BBQ Pulled Pork, in the Instant Pot

This is a very similar recipe to the BBQ Pork Ribs, but I make it often enough, that I thought I would record it for my future self-1 month from now, when I'm trying to remember what I did for this recipe.  Once again, I love my Instant Pot in moments like I had tonight.  I had people coming over for dinner at 5:00, and I wasn't going to the store, because it is Sunday.  I had to find something I could make with what I already had, and I found a pork roast in the freezer.  I defrosted it for a couple of minutes in the microwave, long enough to be able to cut it in 4 pieces.  Then, I cooked it in my Instant Pot for 35 minutes, and it was perfectly shred-able when it was done.  Start to finish it took an hour!  And, it tasted wonderful!

BBQ Pulled Pork in the Instant Pot
by: Carolyn (after looking at many different food websites)

1  2-3 pound pork roast, frozen or thawed
1 c. beef broth
kosher salt
fresh ground pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
1 Tbsp. oil
Your favorite BBQ sauce

Set your Instant Pot to Saute, add the oil, and let it get hot.  Sprinkle the kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, onion powder and garlic powder generously on to your roast and rub it in.  Cut the roast into fourths and when the Instant Pot is hot, brown each side of the roast pieces (I just did all four pieces at the same time, in the bottom of the IP).  Pour the beef broth over the top of the roast.  Lock your lid into place, and set your Instant Pot on high pressure, for 35 minutes if the roast is frozen, 20-25 minutes if it is thawed.  When it is done, do a quick release, drain most of the liquid, and shred your pork.  Pour your favorite BBQ sauce over the top and stir.

Tender and Moist BBQ Pork Ribs in the Instant Pot (from frozen meat!)

I've mentioned before how much I'm enjoying my Instant Pot that Dustin gave me for Christmas.  The more I use it, the more I am amazed with it!  The other night I knew that I had some frozen pork ribs, but the only thing I really felt like doing with them was BBQ.  And the only way I knew to do that was to slow cook them all day.  But all these thoughts happened at 4:00 in the afternoon.  I started looking for recipes using the Instant Pot and dealing with frozen meat.  I had cooked some chicken from frozen in my Instant Pot and it hadn't worked as well as I had hoped, so I was looking specifically for tips to be successful with frozen meat.  I came upon a website, www.hippressurecooking.com, and there were great tips for cooking frozen meat, as well as cook times.  I decided to give it another try, and I'm so glad I did!  After 20 minutes in the Instant Pot (plus pressurizing time), My ribs came out tender, moist and so delicious!  I was totally amazed!  Total prep, cook and de-pressurizing time was less than an hour--less time than my sweet potatoes took to bake in the oven.  I am loving this new kitchen gadget.  If you don't have an Instant Pot, but do have all day, I'm sure this would also be delicious in your slow cooker.

BBQ Pork Ribs (in the Instant Pot)
by: Carolyn

2 Tbsp. oil
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp. minced garlic
6-8 frozen pork ribs (if yours aren't frozen, adjust cook time accordingly)
1 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 c. barbecue sauce

In saute mode, heat the oil in your Instant Pot.  Saute the onions until they are translucent.  Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.  Brown the frozen pork ribs in the Pot (as best as you can, with them being frozen and probably stuck together).  Add the salt, pepper and barbecue sauce and then pour enough water in to cover the ribs.  Set the Instant Pot to the Meat setting, high pressure, and 20 minutes cook time.  You can let it naturally depressurize, or do a quick depressurize, if you need to.

Slow Cooker Tangy Pork Chops

There is nothing like a picture of a big slab of meat to make you want to use this recipe, right?  Here was the other option:

Is it any better surrounded by delicious food, if it is half eaten?  Oh well.  Just trust me, this was a great recipe for pork chops.  I had pork chops in my freezer, but I am a little tired of the cream of mushroom soup version that I usually use.  So I found a new recipe on allrecipes, and I was so happy with the way this turned out!  The flavor was a little different, which was refreshing.  It was still very easy to prepare, and my house smelled delicious when we got home from church.  We ate ours with baked potatoes and green veggies and it worked really well together.  I doubled the sauce, which was totally unnecessary, but if you decide to do that, you could serve this over rice and there would be a lot of the sauce for your rice.

