Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

We have two types of "nice" dinners in our house. First are the type that involve meticulous planning, lots of time spent in the kitchen, other people are usually invited and it definitely calls for us to be sat at the dining table with napkins.

The second type are still classed as a "nice" dinner, but take a completely different format. They usually happen on a Friday night, or the night before a day off. Its normally just me and hubby, and involves some form of finger food eaten whilst sat on the sofa. Wine is usually the standard accompaniment and instead of napkins we resort to kitchen roll. A lot less formal, but it doesn't mean the meal is any less of a success!

So bearing in mind that Thursday night was officially the start of one life's little joys, a four day bank holiday weekend, it was only right that we needed one of the second type of "nice" dinner.

I knew I had a boneless pork shoulder in the freezer, and didn't need any time to think about what I would make with it. And I sure as hell knew that hubby would have no complaints if I said we were having pulled pork for tea!

Pulled Pork

2kg Boneless Pork Shoulder (keep the string on)

1 onion peeled and roughly chopped in big chunks

3 cloves of garlic squashed with the flat blade of a knife and chopped in half

2 tsp paprika

2 tbsp white wine vinegar

1/2 tbsp soft brown sugar

1 1/2 cups of homemade chicken stock (can use a cube)

2/3 cup of apple juice

3 squirts of Ainsley Harriott BBQ spray (can use tbsp of a standard BBQ sauce)

2 tbsp tomato puree

1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

squirt of tomato ketchup

1) The night before place all ingredients in a jug and mix together. Place the pork in a bowl, stab it a couple of times with a knife and pour over the mixture. Cover with cling film and chill overnight.

2) The next day, place the pork and marinade in the slow cooker and cook on low for 10 hours.

3) Remove pork from slow cooker and set to one side.

4) Pour the juices into a saucepan, and boil on high to reduce. You want to be left with a thick sauce, so it may take 20 minutes or so.

5) Whilst this is reducing, remove the string and any fat from the pork, and shred with two forks. The meat should be well cooked and shred easily.

6) Once the meat is shredded and the sauce is reduced, remove any fat and pour the sauce over the meat and stir to coat.

7) Serve pulled pork with whatever you fancy. On this occasion

we served with soft white rolls, shop bought coleslaw (I'm embarrassed that I didn't make my own!), and roasted new potatoes. On previous occasions I've served with with homemade winter coleslaw, salad and oven baked jacket spuds which was a very dreamy combination. The meat can also be used to fill wraps, along with all sorts of salady bits and pieces.

We finished the meal with a bottle of the ever-so wonderful Lindemans Tollana Semillon Chardonnay. Possibly my favourite wine of the moment, and usually on special offer in Sainsbury's on a quite regular basis!