Weekly Meal Plan: 4 Recipes for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Enlarge Image Image Gallery Eat tender, slow-cooked pulled pork throughout the week as tacos, stir-fry, sandwiches and potstickers.

The average American spends just 30 minutes preparing food each day. If you’re among those in a rush to get food on the table, consider becoming friends with weekly meal-planning—one of the cleverest strategies for saving time and money. In this weekly meal plan, we make one big batch of tangy, fall-off-the-bone slow cooker pulled pork infused with aromatic onions, garlic and vinegar, and use it to create four meals you can put together quickly throughout the week. This preparation is quite forgiving, so it’s easy to adjust quantities or seasoning, and these cuts of meat are far less expensive than chops, ribs and steaks, so consider buying locally raised, grass-fed meat. This series of recipes is designed to feed about four people per meal.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe

10-pound Boston butt or pork shoulder (with bone in for enhanced flavor)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Paprika (sweet, smoked or a mix)
Chili powder (mild, medium or hot)
6 to 8 red and white onions, peeled and quartered
10 cloves garlic, or to taste, peeled and smashed but left whole
Approximately 1 cup apple cider vinegar (or enough to create a 1/2-inch layer in the bottom of your slow cooker)

1. Thoroughly coat meat with salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder.

2. Line crock bottom with onions, garlic and vinegar, then place meat over it.

3. Set the cooker to the lowest, longest setting. The meat is finished when it pulls away easily with just a fork, or when the bone slips out with little effort. Depending on your slow cooker, this will take 6 to 10 hours.

4. Drain and store most of the grease before storing meat in refrigerator.

Recipe by Tim Nauman 

Pulled Pork Tacos 

1 head Napa cabbage, thinly shredded
1 head red cabbage, thinly shredded
4 carrots, grated
Approximately 12 tortillas or hard taco shells (Get a recipe for homemade whole grain tortillas.)
About 2 pounds pulled pork mixed with some of the onions
Fresh cilantro (for garnish)
2 to 3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
Sour cream, salsa, avocado slices and lime wedges (optional)

1. Combine shredded cabbage and carrots, and divide mixture into thirds. Refrigerate 2/3 of mixture for subsequent recipes.

2. Warm shells in a 250-degree oven.

3. Fill each shell with onion from the bottom of the slow cooker and a scoop of pulled pork. Top with shredded cabbage mix, cilantro and scallions and garnish with sour cream, salsa, avocado and a squeeze of lime.

Tamari Brown Rice With Crispy Pork and Asian Slaw

To make slaw:
6 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons each peanut and sesame oils
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown or cane sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled
3 cloves fresh garlic, peeled
Remaining cabbage and carrot mixture from previous recipe
3 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2 cup roasted peanuts
About 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds