Cooker Chipotle Honey Pulled Pork, Slow Style

If you’re like me Cinco de Mayo is all about the good of food.

Last year I went all out and made pork carnitas and stuffed them along with from-scratch refried beans into the reliable double-decker tostadas and washed them down with few margaritas. Overkill? Maybe.

This year I hadn’t planned to truly do anything, but then my mom texted me asking if I was making anything for Cinco de Mayo and then suddenly the mood struck and there I was pulling out and actually dusting off my trusty slow cooker. I rifled through my pantry and whipped together this little ditty. One thing is for sure I always keep a can of chipotle peppers on hand. You never know when you’ll need them.

In this dish a hefty pork shoulder slowly simmers away in a flavor-packed concoction of broth, chipotle peppers, honey and spices until it’s so tender you can pull it apart with two forks. I did this only a few days prior to the quesadilla making and kept it in a container in my fridge and we truly ate it here and there over the entire weekend… annnd never grew tired of it.

This slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork is remarkably moist, tender and extremely savory without being over the top spicy. I saw you eyeing chipotle in the title. Don’t worry… it’s good, promise! It’s especially versatile and can easily be put to use in enchiladas, flautas, tacos or as you see above… stuffed into crispy, cheesy quesadillas.

You’ll want around a 6 pound pork shoulder, bone-in and have it sit out on the counter for about thirty minutes to take the chill off.

Then pat it down with some paper towel to absorb any moisture still clinging to it. Doing this will allow a better crust to form when searing.

Generously season it with copious amounts of kosher salt and coarse black pepper. It’s a big hunk of meat so you don’t have to go unfussy on either one.

Heat a large 12 inch skillet over medium high heat and measure out about one heaping tablespoon of lard. Bacon fat or even olive oil will do.

Throw it into the pan to melt and once it melted and you see a glossy sheen to it… it’s time to sear the shoulder.

Simply lay the big pork roast into the hot pan. You’ll know it’s time to turn it when it easily releases itself from the pan.

Continue to sear all sides… about 5-6 minutes each to form a good crust.

While that’s all going on, go on ahead and peel, halve and dice up one medium yellow onion.

And mince up 2 large cloves of fresh garlic.

Continue to sear all sides… yes, even the ends… until the whole pork shoulder is crusty and handsome. PS. The fact that I managed this shot surprises me. Because of it, I’m fully aware that my left arm lacks the muscle needed to hold up a 6 pound pork shoulder while my other hand holds a camera. THIS is where I would confess that an assistant would come handy. Any takers?

Remove it and place it back onto the cutting board for a moment.

Reduce heat down to medium and add in the diced onions and scrape up any brown bits still clinging to the bottom of the pan.

Once the edges of the onions start to turn golden, add in the minced garlic and cook for one minute.

With a slotted spoon, remove the onion and garlic to a clean plate.

Measure 1 cup of low-sodium chicken broth into a two-cup measuring cup. To it, add in two to three large minced chipotle peppers in adobo.

Measure and add in two heaping tablespoons of honey…

… one teaspoon of cumin. I had some toasted cumin that I had ground myself… but regular cumin will work only fine.

Next add in a teaspoon of ground {toasted if you have it} coriander.

Then I threw in a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. If you’re unsure about this, go ahead and add in a 1/4 teaspoon.

Pour in 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar…

… and the cooked onions and garlic.

Give it a stir and you’re good to go.

Place the seared pork shoulder into your slow cooker.

Cover it with the chipotle honey liquid…

Cover, set your slow cooker to high and let it go for 4 hours.

Man-o-man does this smell satisfying! Once the time was up I used tongs to remove and transfer it to a large cutting board. Make sure you remove and discard that bone!

I cut the slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork into larger chunks and then used two forks to shred it up. Sneak a couple bites… you know you want to!

Depending on the shoulder, it should yield roughly about 8 cups of meat.

I poured the remaining liquids from the crock pot into a large bowl. Once the fat rose to the top, I skimmed it off and spooned the chipotle/broth over top of the shredded pork. You can now do one of two things; you can use it right away in any recipe your fine mind can dream up… or place the shredded pork into an air-tight container with all of the skimmed juices and refrigerate until you’re ready to use it.

To reheat; I simply pulled out pieces of pork {the liquid solidifies and cling to the pork and will melt when heated} and reheat it in a skillet over medium heat until hot.

What will you do with your slow cooker chipotle honey pulled pork?

Whether you make quesadillas or enchiladas, tostadas or flautas; this pork is memorable. Everyone at the table LOVES it and it was simply the thing for our impromptu Cuatro de Mayo {since we feasted on Sunday} dinner. Don’t you worry… I saved the margs for Monday.

Cheers!