Spicy Shredded Pork

A lot of weeks, I feel like I don't have much time to come home and make anything after work.  Many nights, I find myself exhausted, and not wanting to spend a lot of time cooking, so I prefer to make things on Sundays that are easy to prepare, and work well throughout the week. One of Sean's absolute favorite things I make for week-long meals is spicy shredded pork.  Slow roasted in the crock pot all day, it can be a delicious and versatile entree for any meal.

Typically, I wait until boneless pork loins are on sale for less than $2 per pound.  Then I buy about a 10 pound pork loin, cut it into five roughly even sections, and freeze each section until ready to thaw and use.

When I make spicy pulled pork, my favorite seasonings to use are ground paprika, ground cayenne, ground white pepper, McCormick Grill Mates Fiery 5 Pepper and Devil Dust.  I love using paprika, cayenne, and white pepper in my dishes because of the flavors of these three spices.  The Fiery 5 Pepper and Devil Dust seasonings add an extra hot kick, though I would caution others who prefer milder tastes to limit their use of these seasonings.

So much yum!

I rub these seasonings over the pork loin, along with a little bit of season salt (probably about half a tablespoon) over the entire loin.  I cook the loin in my 4 quart crock pot on low for about 8 to 10 hours, until tender and easy to shred.  I have cooked it on high before, for about 4 to 6 hours, but I prefer to cook it on the low setting, as it's more tender and easier to shred.

Looks a little gross in the crock pot before cooking....

 

After it has cooked, I promptly remove from the crock pot, and place in a container to cool for a few minutes before shredding.  Before shredding, I try to remove as much fat as possible.

All finished!  I let it cool a little before I remove any fatty pieces and shred.

All shredded and ready to enjoy!

Once cooked, and shredded it works great for many meals.  Sean and I use the pork for sandwiches, tacos, nachos, salads, and more.  It's great with barbecue sauce or by itself, and makes it easy to switch up meals during the week.

Sean could not wait to eat some!  His favorite way to eat the spicy shredded pork, on homemade bread with barbecue sauce!