Slow Cooker Sweet & Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork

I’ve spent a good portion of my life in the South, so of course I’ve been exposed to some amazing BBQ pork. Which of course has spoiled my taste buds. The further north I went, good BBQ became scarce. And I missed that really good pulled pork. BBQ pulled pork was our go-to meal during college. Especially after a football game. Standing around in the sweltering Swamp with a broken lungs from screaming requires a darn good pork sandwich for replenishing. I missed it. I suppose that’s expected when you move around a lot. You may find good new local cuisine but leave behind some of your favorites. I’ll have to go back there again someday.

Paleo Slow Cooked Pulled Pork

Fortunately, this slow cooker sweet & smokey BBQ pulled pork is really easy. And the BBQ sauce is also a cinch. The hardest part is just measuring all those spices. Well actually, the hardest part may be resisting the urge to open the slow cooker and face dive into this yummy meat. Sweet and smokey BBQ aromas will waif through your house and drive you nuts! It’s oh so very tempting!

The spice rub is used for both the meat and the BBQ Sauce. Yes there are a lot of them, but it’s well worth it! Most of the spices are easy to find, and may already be staples in a Paleo pantry. The two types of paprika, Spanish and Hungarian, are critical. Hungarian is sweet and Spanish is smoked. Both are leaps and bounds better than regular “paprika.” Regular paprika is boring in comparison to these two and these two varieties will replace the one “paprika.” Sweet and Smoked paprika are likely found in small tins in the spice section or otherwise easily ordered online: Sweet and Smoked.

There is also a lot of time required, but only a little more involved than standard slow cooking.  It is a good idea to make the sauce ahead of time, such as the night before, to allow the flavors to “mellow.” The pork pieces are rubbed with the dry mix, refrigerated overnight, and the slow cooking starting early in the morning! The seasoned pork is first slow cooked for several hours, pulled apart, mixed in with a little of the drained broth and BBQ sauce and then further slow cooked for another two hours.

Then all the flavor of the spice rub and sauce is fully absorbed by the pork! Of course, extra BBQ sauce is reserved to slather on the meat. I paired them with my Paleo Sweet Potato Buns with a little spice rub to complete my sandwich and about died from food love.

Can I say that I make the best Paleo BBQ pulled pork? I may have tough critics on this one, considering how dedicated some are with their BBQ. I love it. It’s a favorite and my southern friends love it. So there you go! Bit of Southern love for you <3

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork & Paleo BBQ Sauce

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

10 hours 30 mins

Total time

11 hours

 

Sweet & Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork

Author: Sharon

Serves: 6

Ingredients

For the Sweet & Smokey Spice Rub

• 2 Tbsp Sweet Paprika
• 2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 2 tsp Salt
• 2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Celery Seed
• 1 Tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1.5 tsp Black Pepper
• 1.5 tsp Rubbed Dalmation Sage
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Allspice
• ½ tsp Cumin
• ½ tsp Bay Leaf
• ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
• ¼ tsp Mace
• ¼ tsp Cloves

For the Paleo Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce

• 3 Tbsp Blackstrap Molasses
• ½ cup Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Aminos or Soy Sauce
• 1.5 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 3 Tbsp Raw Honey
• 6 oz can of Tomato Paste
• 8 oz can of Tomato Sauce
• 2 Tbsp of Sweet & Smokey Spice Blend

For the Pork

• 2 lbs of Pork Loin or Shoulder Cut
• 1 Tbsp Muscovado Sugar
• 3 Cups Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 1 large Vidalia or Sweet Yellow Onion
• ¼ cup of Sweet & Smoky Spice Blend
• 1 cup of Paleo Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce

Instructions

For the Sweet & Smokey Spice Rub

1. Whisk together all the spices or pulse in a food processor until combined.

For the Paleo Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce

1. Combine BBQ sauce ingredients in a saucepan and heat to a slow boil.
2. Simmer on low uncovered for about 30 minutes with an occasional stir.

For the Pork

1. Cut the pork meat into 3 inch pieces.
2. Mix the sugar and the spice blend and rub the mixture onto the pork.
3. Cover and refrigerate for two hours or overnight.
4. When ready to slow cook, slice the onion and place at the bottom of the slow cooker bowl.
5. Place the seasoned pork on top of the onions.
6. Pour broth over the pork until covered with liquid.
7. Slow cook for 8-10 hours on low.
8. Remove the pork onto a large dish and shred.
9. Mix in 1 cup of Paleo Sweet & Smokey BBQ Sauce.
10. Drain the bits from the crock pot broth.
11. Return the shredded pork to the crock pot and add about ¾ cup of the crock pot broth.
12. Mix together and slow cook for another 2 hours.
13. Devour that!

Notes

Adapted from Monica at The Yummy Life

3.2.2925

Original article: Slow Cooker Sweet & Smokey BBQ Pulled Pork

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