and plenty of chili garlic sauce.

Peanut Slaw

1/2 medium head green cabbage, outer leaves removed
1/3 cup roasted, unsalted peanuts
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (about one big handfuls unchopped)
Salt and pepper

1/4 cup light oil, like canola
1-2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 to 1 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Shred the cabbage very finely. Toss with the peanuts in a large bowl. Toss the chopped cilantro with the cabbage, seasoning very lightly with salt and pepper.

Whisk the dressing until emulsified, then taste and adjust to your own preferences of sweetness and saltiness.

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Slow Cooker Spicy Pulled Pork Tacos

Oh my!!! These are so good! These were great and very easy to make! Thanks so much Martha!

1 medium onion, diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 dried bay leaves

1 chipotle, in adobo sauce, minced

1 tablespoon adobo sauce

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes in puree

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

2 3/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and halved crosswise

In slow cooker, combine onion, oregano, bay leaves, chipotle, adobo sauce, tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Add pork; toss to coat with sauce.

Cover; cook on high setting until meat is pull-apart tender, about 6 hours (do not uncover while cooking).

Transfer meat to a large bowl; shred with forks, discarding any gristle. Return meat to pot; toss with sauce. Discard bay leaves.

I served these with warm corn tortillas.

Crunchy Slaw with Radishes

1/3 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, from about 2 limes

1 tablespoon sugar

Coarse salt and ground pepper

1 small green cabbage, about 2 pounds, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

1 bunch radishes, ends trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)

In a large bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, lime juice, and sugar; season generously with salt and pepper. Add cabbage and radishes; toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

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