Pork Sandwiches

By cmschnettler

Ingredients

• 1 2 1/2 pound pork shoulder blade roast
• 1 cup apple cider or apple juice
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Homemade Five-Spice Powder or five-spice powder
• 6 - 8 whole grain hamburger buns or kaiser rolls, split and toasted
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups shredded napa cabbage or packaged shredded broccoli (broccoli slaw mix) (optional)

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 625mins

Preparation

Step 1

Trim fat from meat. If necessary, cut meat to fit into a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker. Place meat in cooker. In a small bowl combine apple cider, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and Homemade Five-Spice Powder. Pour over meat in cooker.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 5-1/2 to 6 hours.
Transfer meat to a cutting board, reserving cooking juices in cooker; cool meat slightly. Remove meat from bones. Using two forks, shred meat, discarding fat. Place meat in a medium bowl.
To serve, arrange meat and, if desired, cabbage in buns. If desired, strain reserved cooking juices; skim off fat. Serve cooking juices in individual serving bowls for dipping.

For easy cleanup:

Line your slow cooker with a disposable slow cooker liner. Add ingredients as directed in recipe. Once your pork is finished cooking, remove from your slow cooker as directed above and dispose of the liner. Do not lift or transport the disposable liner with food inside.
Homemade Five-Spice Powder:


3 tablespoons ground cinnamon

6 star anise or 2 teaspoons anise seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons whole Szechwan pepper or whole black pepper

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

In a blender combine cinnamon, anise, fennel seeds, pepper, and cloves. Cover and blend to a fine powder. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature. Makes about 1/3 cup.