Strawberry pulled pork, blue cheese and apple slaw

After reading The End of Overeating, I started making a conscious effort to sweeten my food less. Whether it's Splenda, stevia, dates, honey, agave, or whatever else, I started forcing myself to use less sweetener and enjoy simpler flavors. My palate has since adjusted, and conventional barbecue sauce now tastes candy sweet to me. This recipe is a different. In this crockpot pulled pork, I use unsweetened ketchup and add whole strawberries to the sauce for a natural, mild sweetness. Berries are nutritional powerhouses and are relatively low-carb, so I include them in my diet. I did add a spoonful of molasses, but that was mostly for flavor and you can certainly leave it out if you prefer. It sounds strange, but I loved the taste of the strawberries with the barbecue. In fact, I wish that I had added some of them toward the end of cooking, as they completely fell apart and I think some strawberry chunks would have been nice. Blue cheese and apple slaw was a perfect and slightly unconventional accompaniment, adapted from this recipe. I used Marie's brand yogurt-based blue cheese dressing, which had a mild flavor and is relatively low-calorie. I used half a diced green apple; you can use more or less, depending on your taste and dietary needs.

STRAWBERRY PULLED PORK
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pork roast, 2-3 lbs
• 1/2 cup unsweetened ketchup or ketchup of choice
• 1 Tbs molasses (optional)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard (I've tried dijon and other nicer mustards in BBQ sauce, it never tastes right)
• 1 lb strawberries, washed and stemmed (I used a bag of frozen strawberries and dumped them in without thawing. You can alternately slice half of the strawberries and add them about 30 minutes before serving to get more strawberry chunks.)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Tbs fresh minced rosemary or 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp hot pepper sauce such as Tabasco (I used 2 tsp green Tabasco)
• 1/2 tsp liquid smoke or 1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Season the pork on all sides with salt and pepper and place in the slow cooker.
2. Combine all remaining ingredients and pour over the pork.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove the pork and shred it with two forks. If desired, transfer the sauce to a saucepan and reduce until thick. You can add some additional tomato paste to thicken.
4. Combine the pork with the sauce and serve warm.

BLUE CHEESE AND APPLE COLE SLAW
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 8oz bag shredded cabbage for cole slaw
• 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing such as Marie's yogurt-based
• Half of a Granny Smith apple, diced (use less if you restrict carbs significantly)

DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients and chill.

Posted in: pork,pork/lamb,slow cooker