I do love to cook. It’s true. But…coming up with new recipes takes a long time and sometimes a girl just wants to EAT. 90% of my meals are made in under 10 minutes because I just don’t have time to make a super involved meal. I try to make a decent dinner at night for my husband and I to sit down to together, but I’m not going to lie-we do breakfast for dinner, pancakes, or something equally quick and easy on a very regular basis. I am also one of those people that could eat the same thing meal after meal for a while before I get bored of it. Why? Because I LOVE the food I eat, so why wouldn’t I love to eat it again?
If you’ve looked at any of my other recipes, you’ve probably noticed that I am a BIG fan of the crock pot. It’s SO easy to use and really hard to mess up. Most of my recipes follow this template:
1. Throw ingredients in crock pot.
2. Turn on crock pot.
3. Go about your day.
4. Come home to delicious meats ready to be devoured.
5. Save LEFTOVERS for other meals throughout the week.
This recipe is no different from above, and it’s very versatile. I tried a different cut of pork this time. Sometimes I use pork shoulder in the crock pot because it’s an inexpensive cut (yet pretty fatty) that falls apart very easily when slow cooked. Sometimes the shoulder creates a little too much fat for my taste, so I end up removing a lot of it. I typically buy leaner cuts like tenderloin or pork loin. This time I used pork sirloin tip roast that I bought at Costco. This cut is extremely lean, which I was a little concerned about, but the result was delicious. I also think you could use pork tenderloin as well. I got this idea from my sister in law who made us pork tacos when we visited them for the Holidays. She did a version of Hawaiian kalua pork in the crock pot and it was amazing. Mine ended up tasting a lot different, but equally delicious.
The great thing about this pork is that it has enough flavor to be enjoyed as is, but with the flavor being mild, you can do lots of different things with it. So, if you aren’t like me and you don’t like eating the same thing, here are some ideas to change it up for different meals and dishes:
Tacos, Quesadillas, etc-Add some taco seasoning to it and make low carb tortillas for an awesome mexican inspired dinner. Add guac, cheese, salsa, peppers, and more!
Soup-Make a quick batch of soup. Take a quart of broth and cook some veggies you have on hand. Add seasonings like garlic, thyme, pepper, oregano, etc. After veggies are cooked, add your pork and enjoy. Ohhh, a bowl of that soup would go GREAT with these biscuits.
Stir Fry- Cut up some of your favorite veggies. Add a little fat to a skillet (or broth) and cook your veggies to desired doneness. Add your pork in and any additional seasonings (I LOVE all of the flavors of Mrs. Dash!) and cook for a minute or two until combined.
Deluxe Salad- Make up a big a** salad with all of your favorite veggies (my favorites are mixed greens,shredded cabbage, mini peppers, onions, mushrooms,etc.). Top with some of the pulled pork. Add anything else that sounds good like sliced nuts or seeds, a sprinkle of cheese, BACON, hard boiled egg, etc. Top with some LEGIT dressing (not any of that store bought crap!) like an easy balsamic vinaigrette and enjoy!
Saucy Pork- Add your favorite sauce and veggie on the side. Some of my favorites are homemade (low sugar) bbq sauce, marinara, or pesto. Serve along side your favorite greens or something comforting like mashed cauli.
Pork Salad- I’ve never been a huge fan, but a lot of people LOVE chicken salad. Why not make an oinky spin on chicken salad by using flavorful pork instead? Just drain any juices from the pork before adding your mayo.
Okay, I’m going to stop there and get to the recipe because I’m hungry now!!
Crock Pot Smoky Pulled Pork
An easy and versatile pork recipe that can help you prepare meals for the week!
Ingredients
3.5-4lbs pork sirloin tip roast
2-3 cloves garlic (if big use 2 unless you really love garlic)
1T plus 1t salt
Medium onion-sliced
2T liquid smoke
2T coconut oil
Instructions
Place sliced onions on the bottom of the crock pot.
Add the pork (mine was in two pieces)
Add minced garlic cloves to crock pot
Sprinkle salt over top of roast on all sides
Drizzle liquid smoke over pork
Add the coconut oil to the top of the pork
Place on low in the crock pot for 6 hours
Once done, remove the roasts, shred with two forks, and return the pork to the crock pot and stir to combine with the juices.
If your crock pot has a warming setting, place on warm until ready to eat