Crock pot BBQ Pork

M and I have tried a few different BBQ chicken or pork recipes in the crock pot and have found them to taste disgusting. Something about having the meat cook in the BBQ for hours does something gross to the sauce or maybe it's just the crock pot that does that. I came across this recipe on one of my new favorite foodie blogs, I thought I would give it a try and we LOVE it. It has better flavor and the sauce is added at the very end so no weird taste.I picked up KFC cole slaw for a side dish they worked well together.


adapted from Lick the Bowl Good

Ingredients:

Spice Rub:

1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
4 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 (2-3lb) Pork Shoulder (butt)
1-2 tsp of liquid smoke (optional)
1-2 cups barbecue sauce (use as much as you like)

Directions:
Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.

Place shoulder in a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Massage spice rub into meat. Cover tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the pork can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)

Unwrap and place pork in slow cooker liner. Add ¼ cup water and liquid smoke. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is fork-tender.

Transfer meat to cutting board. “Pull” by tearing meat into thin shreds with two forks or your fingers (be careful it's HOT).

Place shredded meat back in slow cooker liner. Stir in 1 cup barbecue sauce. Add more if desired. Heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot.

Makes about 8 pulled pork sandwiches.

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary leaves, plus 4 sprigs rosemary, with hard woody stems
5 large garlic cloves, 2 cloves minced, 3 cloves smashed
2 pork tenderloins, about 1-pound each
4 slices maple bacon

Directions:

In a small bowl, whisk together the Dijon mustard, fresh ground black pepper, chopped rosemary, and minced garlic and mix well. Rub the mustard mixture over the surface of the tenderloins and wrap in plastic wrap. Marinate in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Place rosemary sprigs and smashed garlic in the center of a roasting pan. Remove the plastic wrap from the tenderloins and top each with 2 slices of maple bacon. Tie with kitchen twine to secure bacon strips.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer, inserted in the tenderloins, registers 160 degrees F. Remove from oven when desired doneness is reached and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes on a cutting board. Remove kitchen twine, slice and serve with your favorite sides. Garnish with the rosemary sprigs and garlic

This dish made the house smell wonderful. It was a tasty dish, the flavors were delicious and it was not there wasn't so many ingredients. My tenderloins weren't both one pound each, but pretty close. You just have to double check to see if you meat is cooked. I ended up cooking it for around 37 mins.

M was the first to plate his food, there wa bacon missing off an entire tenderloin even though he only took a few slices of it. He loves his bacon.

Apple Stuffed Porkchops

Indgredients:

1/4th chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1 box of Stove Top
2 cups chopped apples
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup of apple juice
6 (1 1/4 inch) thick pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large skillet saute onion in butter or margarine until tender. Remove from heat. Add the Stove top, apples, celery, apple juice and salt. Mix all together. Cut a large pocket in the side of each pork chop; season inside and out with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon apple mixture loosely into pockets.

In skillet, heat oil to medium high and brown chops on both sides. Place browned chops in an ungreased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 25 minutes longer or until juices run clear.

It tasted pretty good. I needed to get rid of apples that were soft and this was quick and easy.

Kalua Pig and Cabbage

Ingredients:

1 (6 pound) pork butt roast (or shoulder)
1 1/2 tablespoons Hawaiian sea salt
1 tablespoon liquid smoke flavoring
1 head of cabbage cut up (not thin)

Directions:

Pierce pork all over with a carving fork. Rub salt then liquid smoke over meat. Place roast in a slow cooker.

Cover, and cook on Low for 16 to 20 hours, turning once during cooking time. For the last hour of cooking add the cabbage to the pot and stir. Remove meat& cabbage from slow cooker, and shred, adding drippings as needed to moisten.

TIP: You will notice that there is a lot of oil in the slow cooker and you want to get rid of it. After pulling out all of the meat and cabbage, pour the juices into a container and pop in the freezer for 30 mins or longer. The fat should rise to the top and harden up enough to skim it off easliy so you can use just the juices.

OH.MY.GOODNESS. I love love Hawaiian food and my favorite meal to buy is the Kaulua pig and cabbage, on the lunch plate you get rice and macaroni salad too. I didn't think it would taste the same, but oh yes it does! I love this recipe and it's so simple. M loved it too, he was a bit puzzled by the cabbage, he isn't big on it.

Italian sausage penne bake

Ingredients:

1 (12 ounce) package dry penne pasta
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage
1 cup chopped onion
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Italian seasoning

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Place sausage and onion in the skillet and cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and seasoning. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss with cooked pasta, and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle top with mozzarella.

Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

It tasted pretty good, next time I would add a little more seasoning. M said it tasted like pizza and that is why he likes it.