Slow Cooker Tangy Pork Chops
adapted from: allrecipes.com

1/4 c. olive oil (I'm out, so I used Canola)
1 c. chicken broth
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1/2 Tbsp. chicken boullion
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. dried, chopped onion
salt and pepper
4 pork chops

In your slow cooker, combine the oil, chicken broth, minced garlic, paprika, garlic powder, chicken boullion, oregano, basil and onion and stir it all together.  With a sharp knife, cut slits into the top of each pork chop and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  Place the pork chops in the slow cooker and spoon some of the sauce over the top.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for 4 hours.  Occasionally baste your pork chops with the sauce while they are cooking.

Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham

This year, I made a Christmas ham twice.  Once for our Christmas party at church, and once for my family's Christmas party.  Both times I used this recipe and the flavor came out delicious!  It is also such an easy way to cook your ham for a big meal, like Christmas or Easter.  You can put it in a few hours before and then forget about it and focus on everything else you are cooking!


Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Ham
slightly adapted from: fivehearthome.com

7-8 pound spiral sliced ham (fully cooked)
2 c. pineapple juice
2 c. brown sugar
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
4 tsp. balsamic vinegar
4 tsp. honey

In your crock pot, stir together the pineapple juice, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, balsamic vinegar and honey, until the sugar is dissolved.  Slice your ham off the bone, and lay it in your crock pot.  Using a basting brush, gently baste the sauce over all your ham.  Do this occasionally while it is cooking.  Cook on low for about 4 hours, or until ham is hot (it should be 140 degrees).  Be careful not to over cook your ham.  I did this the second time, and it came out in tiny shreds.  But it still tasted great, and it was easier to chew, right?!

Kalua Pork (Gluten Free)

My mother-in-law is in town again.  That means that I have to think Gluten Free in my cooking.  Which is actually pretty hard for me to do.  My friend, Jacque, was also in town and told me to try this recipe, given to her from her sis-in-law, who does all gluten free cooking.  She actually has a great website: www.eatingglutenfree.com.  Anyway, this recipe was super easy (in fact, it was ridiculously easy) and very tasty.  And, of course, gluten free.

Kalua Pork (or is it Khalua?)
from: Jacque

1 2-3 lb. pork roast
1/2 Tbsp. salt
4 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1 c. water

In a crockpot, pour the salt, liquid smoke and water over the pork roast.  Cook it on high for 6-8 hours.  When it is done, shred it with a fork and serve it over rice.  You can add pineapple to the top of it, which I thought added so much to the taste.  But I do love sweet with salty.  You could also get creative with veggies, or cheese, or whatever you wanted to spice it up a bit.  But it was delicious simple, too!

Smothered Pork Chops

This was a great recipe for smothered pork chops.  The pork chops had a great flavor, and the sauteed mushrooms and onions in the gravy added a delicious tangy-ness.  I served it with garlic mashed potatoes, which was a great fit.  The night I made it I had to run to my bookclub before I could eat.  When I got home, I heard words that I always want to hear, but usually don't: "Mom, dinner was SO good tonight!"  What?!  Could you please repeat that, just because it is so soothing to my ears?  I will definitely be making this again.

Smothered Pork Chops
adapted from: yourhomebasedmom.com

1 packet brown gravy mix
6 boneless pork chops
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/2 c. mushrooms, sliced (I used a can of mushrooms, water drained)
1 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. minced garlic
salt and pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
2 Tbsp. steak sauce

Lay your pork chops out on a baking sheet and generously season both sides with the salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  In a heavy frying pan, heat your olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the pork, turn it down to medium and cook until it is cooked through.  Remove it from the heat.  In another pan, heat the butter over medium-high heat.  Saute' your onions and mushrooms until they are tender.  In a small sauce pan, cook the brown gravy according to the package directions.  Add the minced garlic and steak sauce and stir it well.  Stir the mushrooms and onions into the gravy.  Serve the pork chops with the gravy mixture over the top.  

