Recipes: Pulled Pork

PULLED PORK
This recipe will “carry” the taste of the barbecue sauce one uses. One may want to try various barbecue sauces. The thyme may or may not be necessary. My first try at this I used Kraft Hickory and Smoke flavored barbecue sauce; maybe that's why it was so sweet.

Pulled pork recipes appear to all use apple cider vinegar (helps tenderize the pork).

This one may be a bit sweet; other recipes do not call for brown sugar.

See spices used in other recipes. I'm not sure how important the thyme was. I like thyme so it was nice to see it in the recipe.

For really tasty “burnt bits,” consider searing the pork shoulder in a skillet before placing it in the crock pot.

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/92462/slow-cooker-texas-pulled-pork/.

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 (4 pound) pork shoulder roast

1 cup barbeque sauce
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup chicken broth
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 extra large onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

8 hamburger buns, split
2 tablespoons butter, or as needed


Step 1

• Pour the vegetable oil into the bottom of a slow cooker. 
• Place the pork roast into the slow cooker.
• Pour in the rest: the  barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme. 
• Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, 5 to 6 hours.

Step 2

• Remove the roast from the slow cooker.
• Shred the meat using two forks. 
• Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker, and stir the meat into the juices.

Step 3

• Spread the inside of both halves of hamburger buns with butter. 
• Toast the buns, butter side down, in a skillet over medium heat until golden brown. 
• Spoon pork into the toasted buns.

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Another recipe: this one is easier; powdered spices; no chopping;

https://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/recipes/a51267/slow-cooker-pulled-pork-recipe/

1onion, finely chopped
3/4 c.ketchup
3 tbsp.tomato paste
1/4 c.apple cider vinegar
1 tsp.paprika
1 tsp.garlic powder
1 tsp.mustard powder
1 tsp.cumin
1(3- to 4-lb.) pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
Kosher saltFreshly ground black pepper
Coleslaw, for serving
Buns, for serving

Family Reunion, Flathead Lake -- June - July 2019

Monday, June 24, 2019:

Jan and Dave, with son Connor and dog Tucker, are already out at the lake.

Others are on their way.

Bruce, May, and granddaughter Sophia, four years old, but had fifth birthday on June 30:  departed Grapevine at 10:00 a.m. June 24, 2019.

12:30 p.m.: just a bit north of Wichita Falls, TX.

Tuesday, June 25, 2019

12:30 a.m. (just after midnight) Wellington, CO -- about 50 miles north of Denver; "gained" an hour, Central time zone to Mountain time zone. Overnight in Wellington, CO.

Wednesday, June 26, 2019:

Bruce, May, Sophia stay overnight in Missoula, Montana.

Thursday, June 27, 2019:

Bruce, May, Sophia arrive at Lakeside. Bruce called Jan ahead of their arrival and met the Greenwalds (David, Jan, and Connor) at their favorite restaurant in Lakeside. Jan and Bruce order the restaurant's signature cocktail: a bloody Mary.

Friday, June 28, 2019: everyone else arrived.

• Karla, Toby, Caleb, Caitlyn, and Gemma arrive from Williston about 4:00 p.m.
• Kathy and Jorge arrive about 10:00 p.m. -- they had flown from Tucson to Salt Lake City, and then drove a rental car from SLC to Mission View.

Saturday, June 29, 2019 - July 4, 2019: everyone at lake. Lake toys: pontoon boat; large raft; small rafts; two jet skis; two kayaks; two paddle boards. Cool weather but very, very nice.

July 4, 2019 - July 6, 2019: Bruce, May, and Sophia drive back to Grapevine, TX.

July 5, 2019: Kathy and Jorge; and, Karla, Toby, Caleb, Caitlyn, and Gemma, all depart. The former back to Tucson; the latter to Bozeman to join Rob Osborn.

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House

The house was in perfect condition. Because of so many people out there it was not possible to do any interior decorating, organizing, etc.

The kitchen / dining arrangements worked fine, but on the drive home, Bruce came up with an idea.

Analogy: think how McDonald's does it:

• kitchen
• serving counter / cashier
• dining area

Suggestion: same thing at the house:

• kitchen where only the cooks need to be when dinners are being prepared
• keep kitchen table clear except for meal preparation
• counter between kitchen and dining area
• place plates, silverware, etc., on counter
• cooks bring platters of food to the counter
• those eating dinner serve themselves from the dining room side of the counter
• the counter is of a much better height for serving adults
• the kitchen table is better for preparing meals than on the narrow, small kitchen counters

This will be so cool. The cooks/chef will have more room to work and the kitchen will not become congested either during meal preparation and/or during serving.

There needs to be no formal announcement. If Jan simply clears the counter and the kitchen table, and tells the folks were the food will be prepared and where the food will be served, it will all be natural.

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New Pontoon Boat For 292 Ski Doo? -- March 28, 2019

Jan, Dave, Connor, and Cameron (and Tucker) out of Flathead Lake in late March, 2019. Only 80 hours on it.

October Trip -- 2018

Jan, Kathy, Karla, and Bruce each made it out to Flathead in early October. Very, very nice weather.

Toby's recommendation for restaurant in Kalispell was excellent: The Knead. Our go-to breakfast cafe/restaurant. The alternate, the Homestead in Lakeside. At Lakeside, the Bloody Mary or the virgin Blood Mary.

I had a great trip going both ways; up through Denver on trip north; through Salt Lake City on return trip. Stopped to see Arches National Park.

House looks great.

Monthly House Costs -- October, 2018

Cody, Wyoming -- 6:00 P.M. -- Friday, October 5, 2018

I will stay the night in Cody, Wyoming. Yellowstone Park is open for another week or two, depending on the weather. I will drive through the east entrance (Highway 14), drive through the park tomorrow morning early, and head north to Glacier.

Thermopolis, Wyoming -- 3:34 P.M. MDT -- Friday, October 5, 2018

Perhaps one of the most incredible 10-mile stretches through a canyon, from Shoshone to Thermopolis, the eastern gateway to Yellowstone, apparently. This is my first time ever in this area. Weather is perfect and because it's not the tourist season, no hassles getting around.

Not sure if I will stay here overnight or continue north.

Beartooth Highway ("212") was closed a week earlier than planned due to snow. I will probably bypass Yellowstone and head north on the east side of the mountains.