Slow Cooker Cranberry BBQ Pulled Pork

I came across this recipe some time ago. I thought it sounded delicious, but I wanted to wait until fall to give it a try. I finally prepared it last month, and it was fantastic!

Ingredients

(Adapted from this recipe.)

• 1 boneless pork shoulder roast (4 to 6 pounds)
• 2/3 cup apple juice, divided
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 can (14 oz.) whole-berry cranberry sauce
• 1 cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)
• Hamburger buns (optional)

Instructions

Place the roast in a slow cooker. Add 1/3 cup of the apple juice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the meat is tender.

Remove the roast and set aside to cool. In a small saucepan, combine the cranberry sauce, ketchup, remaining 1/3 cup apple juice, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, dash of cayenne, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring frequently.

Skim the fat from the cooking juices in the slow cooker; set aside 1/2 cup of the juices and discard what remains. When cool enough to touch, shred the pork with 2 forks and return it to the slow cooker.

Stir in the reserved cooking juices and the sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 1 hour or until heated through. Serve on buns if desired. Yield: 10-12 servings.

Click here to view the nutrition facts and a printable version of the recipe.

Notes

This is such a flavorful twist on traditional pulled pork! The pork is nice and tender, and the cranberries give the sauce an incredible flavor. We put our pork on sweet roll hamburger buns. The combo of these buns and the sauce-covered pork was fantastic!

This recipe made quite a bit of pork, so we had lots of leftovers. It froze and reheated well (I thawed the leftovers in the fridge and heated them in a pot on the stove with a little extra apple juice). I will keep this recipe in mind for potlucks in the future because it would work quite well for gatherings like that.

What yummy recipes have you tried recently? I’d love to hear about them!

Shared at the following:

Encouraging Hearts and Home, Busy Monday, and Weekend Potluck.