Slow Cooker Lemon Rosemary Pork Roast

This week, I finally cashed in on a Christmas present that my hubby got me this year.  It was a cooking class called "Cooking Without a Recipe" at a local cooking school.  Lynnette came with me and we had so much fun!  Our teacher talked a lot about being bold, and being willing to try making food based on what we think will be good.  Since then, I have made some amazing grilled cheese sandwiches, and today I tried this Lemon Rosemary Pork Roast.  It turned out great!  It is a lot of fun to look through my cupboards and fridge and try to imagine what I can make with what I have.

Slow Cooker Lemon Rosemary Pork Roast
by: Carolyn

1 three pound pork roast
1/4-1/2 c. lemon juice
1 c. water
1 tsp. dried rosemary
freshly ground salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 tsp. minced garlic
3 carrots, cut into 1/2 inch slices
2 potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 onion, cut into 1/2 inch slices

In a frying pan, braise the pork roast.  I coated my pan in olive oil first.  In your slow cooker, combine the water, lemon juice, rosemary, salt and pepper and garlic.  Place your roast in the slow cooker and then cover it with the carrots, potatoes and onion slices.  Cook it on high for 4-5 hours, or until the roast reaches 160 degrees.

Smoky Grilled Pork Chops

It may be only nine degrees here, but that hasn't deterred me from using my grill.  Okay, maybe what I should say is that it hasn't deterred me from sending my husband out to grill!  Especially when I needed a quick meal idea and had all the ingredients for this amazing pork chop recipe.  This is really so easy.  Mix the spices, rub them on the pork chops and let them sit for 10 minutes before grilling.  And that is it.  So slip on your winter gear and get grilling!

Smoky Grilled Pork Chops
from: allrecipes.com

1 Tbsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. paprika
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. liquid smoke flavoring
4 pork chops

In a small bowl, mix together all the spices, Worcestershire sauce and liquid smoke flavoring.  Rinse your pork chops and using your fingers, rub the mix on the front and back of each pork chop.  Massage it in a little.  Let it sit for 10 minutes.  Then heat up your grill and cook them over indirect heat until they are no longer pink inside.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Potatoes

Is it gross how I tend to post pictures of my half eaten food?  Just know-it is a good sign because it means that it was so yummy that I forgot to take a picture until it was almost too late!  That was definitely the case with this meal.  This is an easy twist on a regular pork chop slow cooker meal.  It had more zing than your usual cream of mushroom soup pork chops and I may never go back to the old way.  It was also nice to have the potatoes in with the pork.  Not only did they taste amazing, but it was a one pot meal.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops and Potatoes
adapted slightly from:  allrecipes.com

2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 package dry onion soup mix
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
1 onion, sliced
1 can sliced mushrooms
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
4 pork chops

In your crock pot, mix together the mushroom soup, onion soup mix, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and water.  Add the onion, mushrooms and potatoes.  Then add the pork chops and stir it all together.  Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Citrus Marinade

Lately, I haven't wanted to cook very much, unless it is on my grill.  I don't know if it is the heat, or just wanting to enjoy the last few weeks of summer.  But because of that, I have been able to try out some new marinades.  This one was delicious.  A little citrus-y, a little mustard-y.  The recipe said to marinade it for eight hours.  I never remember to do that, so this got about 30 minutes.  And it still tasted great.  I marinaded chicken, but I bet this would be great with pork, too.  Sorry that the pictures aren't great.  I keep forgetting to take pictures until the last minute, or we've cleaned up dinner, or all I have clean is a Blue's Clues plate.  Don't let that deter you from this recipe.

Citrus Marinade
adapted from: food.com

1/4 c. cider vinegar
3 Tbsp. mustard
1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
1 lime, juiced 
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. oil
pepper, to taste
chicken breasts or pork chops

In a shallow bowl, mix all the ingredients together.  Marinade your meat for up to eight hours.  Then grill it until it is cooked through.  

