Easy Crock Pot Mesquite Pulled Pork

Provides about 16 ~4-oz servings
10 minutes pre-cooking prep time (trim pork, coat in marinade mix, add to crockpot)
6-8 hours cooking time
10 minutes post-cooking prep (drain/strain, shred, add reserved liquid)

Large capacity crock pot
~5 lb half pork loin, trimmed of excess fat
(some people prefer pork shoulder)
2 pkg McCormick Mesquite Marinade mix

Spread Mesquite Marinade power into the bottom of the crockpot
Cut pork loin into ~3" sections and coat all surfaces in the marinade mix
Place all now-coated pork sections 'on end' in the crockpot.
Pour 1/2 cup of water (for 2 packages of marinade mix) into the spaces between the pork sections.
(NOTE: The package directions say to add 1/4 cup oil and 1/4 cup water per package for use as a marinade. DON'T add any oil. You're NOT marinating it or grilling it. And the pork releases fat as it cooks, so no added fat will be necessary.)

Cover and cook on 'High' for a minimum of 6 hours, until the cooked pork shreds easily with a fork. Beyond 8 hours on High setting, the pork might start to dry out unless you add more liquid.

Drain and strain liquid into a 16oz or larger large measuring cup, reserving all of it.
Remove any remaining cooked fat from cooked pork pieces before shredding.
Shred ("pull") the cook pork apart with forks. (It should shred easily. If not, it's an indication that you should continue cooking it several more hours.)

Skim off the fat that has risen to the top of the reserved liquid. (If you chill the liquid in the refrigerator, that makes it easier to remove the now-chilled fat.)

Add the reserved liquid back in, a few tablespoons at a time, and mix thoroughly with the now-shredded pork until it is "juicy", but not 'swimming' in liquid.

If you allow the crock & contents to return to room temperature, reheat on 'High' setting for about an hour before serving. Reheat until serving.

Save the rest of the reserved liquid in a sealed jar. If the pork dries out from being uncovered or from being reheated several times, add some liquid.

This recipe results in a nice, moist pulled pork with a lightly seasoned, mild mesquite flavor.

I serve it on sandwich buns with my favorite BBQ sauce(s) cole slaw, and sliced jalapeņo peppers for those who want to turn up the heat a bit.

YMMV

 

Easy "Instant" Chicken & Noodles

Prep time - about 30 minutes
Makes about 6 servings

2lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1/2" cubes
8 ounces dry curly egg noodles
2 pkg instant chicken gravy mix. (Some people prefer prepared chicken gravy that comes in a jar. That works fine too.)

In a covered pot, add 1TSB cooking oil of your choice. I add 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 TSB 'chicken seasoning' & 1 TSB soy sauce.
Brown the chicken cubes until all are fully cooked.
Add the noodles and 2 cups of water directly into the pot with the chicken. The liquid doesn't need to fully cover the noodles to start. They will cook from both the liquid and the steam.
Cover and cook until the noodles are cooked tender, stirring several times to be certain all the noodles are eventually immersed in liquid.
Remove from heat.
When cooked, drain the excess liquid into a 32-oz glass measuring cup
Add water or chicken broth to make a total of 16 ounces of liquid.
Use the liquid to prepare the chicken gravy mix as directed on the package until thickened.
Some 'instant' gravy mixes contain microwave instructions. Be sure to stir frequently and watch for sudden 'boiling over'

Add the thickened chicken gravy back into the pot with the cooked chicken and noodles, and mix thoroughly.
Re-heat to serving temperature, if necessary.

I serve with instant mashed potatoes and a canned vegetable.

YMMV

 

Seems like most folks here are super meat eaters.

Anyone have a love for non-meat recipes?

(We're total omnivores and are trying to get healthier and less animal products in the food we eat....)

 

@aigi
After I posted the first two 'meaty' items, I DID attempt to post third item.
It's absolutely NOT a vegan/vegetarian recipe, but there was no meat mentioned
I described how to prepare an attractive low-cost 'fresh vegetable tray' for gatherings.

But this third post was apparently in violation of Terms of Use because I included a dollar sign in the post title, named my preferred grocery, or perhaps because the attached photograph of a fresh vegetable tray had too many pixels, or the post exceeded some number of characters, or I made some stupid typo and the content was flagged as objectionable, so the post was instantly flagged "Awaiting Moderation" and did not appear. Now that it's been ~12 hours, apparently the content will not be approved.
Sorry.

 

We should start cooking again. Who's hungry?

 

Some dishes I've cooked recently.


I made homemade tonkutsu ramen with pig ears and trotters

Boiled for 12 hours

Boiled for 24 hours with onions, garlic and ginger

Finished ramen with fried ham, baby spinachm, roasted corn, handmade buckwheat noodles, nitamago egg and black sesame seads

 

BBQ pork chop and mashed cauliflower

Ribeye with raosted sprouts and brocolli with cheese

Cauliflower pizza crust with goat cheeze, buffalo mozzarella, baby spinach and garlic

BBQ chicken with roasted sprouts and mashed turnips

BBQ chicken with roasted sprouts and fried cabbage

Pork chop and fried cabbage

Ribeye and sprouts

Biscuits and gravy breakfast

Chicken fried rice

 

sweet meals bros