tHIS IS A BRILLIANT RECIPE FOR SHOVING IN THE SLOW COOKER AND NOT NEEDING TO fuss over- maximum reward for very little effort!

Serves 6- Cooking time: at least 6 hours

iNGREDIENTS:

• YOU WILL NEED A SLOW COOKER FOR THIS RECIPE!
• Pork shoulder joint (between 1.2-1.8kg)
• 2tsp paprika
• 2tsp cayenne pepper
• 2tsp garlic powder/granules (I like to use a mixture of both)
• 2tsp light brown sugar
• 2tbsp oil
• 2 medium white onions
• 400ml apple cider
• 200ml stock
• 2tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2tbsp tomato ketchup
• dash of Tabasco
• 1tbsp dark brown sugar/honey

Method:

1. Begin by trimming the excess fat off the pork shoulder joint. I know this seems a little daunting but there are plenty of Youtube videos you could watch the understand the best way to go about this! (also, don’t worry if your trimming skills aren’t quite up to scratch either, the fat you can’t manage to get rid of will be cooked for so long that it will just melt into the stock). You can save to pork rind to easily make pork scratchings if you like to make the most of it!
2. Peel the onions and carefully slice into rings and layer into the bottom of the slow cooker.
3. In a small bowl, add the spices, sugar and oil and combine to make a wet paste. Then, using your hands (sorry but its the only way) smother all sides of the the pork in it! Really make sure that you fill in all the cracks and crevices. The sit the pork on top of the onion rings.
4. Now, the amount of liquid you add, will depend on the size of your slow cooker. The general rule is that a slow cooker should never be more then 3/4 quaters of the way full. So with this in mind, add the cider and if possible, the stock too. Add in the apple cider vinegar.
5. Cover, and cook on high for a minimum of 6 hours or low for 8 hours. There is no need to touch the pork once the lid is on (not even to turn it over- and in fact, every time the lid is removed, the heat escapes and adds another 15 minutes to the cooking time!)
6. Now sit back and relax!
7. Once the pork is ready, carefully remove it from the slow cooker and place it onto a baking tray. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by pulling it apart.
8. Leaving a little layer of the cooking juices still in the slow cooker (to prevent the pork from drying out), set aside a third of the liquid into a separate saucepan along with as many of the onions as you like.
9. Return the pork to the slow cooker whilst you prepare the BBQ sauce.
10. Heat the liquid in the saucepan over a medium heat. Add in the ketchup, Tabasco, and sugar and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring every so often to ensure all the flavours mingle together. Once a nice and thick consistency, add to the pork in the slow cooker and give everything a thorough mix.
11. And there you have it, lovely, juicy BBQ pulled pork! I really recommend serving in a burger bun topped with a crunchy slaw but equally, pulled pork on jacket potato is a real winner for me too!