Spicy Maple Pulled Pork

My boys love a good pulled pork sandwich for dinner ~ me I love the SMELL of pulled pork cooking in the crockpot and am happy to eat it all one its own! In the past we've always used a recipe that was full of ketchup (so lots of sugar) and than you added even MORE brown sugar and than it had gluten free soy sauce (so lots of sodium) so while it was so very TASTY as someone who has glucose intolerance it was not really a 'regular choice' we could have on the menu despite the boys love for it. So I have been playing with our recipe to try to make it 'cleaner' and think we've found one that got consistent thumbs up around the table last night.

Spicy Maple Pulled Pork 

Spicy Maple Pulled Pork

What You Need:

For the Pork

• 1 Pound of Pork Tenderloin (chicken breasts work too)
• 1 sweet onion finely chopped (tiny enough it 'disappears' when cooked especially if you have teenagers who will pick out onion if they find it but do not mind the flavor)
• 1/2 cup of organic low sodium chicken stock or for more control over sodium use homemade stock
• Seasoning - so you can create your own season combinations if you have a preference such as 1 teaspoon of each of the following ground black pepper, ground mustard, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, pinch of cayenne pepper etc. Or take the guess work out ~ we used the Epicure Pulled Pork seasoning blend and a 'half package' is plenty unless you are doubling the recipe so you have lots of leftovers!

For the Sauce 

• 12 ounce can of Tomato Paste - ideally a low sodium
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup Pure Maple Sugar

What You Do:

• In a large crockpot, place finely chopped onions and chicken stock in the crockpot.
• Measure out half the Epicure seasoning or mix together your seasonings in a small bowl and rub on the pork gently massaging in the flavor.
• Place the pork, fat side down, into the crockpot on top of the onions. Sprinkle in any leftover seasoning on top.
• Cook on the low setting for 8-10 hours. I like to 'baste' any meat that is above the stock level every few hours to keep it all moist
• In the last 1/2 hour before wanting to serve pull the pork apart using a fork directly in the crockpot with the 'juices' from cooking as your sauce. It should shred nicely.

Spicy Maple Pulled Pork

For the Sauce

• We like our sauce 'mixed right in' to our pulled pork so we add it directly to the crockpot however if you prefer it served over the top of your pulled pork so you can control how much or if any it can also be made in a separate sauce pan. 
• Add 12 oz can of Tomato paste - ideally low sodium, both vinegar and maple sugar and stir to create your 'Pulled Pork sauce' directly in the crock pot. In a saucepan you will want to bring it to a low boil long enough to reduce some of the liquid and thicken it up. Takes about 10-15 minutes.

Spicy Maple Pulled Pork

Serve on a bun with your favorite side or if you are like me serve sans bun with a side of your favorite balsamic drizzled veggies and if your my spouse serve with a side of Hot Sauce from Hell Devil's Revenge sauce for an additional kick in the pants! 

If you are 21 Day Fixing a Red container of the pulled pork with sauce added equates to 1 red for the pork, 1/4 green and an orange for the sauce. Plus whatever sides you choose.

Have an amazing day!
Margaret
Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
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