I need something easy and plentiful to feed us over the cusp between Christmas and New Years. A mass quantity of meat slow cooked in a crock pot is an obvious choice. The combination of honey and vinegars for this pulled pork recipe is inspired by Janeyce Michel-Cupito of an award winning Kansas City barbecue team called Powderpuff BBQ. Despite the amount of tartness from the vinegars and tomato, the sauce is perfectly balanced with the sweetness of raw honey.
Hooonneeey!! Can this golden syrup “bee” anymore amazing? It’s more than just an ‘ingredient.’ It’s a superfood. Raw unrefined honey in that beautiful light shimmer. Would not have it any other way. Just Google it, and you will find an abundance of articles disclosing the health benefits inside and out. Energy booster, antibacterial, antioxidant, hangover cure (so I hear…), and local honey may even sustain allergy symptoms. How cool is that.
I’ll tell you a secret. I rub raw honey (this brand) on my face every morning. And I’m glowing. Seriously, I noticed quite a difference. Why spend a lot of money on face washes with a chockful of chemicals when raw honey works so well? The downside to honey washing is licking fingers and stickiness trapped on your hairline. Read more about it from Lauren at Empowered Sustenance. For now, we’re going to eat the honey! 
Honestly, I was a bit worried about the tartness since there is quite a bit of acidic ingredients in the pot. However, the end result is a flavorful and well balanced dish.
Chemically speaking, the acidic ingredients in the slow cooker slightly alter the structure of the meat muscle and degrade connective tissue, thus softening the flesh. This is also called denaturing of the meat protein where the effect will open passageways for flavor to diffuse into the meat. Different acid sources (acetic, lactic, and citrus) have variable effects on reducing the shear force of the muscle. So this recipe uses acetic acid from the vinegars and citric acid from lemon and tomato, thus providing a mean distribution of tenderness and amazing flavor. (Read more in this thesis).
It’s too bad that raw honey is not an approved ingredient for the Whole 30 program, the one everyone’s doing in January. But it’s still December, so let’s enjoy the honey! And the balsamic, and the apple cider, and all the goodness coming together to seep into the tender pork meat.
- 4 lb Pork Shoulder
- 1 large Yellow Onion
- 3 Garlic Cloves
- 2 teaspoons of Salt
- 2 teaspoons of Black Pepper
- 1 Tablespoon of Dried Parsley Leaves
- ¼ cup of Dijon Mustard
- ⅓ cup of Honey
- ¼ cup of Balsamic Vinegar
- ¼ cup of Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 8 oz can of Tomato Sauce
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 3 Bay Leaves
- 2 Tablespoons of Cooking Fat (ghee, lard, coconut oil)
- Cut the pork into 2" cubes. Quarter the onion and mince the garlic.
- Combine the salt, pepper, and parsley in a bowl and combine the mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and tomato sauce in another bowl.
- Heat a fry pan, add the oil, and brown the meat.
- Transfer the meat into the crock pot and add the onion and garlic to the fry pan. Cook until onions are mostly translucent and add them to the crock pot. Turn off the heat for the fry pan.
- Add the dry herb mixture to the crock pot and mix.
- Add the sauce mixture to the fry pan to deglaze the meat bits and then transfer it all into the crock pot.
- Add the lemon juice and bay leaves to the crock pot.
- Cook covered on low heat for about 9 hours.
- When nearly finished, remove the pork meat from the pot with a slotted spoon and shred the pork.
- Adjust seasoning to your liking.
- Add the shredded pork back into the crock pot and cook uncovered for another hour or so.
- Dive in.
Original article: Honey Balsamic Dijon Pulled Pork
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