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Easy and Delicious Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pulled Pork
Easy and Delicious Slow Cooker Teriyaki Pulled PorkThis easy and delicious slow cooker teriyaki pulled pork recipe was discovered by accident. Since it’s winter and my kids have busy schedules, I’m always looking for food I can quickly throw in the slow cooker. My goal is to have dinner ready for anyone that needs to eat before the evening activities begin!
Normally, pulled pork is not made with a tenderloin, but in this recipe, it is. Don’t worry though, because it’s quite delicious! Like I said, I came across this recipe by accident. Every couple of weeks, I stock up on meat at Costco and a 2-pack of pork tenderloin always finds its way into my cart. Why not? At around $14 or so for a pack of two (with each pack containing two tenderloins), I can make 3-4 meals out of them.
A Tasty 30-Minute Marinade
This particular night, I marinated two of the tenderloins in Lawry’s Teriyaki with Pineapple 30-minute marinade but only decided to bake one of them. I left the other one soaking in the marinade in a large ziploc bag overnight in the refrigerator. To be honest, I may have left it in the fridge for two nights.
The following day around noon, I was thinking of what to make for dinner that night and remembered the pork tenderloin in the fridge. Without looking up any recipes online, I decided to just throw it in the slow cooker. I’m lucky I can act on my “ah-ha” moments in the middle of the day since I’m self-employed and work at home. I added a little more of Lawry’s 30-minute marinade and some chicken broth (enough to cover the bottom half inch of pork), put the slow cooker on high so it would be done in about four hours and covered it.
If you work outside the home, you can throw this in before work and put the slow cooker on low. That’s it! It literally took me under 3 minutes. You could really use any marinade or barbecue sauce for this. I just happened to already have the tenderloin soaking in the Lawry’s marinade.
The Key to a Great Sandwich
When it was done, I just took a fork and a butter knife and shredded the pork right in the crock pot, being careful not to scratch the bottom. I then buttered some really amazing rolls that I got at Giant in the loose roll bin. Good rolls are key to any good pulled pork sandwich and I highly recommend choosing loose rolls at the supermarket over the pre-packaged rolls. If you have a local bakery or Italian market–even better. I heated the rolls with the cut side down in a skillet until lightly browned. I put a piece of provolone cheese on each roll and placed some pork on top of each piece of cheese.
My husband and son like horseradish, so I served the teriyaki pulled pork sandwiches open so they could add it on top of the pork. The cheese melted nicely with the heat of the pork and juices. The pork turned out really tender and juicy and was a huge hit with my kids and husband. Since making this dish the first time, I have since made it two more times!
Simple Sandwich Sides
To round out this easy and delicious slow cooker teriyaki pulled pork recipe, you can just add some potato chips (we go with Pringles Original or Low Fat) and carrots with ranch dressing, cut up apples (or a cup of applesauce) or grapes. Or, if you want a healthier alternative to potato chips (and you have a little more time), slice some sweet potatoes length wise into “fries,” season them to your liking and bake them on 425 degrees(F) for about 20 minutes until tender and golden brown for the homemade fry option. A side salad would work too. Enjoy!
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