Quick Recipes for the College Student
09/03/11 22:32
I don’t have a lot of time to cook as a college student. My schedule is irregular too. But, I don’t eat premade processed food like frozen pizzas. My method is making large amounts of food with low labor needs. That means slow cookers and pressure cookers. This first entry is how I make several pounds of pulled pork with only minutes of prep time.
First, you need a slow cooker (aka. crock pot). Then you need a pork shoulder. These are pretty cheap, usually 1.29-1.49/lb. You want one between 6 and 8 pounds. One side is covered in a thick layer of fat. That’s OK. Pick one that doesn’t have a lot of fat visible on the top (non-fatty) side. You will also need about 4 bottles of BBQ sauce. Wegmans has Memphis, Kansas City, and Brown Sugar flavors. I like Memphis, Kansas City tastes like dirt, and I’m trying Brown Sugar tonight.
Cut the shoulder into halves or thirds, depending on how much you want to make, but at least 3 pounds. Leave the bone in place. Freeze unused portions.
Optional: marinate the shoulder in the BBQ sauce overnight. Use enough sauce to cover the shoulder in a plastic zip bag.
Trim off some of the fat layer, leaving about 1/2 inch in place. Place the shoulder on the wire roasting rack that comes with most cookers, fat side up, and pour the bag of marinade over the shoulder. It’s OK that most of it will end up in the bottom of the pot. You don’t want the shoulder to sit on the bottom with the sauce. A lot of fat drips off and makes it oily.
Cook it for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. No peeking. The actual cook time is not critical.
When it’s done, put the cooked shoulder in a large bowl. If it’s cooked correctly, the shoulder will fall apart as you take it out. Discard the drippings in the bottom. Use two forks to shred (“pull”) the shoulder and mix with more BBQ sauce to taste. Serve on buns or as a late night fridge snack.
There are a lot of things you can do to improve this recipe, like searing the shoulder before cooking, using liquid smoke, adding onions and other seasonings, and so on, but that increases the prep time and cost. I like the basic method because it makes a lot of food for a low price, and I can toss the ingredients in the slow cooker in minutes and head off to class.
First, you need a slow cooker (aka. crock pot). Then you need a pork shoulder. These are pretty cheap, usually 1.29-1.49/lb. You want one between 6 and 8 pounds. One side is covered in a thick layer of fat. That’s OK. Pick one that doesn’t have a lot of fat visible on the top (non-fatty) side. You will also need about 4 bottles of BBQ sauce. Wegmans has Memphis, Kansas City, and Brown Sugar flavors. I like Memphis, Kansas City tastes like dirt, and I’m trying Brown Sugar tonight.
Cut the shoulder into halves or thirds, depending on how much you want to make, but at least 3 pounds. Leave the bone in place. Freeze unused portions.
Optional: marinate the shoulder in the BBQ sauce overnight. Use enough sauce to cover the shoulder in a plastic zip bag.
Trim off some of the fat layer, leaving about 1/2 inch in place. Place the shoulder on the wire roasting rack that comes with most cookers, fat side up, and pour the bag of marinade over the shoulder. It’s OK that most of it will end up in the bottom of the pot. You don’t want the shoulder to sit on the bottom with the sauce. A lot of fat drips off and makes it oily.
Cook it for 8 hours on low or 5 hours on high. No peeking. The actual cook time is not critical.
When it’s done, put the cooked shoulder in a large bowl. If it’s cooked correctly, the shoulder will fall apart as you take it out. Discard the drippings in the bottom. Use two forks to shred (“pull”) the shoulder and mix with more BBQ sauce to taste. Serve on buns or as a late night fridge snack.
There are a lot of things you can do to improve this recipe, like searing the shoulder before cooking, using liquid smoke, adding onions and other seasonings, and so on, but that increases the prep time and cost. I like the basic method because it makes a lot of food for a low price, and I can toss the ingredients in the slow cooker in minutes and head off to class.