Do you like creating dishes in your slow cooker?

There is something wonderful about making a meal in the slow cooker – letting it gradually cook over the course of the day…the smell slowly but surely permeating the entire house…

That’s what this cola pulled pork did to me the other day. I started the cooking process at 8AM, and by noon it was already slowly torturing me with the delicious smell. Lucia too: she parked herself right in front of the slow cooker, laid down on the floor, and breathed in the smell of the pork. Then, silently willed me to drop a piece whenever I would check on the progress. Such a spoiled dog…

Anyway, one thing I really love about making pulled pork is that there is inevitably a large yield, so you can either feed a small army for dinner, or you have multiple meals to create with it. We enjoy it on top of chewy, crusty rolls…on top of salads, in tacos…you name it! Justin has typically made pulled pork using water in the pot, but we decided to experiment with cola this time around for added flavor and a bit of sweetness. It was a good choice, if you ask me!

Another perk? It’s so simple. The ingredients aren’t complicated, and it takes so little work…the slow cooker does pretty much everything for you. That’s my kind of meal!

So, break out your slow cooker make yourself some pulled pork this weekend. Who’s with me?

Slow Cooker Cola Pulled Pork

Ingredients

3-4 pounds pork shoulder (boneless or bone-in)

1 yellow onion, sliced

4-5 whole garlic cloves

2-3 tablespoons blackening rub (I use this recipe, but you can use store bought)

2 1/2 cups regular cola

Instructions

1. Peel garlic cloves and slice each in half. Using a sharp knife, create punctures in the pork shoulder and place a garlic clove half in each opening. Rub pork shoulder with 2-3 tablespoons of spice rub, until coated on all sides. Place inside of slow cooker.

2. Peel the yellow onion and slice into rounds. Place onions evenly around and on top of the pork shoulder. Slowly pour the cola on top, close the lid, and set the slow cooker to “low.”

3. Allow pork to cook for 4 or more hours (I allowed mine to cook for 8). To shred the pork, use the tines of a fork to separate. After 8 hours of cook time, the fork tines pulled right through. If you are using pork shoulder with the bone in, the pork should easily pull away from the bone at that point. However, leave the bone in the slow cooker even after you pull the meat off: flavor! Continue running the fork tines through the pork until shredded to the desired texture. Set the slow cooker to “keep warm” and allow it to remain hot until ready to serve.

4. To serve, remove the bone and discard (if using bone-in pork shoulder). Serve pork by itself, place it on a bun/roll, etc! Adding a dollop of barbeque sauce is also tasty. Enjoy!

Are you a fan of pulled pork?