Posts Tagged ‘Barbecue’

Mr.CBB’s Crock-Pot Pulled Pork With Homemade BBQ Sauce

Posted: January 6, 2013 in Mr.CBB's Frugal Kitchen
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Crock-pot Pulled pork

Coming up with an easy pulled pork recipe for the crock-pot was simpler than I thought. Crock-pot cooking (also known as a slow cooker) is the next best thing to having a chef in the house who cooks for you while you are not around. Easy crock-pot recipes are showing up on the web and in cook books all over the world and for good reason. It’s the set it and forget it aspect of the crock-pot that is alluring to men and women who want to cook a hearty home cooked meal but don’t have the time to be in the kitchen for hours on end.

Walnut and White Cheddar Biscuit

Walnut and White Cheddar Biscuit

My good Blogger friend Aunt B posted this easy recipe for Walnut and White Cheddar Biscuits  that I thought would be perfect for my pulled pork sandwich. I had tried it first with egg and ham in the middle and that is when I thought I might as well try it with pulled pork. As you can see from the picture the biscuit is very flaky and has lots of good flavour. It was better than awesome as the nuts added texture and the cheese added the right amount of bite to the shredded pork.

How to cook pulled pork in a crock-pot?

Crock-pot pulled pork is so easy to do that even a student can whip this up in a mini-kitchen in their dorm room if they wanted. Pork is what they call the new chicken as it lends itself so much flavour without having to add too much to the mix especially if you are simply tossing it on the grill. When I created my pork roast crock-pot recipe I wanted to make sure it had alot of punch but I also wanted to taste the sweet and sour in the homemade bbq sauce that I would mix the pork in. This pulled pork recipe lends sweetness from the brown sugar and cinnamon while packing a punch from the chipolte and paprika seasoning. The apple cider vinegar is perfect in the recipe as the tanginess goes so well with pork.

If you don’t want to make BBQ sauce then simply open up a bottle of your favourite kind and mix it in. Pulled pork sandwiches can be as flavourful as you want them to be or as simple with flavours as you like. You don’t have to add BBQ sauce to the pork you could easily shred the pork after cooking it with a few spice and slap that in between some bread. It’s up to you.

What part of the pig is best for pulled pork?

I’ve used all of those below but find the pork shoulder (butt)  is the best especially for shredding the pork meat after it’s been in the crock-pot as it tends to be a bit fattier. It’s really up to you what you like an don’t like so experiment with the cuts you want and find out.

  • The Shoulder (butt)
  • Shoulder Picnic
  • Tenderloin -leaner cut of pork
Is pulled pork healthy?

I always say eat anything in moderation. It depends on the cut of  pork meat you use where the tenderloin is a leaner cut.  It also depends on what you mix in as flavourings and fats. I would eat this easy pulled pork recipe as part of a balanced meal with a huge garden salad. You can also chose to serve the pulled pork on pita bread, sliced bread, tortillas to make pulled pork tacos instead or flat buns.

How To Make Homemade BBQ Sauce?
BBQ Sauce Ingredients
  • 1 can tomato paste 60z
  • 1 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 cups of minced onion
  • 5 cloves of minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 teaspoons dry mustard
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
  • 5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons butter
Preparation
  • In a saucepan add in your butter to melt than put in the onions and simmer for 2 minutes stirring constantly.
  • Once the onions are softened add in your garlic and all the spices and stir. Always keep stirring this recipe.
  • Add in the Worcestershire sauce
  • Add in the brown sugar
  • Add in your tomato paste and stir it around until you mix all the ingredients together and the paste turns brownish in colour.
  • Add in your water and apple cider vinegar and stir
  • Let simmer on the stove-top for about 30 minutes or until it reduces and thickens
  • Stir often
  • Let the BBQ sauce cool before using to let the flavours come together.
Making Pulled Pork In The Crock-pot
Ingredients:
  • Pork Roast of your choice  pork shoulder (butt)4-5 lbs
  • 8 Garlic cloves (left whole but peeled)
  • 3 medium yellow onions sliced in rings
  • 3/4 cup chicken broth
  • Seasoning rub- 1 tbsp of lemon chipolte, 1 tbsp pork seasoning, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 tbsp chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 tbsp brown sugar,1 tbsp salt- mix this together
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Preparation
Garlic Inside Pork Roast

Garlic Inside Pork Roast

  • With a sharp knife make slits in your pork roast and insert a garlic clove into each cut. Make the slit deep so the garlic sits in nice
Seasoned Pork Roast

Seasoned Pork Roast

  • Sit the roast in a roasting pan and rub all the spices all over the roast
Onions in the Bottom of the Crock-Pot

Onions in the Bottom of the Crock-Pot

  • Meanwhile in your crock-pot lay all the onions on the bottom
  • Add the vinegar and chicken broth on top of the onions
Pork Roast In Crock-Pot for Pulled Pork Recipe

