Slow-cooker pulled pork

I love to try new things. Especially foods.


But no matter how hard I try, if there is pulled pork on a menu, I can't get anything else.


I love pulled pork.


Now if only those chefs/restaurateurs would just quit messing it up by putting it on bread...


Anyway, I've never made it for myself, so I resolved to try. I decided to go with one Martha's recipes because it used a slow cooker and I already had most of the ingredients. 


I was, of course, missing the meat.

What did I just say about the bread?

I stopped by the grocery store near my job after work to pick up the cut. I much prefer an actual butcher, but the only ones I'm aware of were out of my way between work and home. I went to the meat section and they did not have boneless pork shoulder.


Drat.


So I went over the the man behind the counter and asked if he had any. He did not.


Double drat.


Well, sir, I said. What can I use instead?


He asked me what I was making. I told him. He recommended the pork loin. And lo, there was one right about 3 lbs.


I leave for work around 8 a.m. Now, I know that may seem late to a lot of people, even luxurious compared to my hours when I was a school photographer, but it's still too early for me. I'm not a morning person. I enjoy sleep. So I got the whole thing ready the night before and stuck the pot for the crock in the fridge. I don't know if that eight-hour marinating process affected the taste much, but it must have done something. How could it not?


Either way, I accidently doubled the pepper (yeah... I can't read) and then was worried about the lack of liquid. But I decided to trust Martha.


I actually remembered to put the pot in the crock and turn the whole thing on before I left the next morning. Score one for my brain in the morning. I'm not one to worry about crockpots, so I forgot about it while I was at work.


I got home at the end of the day, walked in the door, and wondered why my apartment smelled like cooking meat.


Yeah. Special.


I broke out the two forks to pull the pork, but I might as well not have bothered. Just one fork did the whole job, the pork was that tender. I pulled the whole thing and then mixed it around in the sauciness in the bottom of the pan. 


Then I tasted it.


It was just to fricking good.


Although it could have been better.


I know I try to stick to the recipe, but the pork needed something, so I added it. A dash of apple cider vinegar and the pork was perfect.

Tastiness. And no bread.

I didn't make the cabbage because no one attending dinner was a huge fan of it. And Mom brought rolls, but I don't think anyone made an actual sandwich.


Everyone really liked it and I was very glad of it.

Conclusion: Taste the pork. Make it better. Vinegar is an under-utilized fixer.