You started dinner before you left for work.
Three pounds of pork shoulder rubbed with brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and salt, then eight hours on low until it shreds easily somewhere around 195F. All of that happened while the house was empty.
At 8:05 you pull it apart with two forks, stir in a cup of barbecue sauce, warm the rice, and build six plates. Bagged coleslaw goes alongside and there is nothing left to actually cook.
Ingredients
The recipe serves 6. Plan on 8 minutes to finish (pork slow-cooked earlier).
- 3 pounds pork shoulder
- 1 cup barbecue sauce, plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups cooked rice or 3 bags microwave rice
How to Make It
- Earlier in the day: rub the pork with the brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, and salt, then place it in the slow cooker with the broth.
- Cook on low 8 hours until the pork shreds easily and reaches at least 195F for tender texture.
- Shred the pork with two forks and stir in 1 cup of barbecue sauce.
- After practice, warm the rice and the pulled pork, then build plates with rice, pork, and a drizzle of extra sauce.
Do the Slow Part Early
The slow cooker runs all day while you are at work and practice, so the pork is done before you walk in. After practice you are only warming rice and plating.
- Rub the pork in the morning and start the slow cooker on low
- Cook the rice ahead or keep microwave rice on hand
- Shred and sauce the pork when you get home; it stays warm in the cooker
Store and Reheat
Pulled pork reheats beautifully and even improves overnight. Add a splash of broth or sauce so it stays juicy.
- Microwave a portion 2 to 3 minutes with a splash of broth
- Stovetop: warm over medium 6 minutes, stirring, with extra sauce
- Pork keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months frozen
- Serve with: coleslaw, cornbread
Parent Tip
Freeze leftover pork in 2-cup portions so a future late dinner is just a reheat.
Make it fit tonight
Small changes that make this one fit your night
Two-cup freezer blocks
Portion the extra pork into bags and a future Thursday is already handled.
Bottle on the table
Put the barbecue sauce out and let each kid decide how wet they want it.
Broth when you warm it
Pork dries out fast, so reheat it with liquid rather than bare in a dish.
Cornbread from a box
One mix, twenty minutes, and it bakes while the rice is warming.
Slider rolls tomorrow
The same pork on eight rolls is a different dinner that takes six minutes.
Plan the next step
Plan your slow-cooker days
Use the planner to set up meals the slow cooker can finish during a long day out.