Pulled Pork Slow-Cooked in Beer

A few weeks ago my neighbor gave us a six pack of some beer. He said he got it when he did a job at this particular company, but the hops had a really strong after taste. He thought maybe we could use it.

This particular beer was a pale ale, it claims to be “a hoppy American beer that commands your attention”. At first taste it was a good and smooth beer. But we just didn’t like the strong hop taste at the end. Big G wanted to toss them, but I had better plans. I’m not big on wasting anything, and I figured I could use these bottles for something, and I was right! It was delicious slow cooked with pulled pork, I just added a little extra something to balance out the taste.

Beer is a great ingredient to use in braising and slow cooking. Especially with something like a pulled pork or shredded chicken, since you want it tender and juicy. It helps the collagen in the meat break apart, making it more tender. Since this was a hoppy beer, I added in a bit of apple cider vinegar to balance the taste. If you are using a beer that tastes good, with a smooth delivery you can add more of the beer and cut out the apple cider vinegar. You can also take out the beer in this recipe and just use the apple cider vinegar, if necessary.

The pork came out just as I’d anticipated; tangy, flavorful and juicy. I hope you enjoy it just as much as my family did! We couldn’t keep our hands off of it!

Ingredients:

• 4.5 pound Pork Butt
• 1-2 teaspoons house seasoning, to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried cilantro
• 1/4 teaspoon dry red peppers
• 1-2 tablespoons grapeseed oil, peanut oil, canola oil or other high burning oil
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can Original Rotel Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
• 1 cup beer
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon corn starch (optional)