Pepperoncini Pulled Pork

First, it just seems like we're suddenly eating a lot of pork, because I didn't post a recipe last week. I invented a spot-on-delicious mostly-paleo sesame chicken and fried rice recipe, but I am still working to perfect the sauce-to-chicken ratio, so you will just have to wait.  Trust me tho, you will be glad that you did.

The idea for this Pepperoncini Pulled Pork recipe came to me this weekend when I was flipping through my favorite cookbooks, searching for inspiration. I realized that although I love appetizers (to the point that I planned a Christmas party around my desire to eat them, and then served a completely different set of finger-foods on Christmas Eve), I otherwise never make any. The small volume and sometimes-long preparation required to make good appetizers doesn't really fit into my weekly hot-and-a-lot meal planning theme.

I was brainstorming ways to get the flavor of my favorite Christmas Eve appetizer without the effort, and tah-dah! this recipe was born.

Pepperoncini Pulled Pork

So good it almost didn't make it to the plate.
Yes, this is one serving. But it's only an 8 inch pan.

Ingredients

3 lbs pork loin roast

2 yellow onions, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 jar pepperoncini, including juice, stems removed from peppers

1 cup beef stock

2 tablespoons dried basel 

1 tablespoon dried oregano

salt and pepper

Instructions

Place all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on high until the pork is easily pulled apart with a fork. About 5 hours.

Remove the pork, onions, and peppers, and place in a large bowl. Pour the juice into a medium-sized pot.  Bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring occasionally so no solids stick to the bottom, until the sauce reduces to about half the volume.

While the sauce is reducing, use two forks to shred the pork.  Pour the reduced sauce over the meat, onions, and peppers, and combine well. I like it to be a little liquid-y so that pork doesn't get dry when I reheat it. Serve.  

We ate ours with butter-wilted spinach, but this pork recipe would go well with mashed cauliflower, asparagus, steamed green beans, or any of your favorite veggies. Makes 8 servings.