Pulled Pork with Orange Barbecue Sauce

Citrus, Crockpot, Freezer Friendly, Pork

…Somewhere real far south when I suggested to my husband that we get barbecue for dinner. I might be a born-and-raised Texan but barbecue is never anywhere near the top of my list. It’s usually not even on the list.

My crockpot is by far the most unused gadget in my kitchen. Most of the time, it just occupies extremely valuable under-oven cabinet space. The only time we seem to pull it out is to keep a giganti-batch of queso warm or to have pulled pork sandwiches.

Our favorite place to eat barbecue is The County Line. I always order the Pulled Pork Sandwich with Wild Pork Sauce (an orange-infused barbecue sauce) and coleslaw. Their pulled pork is to die for and the sauce… man, that stuff is killer good. My husband gets the smoked brisket sandwich, which is my favorite thing for someone else to order!

I spotted a tasty dry rub for pulled pork on The Way The Cookie Crumbles. Absolutely delicious! We’ve made it twice in the last two weeks… we had to do something with all these hamburger buns lying around 🙂

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Wild Pork Sauce

Juicy pulled pork tossed with an orange-infused barbecue sauce.

Ingredients

  • For the Orange Barbecue Sauce
  • Juice of 1 large orange
  • 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 - 1 cup)
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup ketchup
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • For the pulled pork:
  • 1 Tbsp ground black pepper
  • 1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp dried oregano
  • 4 Tbsp paprika
  • 2 Tbsp table salt
  • 1 Tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 Tbsp ground white pepper
  • 1 4-5 lb pork roast

Instructions

  1. To make the sauce: Stir orange juice and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat until dissolved.
  2. Reduce the orange juice to 2-3 Tbsp, taking care not to scorch.
  3. Heat olive oil in a 2-qt sauce pan.
  4. Saute onions for 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
  5. Stir in the orange reduction and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.
  6. To make the pulled pork: Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl. I made half the original spice rub recipe since I was using a smaller roast than the original recipe calls for (6-8lb bone-in pork shoulder). Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
  7. Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is fork-tender. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard the liquid from the crock. Shred the meat by hand or using forks. Discard fat.
  8. Return the shredded meat to the crock. Toss with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.

Notes

Yields: 10-12 sandwiches

Pulled pork rub adapted from Cook's Illustrated via The Way The Cookie Crumbles

Estimated time: 9 hours

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