New Look Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients:

4-1/2 lb. red potatoes (about 9), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 16 oz. Fat Free Sour Cream
3/4 lb. 12 oz. Velveeta 2% Milk , cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 lb. Smoked Ham, chopped
4 green onions, sliced
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

HEAT oven to 350°F.
Cook potatoes in boiling water in large covered saucepan 10 to 12 min. or just until potatoes are tender; drain. Remove 3/4 of the potatoes; place in large bowl. Add sour cream; mash until smooth. Stir in velveeta, ham and onions. Gently stir in remaining potato slices. Spoon into 13x9-inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray; sprinkle with Parmesan.
Bake 30 min. or until heated through.

Yes, this is a used plate. I ate after M and I didn't want to dirty another dish. = P

Seahawks Potatoes

Ingredients:


1 pkg. Orieda frozen diced potatoes – thaw them in warm water in your sink, open the bag and drain the water once thawed
1 12oz pkg. shredded medium cheddar cheese
1 8oz sour cream – do not use non fat
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 small ham, don’t use smoked or honey ham, use plain picnic ham – 3 to 4 cups cut up in cubes


Directions:


4 to 6 qt. Crockpot or slow cooker (spray the inside). Place the hash browns in the cooker, mix the cream of chicken and sour cream together first, then mix them into the potatoes.
Now toss in the ham and half of the cheese

Cook slow for 4 to 6 hours depending on the cooker, don’t mix up the mixture as you will mash the potatoes

30 minutes before you are ready to each them mix in the rest of the cheese, I usually just throw about half in and mix gently then put the rest on top to melt

I didn't care for this too much. I accidentally purchased shredded potatoes and I don't think there was enough potatoes. Next time I will try it with diced, hopefully it will taste a bit better.

Italian style garbanzo beans and sausage

Ingredients:

1 medium onion
4 large Italian sausages
1 can (16 oz) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes w/Italian herbs
3/4 cup water or red wine

Directions:

Peel and slice onion in half and then into strips. Set aside. Brown the sausage in a medium size frying pan. Add beans, tomatoes, onion and water or red wine. Simmer over medium heat 12-15 minutes or until sausage is cooked and sauce is beginning to thicken.

Serve immediately. good served alone or with a tossed salad.

It tasted pretty good. I added 1 cup of frozen corn for veggies and I used hot italian sausage.

Smothered Pork Chops

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

Directions:

Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels to remove any moisture and then dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess.
Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with chopped parsley before serving.

M is from Texas and this is one of his favorite meals from back home. I tried to make him feel at home, very close but of course not exact. I didn't have any buttermilk at the time so I sued whole milk and it tasted fine to me. There is a lot of flavor in the recipe and made enough gravy to pour over mashed potatoes.

New Orleans-Style Red Beans and Rice

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 pound boiled ham cut, into 1/2-inch cubes
6 ounces smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch slices (1 cup)
1 pound dried red beans, rinsed and sorted through, soaked overnight and drained
3 tablespoons chopped garlic
8 to 10 cups water
Steamed rice

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onions, bell peppers, celery, salt, cayenne, black pepper and thyme for about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, ham and sausage and saute for 5 to 6 minutes. Add the beans, garlic, and enough water to cover the contents in the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours. Add more water if the mixture becomes dry and thick. Use a wooden spoon to mash about half of the mixture against the side pf the pot. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours, or until the mixture is creamy and the beans are soft. Add more water if it becomes too thick. The mixture should be soupy but not watery. Remove the bay leaves and serve with steamed white rice.

M and I loved loved LOVED this recipe, it was tasty and had a lot of flavor. I used smoked ham hocks instead of boiled ham, it gave it that extra flavor. I used Andouille sausage (a Louisiana style sausage) for the smoked sausage.

Asian Peanut Sauce Crockpot Pork

Borrowed from: Bumpie cwhip77 (thanks)

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs pork tenderloin or roast
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Asian hot chili sauce
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 large sweet onion, sliced
1 large red pepper, cored
and sliced2 cups green beans
lime wedges for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place pork in crockpot. Add soy sauce, brown sugar, water, rice wine vinegar, hot chili sauce and peanut butter. Set on low, cover and cook for 6-8 hours.2. Just before serving, in a large frypan sautee sweet onion, red bell pepper and green beans over medium high heat until tender. Stir peanut sauce until smooth, then add vegetables. Serve over rice with lime wedges for garnish.

I bought tenderloin, this recipe is easy and tasty. M and I love spicy food so I would recommend adding 2-3 tbls more of the chili sauce. In the recipe you really don't taste any spice. When I picked up the tenderloin to shred, it was pulling apart from being so tender. I didn't use any lime, but next time I will have to try that.