Easy Herbed Pork Chops

I wanted a quick and easy pork chop marinade that I could throw together on days when I'm too exhausted after work to make something time consuming, and with all this nice weather we've been getting I want to grill out all the time.  (Not to mention, when we grill, that usually means my husband is doing it:)

I found this recipe while randomly surfing the internet one day from grilling.com.  It was so easy and turned out really tender and tasty.  Why didn't I think of using Italian dressing before?  This has become my go-to, weeknight, pork chop grilling recipe.


Herbed Pork Chops


4 pork chops, 3/4-in. thick
1 c. reduced fat Italian dressing
4 tbsp. fresh herbs (combination of your choice, such as basil, oregano, chives, rosemary)

Marinate pork chops in bowl or plastic bag for at least 1 hour before grilling.

Mom's Pork Chop Supper

In honor of my sweet mother who got in a car accident last week and broke a vertebrae in her back (We love you, Mom!), I decided to post one of her most famous meals-at least among her children: Pork Chop Supper.  It is super easy and will forever remind me of eating dinner with my family when I was young.  This can be cooked in a slow cooker or on the stove top.  As with most things, I prefer the slow cooker.  There is something so gratifying about eating dinner and not having done anything for it, at least in the last 6-8 hours (or 4-6 if it is on high!).  It makes me feel like someone else made it for me.  And most meals taste better when someone else has cooked it for you.  The other great thing about this meal is that most components of the meal are cooked together.  No need to steam veggies for the side, it is all there together!


Mom's Pork Chop Supper
by: Lynne'


4 pork chops
2 cans tomato soup
1 can water
salt and pepper to taste
4-5 potatoes
4-5 carrots
1 onion
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce


In your crock pot, mix together the tomato soup, water, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.  Cut the potatoes, onions and carrots into 1-2 inch chunks.  Add the pork chops and vegetables to the pot and cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-6 hours on high.  If you cook this on the stove-top, bring it all to a boil and then turn it down to medium low heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.  
As a side note: the other day I made this and only had 1 can of tomato soup that wasn't extremely expired.  So I made it using 1 can tomato soup, 1 can coconut milk, 1 can tomato sauce and 2 tsp. sugar, plus the other ingredients.  It tasted wonderful!

Slow Cooker Mushroom Pork Chops

My mother-in-law introduced me to this recipe a few years ago and it has become my favorite way to eat pork chops. It is so easy and smells wonderful as it cooks all day long. I serve it over rice or a potato and I'm pretty sure all of my children ate this the last time I made it :)

Mushroom Pork Chops

by: Carolyn

4 pork chops

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 1/2 c. water

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. garlic

1 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

salt and pepper to taste

1 can sliced mushrooms

Mix together the mushroom soup, water, milk, garlic, onion powder, seasoned salt, salt and pepper in a bowl (I mix mine directly in my crock pot). Add the mushrooms and stir gently. Add your pork chops. Cook in a slow cooker on low heat for seven hours or high heat for five.

Cafe Rio Pork and Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

I'm sure that most of you already have a tried and true Cafe Rio Pork and Salad Dressing recipe that you already use. I had never made it myself and I looked at many online and found that most of them were very similar. I ended up using those that I had the ingredients for and both the pork and the dressing came out great. Actually, I doctored up the dressing recipe until it tasted mostly how I remembered Cafe Rio's tasting, but when it was paired with the pork in a Cafe Rio style salad (tortilla on bottom, tons of lettuce, sour cream, guacamole, etc.) it was awesome! The pork recipe called for 1 can of coke (some called for Dr. Pepper), which I didn't have and didn't want to make a trip to the store for. I happened to have some root beer in the fridge leftover from a work party of Dustin's so I added that instead. It tasted authentic, so it must not make that big of a difference. I don't know why it took me so long to make this myself. I definitely won't be waiting so long to make it again. And sorry that you have to view my half eaten salad. It was so good that I forgot to take a picture until it was almost too late!

