Are you feeding a crowd?
Are you regretting it before you've even started because you've been binge-watching Jane the Virgin and can't bear to tear yourself away from Netflix to cook for people you only like about half as much as you like Rafael?
This is what you make. It will look like you spent hours slaving when really you just chucked some meat in a slow cooker, seasoned some beans and bought precut veggies and tortillas.
Also, it's so delicious your guests will eat far too many far too quickly and almost immediately come down with a mad case of the itis and head home early. You'll have plenty of time to cram in 2 (or 9?) more episodes before bed.
Bonus, you'll have enough pulled pork left after feeding 4 to make delicious sandwiches or even Mexican bitterballen the next day. (I've got a tray full of 'em in the fridge, I'll post a recipe if I don't eat them all first)
Also, your friends will feel sufficiently loved to forgive you when you bail on attending their 4th kid's 1st birthday party over the weekend because you've 'caught a bug'.
Anyhoo, here's how it goes down:
Pulled pork:
- 2 White Onions, chopped (throw them in the food processor)
- 6 cloves Garlic, chopped (add it to the food processor with the onions)
- 1 Carrot, chopped (get where I'm going with this yet?)
- 2 Jalapenos. You guessed it, chopped (we're on the same page here, right?)
- 1 Granny Smith Apple, (core first, then dump it in the processor)
- 1 kg Pork Shoulder (Slow your roll there. Leave this one whole)
- 1 Liter Chicken or Vegetable Stock (Store bought, we don't have time for from scratch with this ish!)
- 1/4 Cup White Spirit Vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Natural Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp each Cayenne, Paprika, Cumin Powder, Coriander powder, Chilli Flakes, White Pepper and Black Pepper.
** Optional: 1/2 Tsp Liquid Smoke
Extra Water to ensure pork is covered in liquid.
Method
- Place all ingredients in the slow cooker on high for 6-8 hours, or in a pot on the stove on low heat for 2-3 hours.
- Remove pork and reduce cooking liquid until about 1 cup remains while you pull apart the meat with with 2 forks
- Put meat back in the cooker with the cooking liquid and keep warm on low until serving, or allow to cool and freeze for up to a month.
To Assemble:
- Drain a can of black beans and fry in a tbsp of oil with cumin and salt to taste until warmed through, squeeze a little lemon over if you're feelin' zesty.
- Remove 2 large or 5 cocktail Tortillas per person from packaging and warm them in the microwave for 20 seconds to make them pliable.
- Spoon on black beans (if using) and top with pulled pork and salad fixin's of your choosing. I used onion, red cabbage, tomato, jalapeno, cheddar cheese and LOTS of fresh coriander/cilantro.
- Alternatively, put all fixin's on a large platter with tortillas on the side and let folks assemble their own (much better idea, actually- you can easily squeeze in another episode in the time it would've taken to plate them all!)
- Watch as their eyes light up with the deliciousness of the moist, succulent pork against the crispness of fresh salad ingredients you bought pre-chopped- you little genius, you!
- Bask in the shower of compliments as they thank you and leave your house, their eyelids droopy with satiety.
- Put on warm fuzzy slippers and nibble on leftovers while you binge watch. There's no judgement here.
For more recipes suited to varying degrees of laziness:
The World's Most Versatile Dough use it to make crusty, delicious Rosemary and Olive Bread
Or check things out on Insta!
Official Viral.Crowd Instagram
Here's my personal Instagram.for progress on my photography and behind-the-scenes stuff in the kitchen
Pulled pork will be our dinner tonight! I usually just rub the pork with a bunch of herbs, paprika, chili flakes, cumin, garlic powder, etc. I have never cooked it with apple or carrots, but I will tonight! Thanks for the tip!
Love a good rub, would usually give it a sear with a nice spicy coating, this is a lazy 'let it do its thing' mid-week dinner version. The apple and carrot adds that rounded sweetness you just won't get from sugar, and helps thicken the cooking liquid a lot! Would love to see how iyours turns out, send pics! (Be warned, it's a BIG recipe though, I used the other half for bitterballen) definitely enough to feed a few folks!