Asian Pulled Pork with a Soy-Ginger Slaw

I recently shared some big news on my personal Facebook account: Chris and I are expecting our second child! We couldn't be happier and we know that Bradley is going to be an amazing older brother. 

But one thing that comes with pregnancy is nausea, and, of course, my nausea always shows up right in time for dinner. That's why throwing something in the crockpot in the morning is a huge lifesaver for me. I can still get dinner on the table, but I don't have to worry about feeling queasy in the process!

Pulled pork is one of my favorite slow cooker recipes, so I decided to make a twist on that by using some of my favorite Asian ingredients. I let the pork shoulder sit in the slow cooker all day with some soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar and chili garlic sauce to make an incredibly tender and incredibly flavorful pulled pork. I wanted a contrasting element to go on the sandwich, so that's where the soy-ginger slaw came into play. And you can't have a pulled pork sandwich without BBQ, so I made an Asian twist on that as well. This sandwich took a little time to make but was well worth it. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Pork:

• 4-5 lbs. pork butt or shoulder
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 3 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tsp. chili garlic sauce
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

Asian Slaw:

• 2 1/2 cups cole slaw mix
• 1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
• 3 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. garlic, minced

Asian BBQ Sauce:

• 1/2 tbsp. canola oil
• 1/3 cup onion, diced
• 5 tbsp. hoisin sauce
• 2 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp. Asian fish sauce
• 2 tbsp. reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. honey
• 2 tsp. garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 2 tbsp. ketchup

Other:

• Buns, for serving

Add the pork into a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, chili garlic sauce and chicken broth. Pour mixture over pork. Cook on HIGH for 5-6 hours or LOW for 8-10 hours.

For the slaw: Mix the cole slaw mix, rice vinegar, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a bowl. Stir to combine. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until ready to use.

For the BBQ sauce: Add the canola oil in a small saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add the hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce, honey, garlic, ginger and ketchup. Heat to boiling and cook for 5 minutes. Reserve until ready to use. 

Once the pork is done, remove it from the slow cooker and place it on a baking sheet. Use two forks to gently shred the pork. Skim the juices in the slow cooker to remove as much fat as you are able to. Return the pork to slow cooker and mix with juices. 

Grab a bun and add a heaping scoop of pork (drained) onto the bun. Top with BBQ sauce and a scoop of slaw. Serve immediately.

Source: Adapted slightly from Food Network