Pulled Pork Gets a College Degree

Christopher and I have attempted to expand our culinary skills these past two week. Our taste buds crave the novel and adventurous, our palates desire only the finest and…ok, I will be honest, homemade meals are a heck of a lot cheaper and better than fast food.

I love pulled pork. I do not think I could ever become a vegetarian based off of that fact alone. The following recipe has been floating around the Pinterest world for quite some, but I found the recipe specifically here. So here is Slow Cooker Balsamic Glazed Pork Loin or as Christopher referred to as Pulled Pork Gets a College Degree (with a few Brittany modifications denoted by parenthesis and highlighting). Unfortunately I did not have my own picture so I borrowed one from here. I can truly attest however that the picture is a true representation

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
Pork:
2 pound boneless pork loin roast, trimmed of large fat pockets (we are making  glazed pork not bacon people!)
1 teaspoon ground sage
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic, finely minced or crushed (crushed works better)
1/2 cup water

Glaze:
1/2 cup brown sugar, light or dark
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1.      In a small bowl, combine the sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub the spices all over the roast. (I used a little more pepper-3/4 to one teaspoon- and less garlic. I think it balanced the flavors more. Garlic has the tendency of overwhelming everything)

2.      Place the pork roast in the slow cooker and pour in the 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. (I would suggest 6 ½ to 7 hours unless you are slow cooking a thick cut of meat)

3.      Near the end of the cooking time for the roast, combine the ingredients for the glaze in a small saucepan and bring the mixture to a boil (I added a little more brown sugar. I am a bit of a brown sugar addict)

4.      Reduce and let the mixture simmer, stirring occasionally, until it thickens.

5.      Remove the pork from the slow cooker, shred and place on a platter or plate. Drizzle the glaze over the pork and serve (and unceremoniously devour like a viking)

Now stop reading and go cook!