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Slow cooker Pulled Pork

Soft, succulent and spicy, this slow cooker Mexican-style pulled pork is fantastic piled into warm tortillas or tacos with sliced avocado, soured cream, pink pickled onions and shredded lettuce. It makes a great alternative to burgers at a party. Marinating the meat in the spice mixture overnight adds a depth of flavour to the dish.
Course Main Course
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Servings 6
Calories 337

Ingredients

  • 1 kg boneless pork shoulder (with rind)
  • 12 corn tacos
  • 2 little gem lettuces
  • sliced avocado, pink pickled onions, soured cream or half-fat crème fraiche and lime wedges, to serve

For the marinade

  • 1 medium red onion
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 1 orange
  • 2 limes
  • 1-2 tsp hot pepper sauce (from a bottle), or to taste
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar or cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp soft light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp ground allspice
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp flaked sea salt
  • 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

  • To make the marinade, peel and roughly chop the onion, peel and crush the garlic cloves, and cut the orange and limes in half and squeeze out the juice. Put the onion, garlic and citrus juice into a large, sturdy freezer bag. Holding the bag upright, add the remaining marinade ingredients and squish them around until well combined.
  • Snip off any string holding the pork together, then carefully cut off the rind and fat. Add the pork to the marinade and move it around in the bag until it is well coated. Seal the bag and put it in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
  • The next day, transfer the pork and its marinade to the slow cooker, cover with the lid and cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours, or until the pork is very soft and falls apart when prodded with a fork.
  • Remove the slow cooker lid and shred the meat into the cooking juices with two forks. Serve the pulled pork from the slow cooker pot, on the table, with warmed tortillas or tacos, sliced avocado, pink pickled onions, finely shredded lettuce, soured cream or half-fat crème fraiche and a squeeze of fresh lime.
  • This recipe takes 5-6 hours on HIGH and 8-10 hours on LOW, plus overnight marinading.

Notes

Cooks Tip: Choose a Mexican-style chilli sauce made with habanero peppers if you can.  Any leftover cooked pork can be used for perking up a salad or rolled into wraps. It's also great reheated and tossed through savoury rice.