The first Saturday in May is the kick-off to the Triple Crown of horse racing, the Kentucky Derby. Celebrities, locals and horse racing enthusiasts wait all year to watch the greatest two minutes in sports. Break out your favorite derby hats and get your crock pot ready, because this easy recipe will make your Kentucky Derby meal one that everyone talks about on Monday at the office.
We understand that making pulled pork in the crock pot is sacrilegious, so we are sure there will be some sort of horrified comment from our followers. However, we know people want this recipe! It’s crazy good (and easy, ding ding ding! We have a winner!) So let's get into Kentucky Derby Pulled Pork!!!
Kentucky Derby Pulled Pork Recipe
Prep time: 30 mins
Cook time: 10 hours
Total time: 10 hours 30 mins
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons Cherry Blast Grill Rub
1 (4-6 pound) pork shoulder / pork butt
2 tablespoons Hickory Smoked Sea Salt
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced
1 cup apple cider
FOR THE APPLE CIDER SAUCE
1 cup pan broth
1½ cups apple cider
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Agent Orange Buffalo Seasoning
1 teaspoon Hickory Smoked Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Cherry Blast Grill Rub
Preparation Instructions
1: In a small bowl, combine the (dry ingredients only) brown sugar and Cherry Blast Grill Rub.
2: Sprinkle the Hickory Smoked Sea Salt all over the pork butt, I know it sounds like a lot but do it anyway, then rub the blended brown sugar and Cherry Blast Grill Rub.
3: Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the crockpot and then pour in the apple cider. Place the pork on top, put the lid on and cook 10 hours on low. To be able to pull the pork, you really need to cook on the longest, slowest setting. In my experience, pork butts won't easily shred unless the fat is rendered slowly to an internal temperature of around 205 degrees.
4: About 45 minutes before you want to serve it up, place 1 cup of the cooking liquid from the crock pot into a saucepan, add the rest of the sauce ingredients, stir to combine and then bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and keep it at a fairly hard simmer until it thickens, about 30 minutes (keep a close eye on it).
5: While the sauce is simmering, use a couple forks to shred, or pull, the pork. Add it back into the crockpot with the onions and some of the cooking liquid as you work.
6: Once the meat is all pulled and the sauce will coat the back of a spoon, slowly pour some of the sauce over the meat and toss as you go, just put enough sauce on to coat it and make it nice and moist.
7: Serve on King's Hawaiian buns, with the pan sauce you made! Freeze any leftovers in labeled gallon freezer bags. Will keep in the freezer for at least a month for your future use.
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