RECIPE: Slow-cooker pulled pork sammidges

I have no doubt violated all known rules for barbecue with this recipe and can only feel thankful that this blog is so sparsely read that I won't have to worry about angry Texans and residents of Kansas City showing up at my front door and trying to spear me with ka-bob skewers. All I can say in my defense is that it is really good and that Aisling has stopped referring to the crock-pot as the "crap pot".

We had these sandwiches for dinner tonight in a picnickery sort of meal. I found that I couldn't wait until next week's grocery foray to buy another brisket for barbecueing, so I groped my way through the freezer and found a butcher's pack of center-cut pork chops. Yup, it was most definitely going to be a pulled pork dinner.

I wish I'd had time to make a potato salad or even a macaroni salad, but by the time I'd thought of doing either one, the time had passed for their fridge-chilling requirements. And as my husband said with a shudder, "Warm macaroni salad is just...wrong."

Instead, we had these sandwiches with frozen corn (dressed with a touch of milk, a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of sugar and some salt and pepper to approximate the taste of off-the-cob corny goodness.) Again, I wish I'd thought to make a green salad, but my mind has been on HISTO Indiana History all day today and my head is kind of clogged up with information about the Adena-Hopewell Indians and Indiana's state bird (the cardinal.) We had potato chips, making this a meal that defies everything Atkins lovers profess to be good and right with the world and its food.

RECIPE:

3 or 4 center cut pork chops

1 bottle Heinz chili sauce

1 T butter

3 Vidalia onions, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic

3 T brown sugar

1 T prepared mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup of jalapeno pepper slices (optional)


DIRECTIONS:

Spray slow-cooker with nonstick spray and add enough water to just cover the bottom of the crock. Place pork chops directly into the crock; there's no need to brown them.

In a saute pan, melt the butter. Add the garlic and chopped onions; cook over medium heat for about a minute. Add bottle of chili sauce, brown sugar, mustard, salt and jalapeno peppers, if desired. Cook mixture until bubbly, stirring constantly. Pour over chops in slow cooker. Cover slow-cooker and allow pork to bake for about four hours. Remove lid from cooker and de-bone chops, pulling the meat apart with two forks. Cook for another hour or so until enough liquid has evaporated from the barbecue sauce to allow it to thicken a bit.

Serve onto hamburger buns or onion rolls with a slotted spoon.

Makes about eight sandwiches.

This pulled pork barbecue can also be served as a main course inside a big baked potato, sprinkled with shredded cheese and chopped green onion. This would be good with a green salad, too.