Back to School Recipe(s): The Easiest Pulled Pork Ever (and what to do with it)

My daughter Petunia and I love love love pulled pork, but, I confess, I'd never actually made it myself until this week.  Since Petunia just started middle school and is overwhelmed with the giant step up in homework, activities, and everything else, I thought I'd try to make it for her as comfort food.  (Don't get me wrong: she's very, very happy in her new school -- just very, very busy, too!)  I scoured the internet for recipes, and I didn't find any that were just right -- so I made one up from "best practices," greatly simplified.  I am not so experimental with meat -- plainly, it costs too much if I screw up! -- but felt like this would work.  I'm glad I went with my gut, because I came up with:

The Easiest Pulled Pork Ever!

Ingredients:

• A 3-pound pork shoulder butt: yours might be labelled pork shoulder, or pork butt, but, trust this farm girl, it's all a reference to the lower part of a pig shoulder (also known as pork blade shoulder butt), which is actually called "shoulder butt" for short
• One sweet onion, sliced in rings (optional; I just like some cooked sweet onions with my pulled pork)
• One 12-ounce can or bottle of root beer (I used Virgil's)

Directions:

• Lay half of the onion rings in the bottom of a slow cooker (crockpot).
• Place the pork shoulder butt atop, fat side up.  (There's always one side that's fattier.)
• Place the rest of the onion rings on top and around the sides.
• Pour the rootbeer over the roast.
• Set your crockpot on high for four hours.
• Then turn it down to low for four-six hours.  (Alternately, you could set it on high for an hour, then turn it down to low until dinnertime, 10-12 hours later.)
• Remove the meat from the cooker; turn cooker to "keep warm" setting if you need to keep the meat warm for a while, or turn it off if you're going to eat right away.
• Through a colander, dump out the liquid (don't retain it).  Place onions and whatever tiny bits of meat remain in colander in a bowl to serve alongside the pork.
• Scrape off any remaining fat from the pork and discard.  (Most will have melted away.)
• Using two forks, or even your fingers, shred the meat.

THAT"S IT! 

Serving ideas:

My family made several meals out of this. 

Meal One:

• Shredded meat heaped on a plate with toppings on the side: cooked onions, cole slaw, barbeque sauce (we used Organicville, a new brand at Whole Foods, which is gluten-free and very good)
• Baked golden potatoes: I stab small golden potatoes with a fork all over, rub them lightly in my hands with olive oil and a tiny bit of kosher salt, and microwave four of them at at time on a plate ... my micro has a setting for "baked potatoes," so it times itself (about 5 minutes).  You'll know they're done when a knife passed through them like butter.  Because of the olive oil and salt, we often eat these plain, or with a small dollop of butter or drizzle of olive oil.
• Peas: We've been loving English peas, which we hand-shell at the table and eat raw

Meal Two:

• Pork tacos: microwave corn tortillas under a damp paper towl for 30 seconds; fill with warmed pork, guacamole or sliced avocado, and chopped tomatoes or pico de gallo (we often skip the cheese ... they're flavorful enough without it, and it just adds fat and calories; I'd rather the kids get calcium by drinking skim milk)
• Mexican rice: I confess, I bought it at Mi Pueblo, where I also bought the guac and salsa
• Muskmelon slices: The kid who eats veggies wanted a break from greens, and this yummy thing came in our CSA box ... it took care of a fruit serving and felt like dessert (which we don't eat every meal, so that's a good thing!)

Meal Three:

• Pork melts: One piece of bread (I use spelt, since I'm wheat-allergic) topped with pork, barbeque sauce, and a very light dusting of Kraft 2% shredded cheddar cheese, toasted in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes (this varies widely, so check in about 10 minutes) ... alternately, warm the pork first, and broil for < 5 minutes.  (I dislike broiling -- too hot!)
• Baked potatoes (again)
• Veggie crudite (also known as cleaning out the fridge!): baby carrots, broccoli, celery, tomato wedges

And that's it.  Next time, I'm going to make ropa vieja -- which is spicy shredded beef with many more ingredients, so it won't make my back-to-school list!  (But if it's good, I'll post the recipe.)

Bon appetit!