Slow Cooker Maple-Mustard Pulled Pork

 I love pulled pork recipes and especially making sliders out of them with little sweet Hawaiian rolls.  This is a great make-ahead recipe because you're actually supposed to put the pork together with the other ingredients and refrigerate overnight so the flavors meld (I forgot that part, oops).  This recipe made too much extra sauce for our family because not everyone wanted the extra sauce, so I'd cut that in half next time. I made this Pea Salad to go with it.

Slow Cooker Maple-Mustard Pulled Pork
adapted from The Kitchn

For the pork:
1 (4- to 5-pound) boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, halved
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 large yellow or white onion, peeled and cut into 8 wedges
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

For the maple-mustard sauce: (I'd cut this in half for our fam)
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For serving:
Hamburger or slider buns
Pickled red onion

1.  Make the pork: Trim off any large pieces of fat from the surface of the pork. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and oregano evenly over all sides of the pork, then rub the seasonings into the meat. Place in the crock of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.

2.  Place the maple syrup and mustard in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pour over the pork, then turn the pork so that all sides are coated in the mixture. Pour the broth or water, tamari or soy sauce, and vinegar around, but not on top of, the pork. Scatter the onion pieces and garlic cloves around the pork. Cover and refrigerate the pork in the crock overnight.

3.  Place the crock in the slow cooker and cook on the LOW setting until the meat can be easily shredded, 8 to 10 hours. Transfer the pork to a cutting board. Pour the cooking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer into a measuring cup and discard the solids. Skim the fat from the surface of the cooking liquid.

4.  When it is cool enough to handle, use 2 forks or your fingers to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces. Discard any large pieces of fat. Transfer the pork back to the slow cooker. Add some of the cooking liquid until moist but not wet and toss to combine. Reserve the rest of the cooking liquid for storing leftovers.

5.  Make the sauce: Place all of the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Pile the pulled pork onto buns, drizzle with some sauce, and top with pickled onions.

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