Pork Barbacoa

adapted from: www.communitybabycenter.com

3 lb. pork roast

16 oz. salsa

1 c. root beer

2 c. brown sugar

Put the roast in your crock pot and fill it halfway with water. Cook on high for 5 hours. Drain the liquid from the crock pot and cut the roast into 4 sections. Mix the root beer and brown sugar and pour it over the roast. Add the salsa and cook for 3 more hours. Shred with a fork and serve it in your favorite Cafe Rio way.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing

2 Ranch packets

1 c. mayonnaise

1 c. buttermilk

1 c. chopped cilantro

4 tomatillos, cut into fourths

1 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

2 limes

In a food processor, chop the cilantro until it is finely chopped. Add the tomatillos and garlic. Squeeze the juice from both limes into the mixture. Here is a tip for getting the most out of your limes: beat them first on a counter top. My kids love to help me with this. Then just cut them in half and squeeze.

In a separate bowl combine the mayonnaise, buttermilk and ranch packets. If you don't have buttermilk, you can add 1 Tbsp. lemon juice to 1 c. of milk and let it sit for 5 minutes. Add the ranch mixture to the food processor and process it until well combined. Serve over the pork, and enjoy!

Garlic-Rosemary Pork Chops

I may have mentioned that I recently have been loving coconut. The other flavor that I now love is Rosemary. I planned on making pork chops for dinner and was wanting something different and I came across this recipe on Our Best Bites. I worried a little after tasting the rub (before putting it on the pork chops) that it was going to be too mustardy, but my fears were unfounded. The mustard must've (he he) absorbed into the pork chops, leaving only yumminess. I served it with garlic mashed potatoes and a green salad and it was excellent. And if you serve it on a Strawberry Shortcake plate with a princess place mat, it tastes that much better (look at Aurora eyeing my yummy pork chops).

Garlic-Rosemary Pork Chops

Adapted from: www.ourbestbites.com

4 pork chops

2 1/2 Tbsp. oil

4 tsp. dried rosemary

2 1/2 Tbsp. honey mustard

5 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

A few dashes of pepper

Line baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Stir together the oil, rosemary, mustard, garlic, kosher salt and pepper until well combined. Rub into pork chops (all sides). Bake at 450 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.

Pork Chops in Orange Sauce

I'm Cooking Again!! My cooking space may look like this still (notice the counter top-less cabinets on the left and the rigged-up old counter tops on the right, ...and the drill), but it works when you haven't made homemade meals in a long long while.

This recipe was good, (I'm a big fan of sweet sauces), but next time I might add a little more orange juice and definitely the orange zest (I was out of oranges) to make it a little sweeter. I think the method of cooking them was my favorite; it made them so tender and it was very easy. I might experiment with different sauces to find my favorite.

Pork Chops in Orange Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 4 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each)
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cold water

Directions

• Combine paprika and pepper; rub over both sides of pork chops. In a large nonstick skillet, brown chops over medium heat.
• Combine the orange juice, sugar, cloves and orange peel; pour over pork. Cover and simmer for 18-22 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Remove chops and keep warm.
• In a small bowl, combine flour and water until smooth; stir into cooking juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Discard cloves. Serve sauce with pork chops. Yield: 4 servings.

Serve with Crash Hot Potatoes (below) or rice!

Tangy Piggy

We have a bunch of Pork Roasts in the fridge so tonight for our "Welcome Home Daddy" dinner I made Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast off of Allrecipes (I linked to it in case you want to read the comments). Here is the recipe:



Ingredients

1 large onion, sliced
2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
1 cup hot water
1/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon ketchup
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste
Directions

Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onion. In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce; pour over roast.
Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.


The only thing I changed was I put a teaspoon of minced garlic (equivalent of 2 cloves) instead of the garlic powder and I didn't do any hot sauce. I also added a half bag of baby carrots to cook with the roast.

The result?

We liked it. At first something seemed off and after a while I figured out the problem. We fixed the sides like we would a regular roast: mashed potatoes and gravy made from the juices from the roast. Because the gravy was a little sweet, I think it would have been much better if we would have done it with rice instead. It feels a little Asian. We are eating the leftovers with rice tomorrow so I'll let you know if it is better. But even with the mashed potatoes and gravy it was really good. Just not a typical roast.

Was that good for my first post? I feel all nervous about it. Do you like it? Do you still like me?