The slow cooker is an appliance that typically gets a lot of use in the fall and winter months for delicious soups, stews, roasts, and hearty slow cooked dinners. In our family, we do a lot of slow cooking in the winter, but I have to say that when the grill isn’t humming at our house in the summer, the slow cooker is humming in the kitchen.
Slow cookers can keep your house nice and cool and are a perfect alternative for a fast weeknight meal when you would rather spend the day at the beach or park with your kids and don’t want to fuss with meat preparation. There is nothing like a lazy day poolside and getting to come home to a meal that is fully cooked and ready when you walk through the door.
We decided to try a new Pulled Pork Sandwich recipe that will now be going into our regular meal rotation. The original recipe called for using a pork tenderloin, but after a long talk with the great guy at the meat counter, I was informed that a Boston Butt would work just perfectly…To which my daughter burst into a fit of giggles and swung her head out of her little grocery cart/car and said, “Ewww, mommy. He said to eat butt.” Ah, the mouths of babes!
What makes this pulled pork recipe special is the slow cooking of the pork in a little hot tub bath of root beer. After a quick drain and the easiest meat shredding of your life, the meat is tossed with your favorite barbecue sauce and served on a crusty roll.
I decided to buy a 2-liter of soda and let the kid’s have a special dinner treat- super yummy root beer floats. Sometimes it is the simplest pleasures in life that bring us the most joy. Sipping on these was definitely a joyful moment and the sandwiches were absolute perfection. I highly recommend adding this recipe to your summertime meal rotation.
Remember that we offer free printable menu planners and 30 Days With Your Slow Cooker filled with ideas for making meal planning easier in these warmer weather days!
Perfectly Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Adapted from All Recipes)
1 (4 pound) Boston butt (or pork shoulder)
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your favorite barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted
Place the pork meat in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily (I cooked for eight hours). Shred the meat and drain the root beer from the slow cooker. Stir in barbecue sauce and toss gently. Serve over hamburger buns with root beer floats.
Do you use your slow cooker in the summer? What is your favorite summertime slow cooker recipe?