Slow cooker makes pulled pork a snap

I saw this pulled pork recipe while I was paging through “Eat Cheap But Eat Well,” by Charles Mattocks, and it sounded delicious.

A bonus for families is that this is a slow-cooker recipe. I prepped this on a Sunday morning — Sundays seem busier than weekdays lately — and after a hectic day of church, dance rehearsals and visits to the local pond, the house was filled with a tempting fragrance.

It was a pipe dream to think my kids would like this, though.

They had never tried shredded pork. I served it on potato rolls (which turned out to be the perfect foil, since this falling-apart dish is a bit difficult to eat on its own). They each took one bite and howled in protest.

Funny, since this recipe is sweeter than it is spicy. Oh, well. More for me.

I should point out that this recipe is quite high, per serving, in sodium. It’s all that chili sauce. So you probably will want to save it for a treat.

Finger-lickin’ pulled pork

1 pound boneless pork butt or shoulder, visible fat trimmed
1 large Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 12-ounce bottle mild or Louisiana-style chili sauce
1/3 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In the crock of a slow cooker, combine the pork, onion, chili sauce, brown sugar, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, chili powder and pepper, mixing well. Cover and cook on low until the pork falls apart when stirring, 10 hours or more.

When the pork is extremely tender, remove it from the crock to a plate, shred it with a knife or fork, return the meat to the crock, and mix it well into the sauce.

Serve on potato rolls if you like, with beans and vegetables of your choice (corn in the summertime).

Makes 4 servings. Per serving: 395 calories, 26 grams protein, 8 grams fat, 3 grams saturated fat, 53 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber, 73 milligrams cholesterol, 2,369 milligrams sodium.