I really need a smaller slow cooker. We received our giant 6-quart Crockpot as a wedding gift—and I’m pretty sure it’s the one we chose for the registry. It’s come in handy for cooking large amounts of beans and such, but for two small people, it’s a bit insane.

The sheer size of our Crockpot leads me to believe I might not complete 10 new recipes for the Crockpot Challenge; the only things we can really cook in it are soups, beans, and, as we did yesterday, large roasts. We take advantage of leftovers, especially in our lunches for work, but I just can’t eat the same thing for a week straight. If we had a small pot, we’d have so many more options, such as steel cut oats, smothered chicken breasts, apple sauce, etc.

Anyway, even if I don’t meet the challenge in quantity, the quality of this delicious pulled pork more than makes up for that so-called failure.

Simple Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 3 ½ lb pork shoulder
• seasonings of choice (we used a mixture of the chicken and steak Rub With Love—part of a Christmas package from our Seattle family)
• enough beef stock (or water, I suppose) to cover the bottom of your pot

Directions

1. Season pork shoulder and place in slow cooker
2. Add beef stock to the pot
3. Cook on high for 1 hour. Turn the setting down to low and cook for approximately 8 hours*
4. Shred pork with forks
5. Serve as is or with your favorite barbecue sauce

*We actually cooked ours for around 10 hours (since we work 8-5). It was still perfectly tender and juicy—not overcooked at all.

We did not even need to use barbecue sauce after we placed the pork back into the juices. We served on a regular bun alongside this simple vinegar-based coleslaw and macaroni and cheese.

No Fuss Vinegar Coleslaw

(adapted from Rachael Ray)

Ingredients

• 1 package of shredded cabbage/slaw mix (16-oz)
• 3 scallions, chopped
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp (or so) red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• ½ tsp mustard powder
• ½ tsp celery seed
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Place cabbage and scallions in a bowl
2. In a small bowl, whisk together ¼ cup vinegar and sugar
3. To the dressing, add the oil, mustard, celery seed, salt, and pepper, and whisk till combined
4. Pour dressing over slaw and mix till well-coated
5. Allow to sit for 20-30 minutes* before serving

*We prepared our slaw the previous night and refrigerated until ready to serve. We also added a few extra splashes of vinegar to brighten it up. If you choose to serve immediately after preparing, you may not need the additional vinegar. Also, feel free to adjust the seasonings to your taste!

Mark and I were very impressed with this dinner. Our only complaint, if you can call it that, was a lack of the traditional smoky flavor. While our seasoning did contain some smoked paprika, I imagine adding extra or possibly a bit of liquid smoke would increase the smokiness.

This meal is certainly going into our regular rotation (maybe once a month, or so, since it’s quite a lot of meat). Although we both enjoy cooking during the evenings, a fool-proof meal with minimal preparation is always welcome in our home.

Leftovers heated up nicely at work the next day—and the recipe yielded more than enough to share with my parents.