Eat Laugh Purr

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Hard Cider BBQ Pulled Pork

by Tanya

Hard Cider Pulled Pork Sandwiches

I’m so happy to once again have a recipe on the blog. It’s been too long. As some of you may recall, someone, who shall remain nameless, may have dropped my camera and broke it. This person was quite distraught over her innocent mistake and was so hopeful that her Dad, I mean some guy, could fix it for me. Obviously, it wasn’t me who broke my camera taking a stupid selfie because that’s just silly. Okay! Okay! It was me! The point is my Dad totally fixed my camera, not that I’m vain. 🙂 Of course, I got sick after Christmas, so I spent little time in the kitchen but now I’m back, baby! And do I have a recipe for you!

Pulled pork is one of my favorite sandwiches. They are also delicious, feed a crowd and easy to make. It’s no wonder I love them. While I already have a perfectly delicious pulled pork recipe on Eat Laugh Purr, I got a harebrained idea to swap out the soda (Coke Zero, Dr Pepper or root beer) with hard cider. And then I thought — what if I made a homemade BBQ sauce with the hard cider too? Sounds intriguing, right?

So I put on my apron (not true – don’t have one), pulled out all my pots and pans and began experimenting while laughing manically (also not true). The good news? I was right. These bad boys are delicious. There is a hint of the hard cider in the background and pork is fall-apart tender. The BBQ sauce has a little tang from the vinegar, heat from the chili powder and sweetness from the brown sugar. It’s a great foundation BBQ sauce that you can easily adjust to your taste preferences.

Hard Cider Pulled Pork Sandwich

While I don’t give two toots about football, I’m also not blind and deaf, so I know Superbowl 50 is fast approaching, and this would be a huge hit at your party. None of my friends invite me to their Superbowl festivities, which would normally make me sad, but they also know I hate football and would rather stay home and read a book.

bbq pulled pork pizza

I had plenty of leftovers, so I made an amazing bbq pulled pork pizza. The barbecue sauce is a bit thin and may drip off the sides, so either put foil underneath the crust or a cookie sheet on the rack below to catch any drippings. I also added some crushed pineapple and jalepeno slices. It was sooooooooo good!

Print Recipe

Hard Cider BBQ Pulled Pork

Servings: 8 -10 servings

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs Pork Shoulder
  • 1 bottle of Hard Cider
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1 cup BBQ sauce

Hard Cider BBQ Sauce

  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 12 oz. Hard Cider
  • 1/2 to 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

Instructions

  • Place sliced onions on bottom of crockpot. Top with pork shoulder. Pour hard cider and bbq sauce over pork. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Remove pork and shred with two forks.
  • To make BBQ Sauce: Mix together sauce ingredients in a medium pan. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. You can use the sauce immediately or refrigerate for later use.

Notes

The barbecue sauce is thinner than commercial sauces and makes approximately 3 cups. It's a light, vinegary based sauce. It's not super spicy, but you can adjust seasonings to your taste. You can also substitute your favorite barbecue sauce in place of the homemade sauce.

Enjoy!

Tanya