Pork Roast In Crock-Pot for Pulled Pork Recipe

  • Sit your pork roast on top of the onions and add the extra virgin olive oil on top
  • Cook on low for 8-10 hours
  • Remove from crock-pot when the roast is done and put it back into that roasting pan

Shredded pulled Pork

  • Start to shred the meat with 2 forks (it should fall apart easily)
  • Empty all but 1/2 cup of the juices and keep all the onions in the crock-pot
  • Put all the shredded pork back into the crock-pot on low
  • Add in your homemade BBQ sauce that has thickened as you don’t want it watery and mix. If you don’t make BBQ sauce use at least 2 bottles of good BBQ sauce.
  • Leave it on low for about 1-2 hours or until fully heated through
  • Serve on your choice of bun, tortilla, biscuit, wraps, nachos… you name it you can eat it with this pulled pork
  • Serve with a side salad- we made a cabbage apple slaw type salad with a lime, ginger, garlic, sesame oil dressing.
  • Feeds 6-8 people

Pulled Pork Sandwich with coleslaw

It's Not About How Much Money You Make It's How You Spend It

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Frugal Party Planning – Let’s Party!

Posted: September 6, 2012 in Our Family Budget, Party Planning, Weddings
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By Sally Pyle (aka Frugal Sally)
Frugal Party planning is easier than you think. I recently hosted a baby shower and I had to put my thinking cap on to make it a frugal baby shower and impress the guests. Some of the ideas I came up with can be used for just about any party or gathering such as a frugal back yard bbq, wedding, birthday, retirement or graduation party etc. Staying under budget all starts with the planning.  Below are some ways you can host a frugal party and not break the bank.
  • Theme

Having a colour and theme in mind will keep you focused and help you to brainstorm ideas. The theme for the baby shower was rubber duckies. You could even have a color theme, such as yellow and blue or pink and purple. The last wedding I helped with had a green and lavender theme and it was stunning. By having a theme it keeps your eye tuned to watching for ideas that have that theme. Making a list of items you need are also important so you are only purchasing the items you will use and not overspending on items you won’t use.

  • Time

If possible give yourself enough time to plan the event and to shop for it. When your time frame is longer it gives you the opportunity to shop for sales in the weekly flyers or look for deals at your local stores. You may also find offers and sales on-line and have them shipped to you without even leaving the comfort of your home.

For the baby shower I needed a bunch of rubber ducks for decorations. I found them in bulk at oriental trading company at a fraction of the price I would have paid in local stores. I also had canvas bags made for a wedding for out-of-town guests through vista print. I had the time to wait for sales and the time it took to ship them to me.
I also used coupons to make many of the table decorations such as the diaper cake and diaper babies. It took 120 diapers to make the cake and another 16 diapers for the “diaper babies”. I used coupons  together with sales to get the best deals on the diapers and stocked up little by little.
  • Invitations

You can find many on-line companies that will custom make invitations for you at a fraction of the cost. I found a great deal on-line through one of the photo companies to make my invitations. The company had an excellent sale on invitations and I had some credits to use, so I thought why not. You could also print or make your own invitations if you are the DIY type or person. I have seen scrapbook paper that you could use to make your own invitations. You could also buy a  DIY kit at a craft store to design invitations the way you want them, which are also popular.

Think outside the box and you can come up with unique ways to ask guests to attend a party or event. I designed a wedding invite for a beach destination wedding that was very unique and worked out well.  I started by locating some small bottles that I filled with a little sand a few tiny seashells. We then printed invitations on parchment paper and either ripped on burned the edges. We then rolled them up like a scroll and placed them in the bottles and sealed them with a cork and wax. This was going to be a small wedding so we only had to make 12 bottles so the cost was minimal but the impact was huge. You could also do e-invites. There are several sites that offer them including Facebook.
  • Timing Is Everything

What time you plan the event is also very important if you are trying to stay within a tight budget. If you plan an event or party at noon or mid-evening, people are going to expect to be fed a meal. If you plan the party for mid-afternoon, say around 3:00 pm then you can get away with finger foods and snacks. A wedding would be around 2 o’clock and you could do a cake and appetizer reception. Always put that on the wedding invitation too so guests are not disappointed that it isn’t a meal (example: A cake and punch reception to follow). If you are on a tight budget then you always want to plan for a time of the day that the food will not take up the bulk of your budget.

  • Let Them Eat Cake

Food is usually the most expensive part of any party. It is wise to plan ahead and plan well. Call in the talents of friends and relatives to help with this. Do you have a friend or can you decorate cakes.  If not try something a little easier like doing cupcakes instead. Maybe you or someone you know loves to cook or bake. It is always worth asking for help, even if you have to pay for it.

We did a beautiful fruit basket that was shaped like a baby carriage all the way down to the baby (made of fruit) inside. We found the idea on-line. You could easily make a fruit bowl or basket from a watermelon. Use in-season fruit to make it less expensive. Finger sandwiches are also a big hit at any party. You can use cookie cutters to cut them into shapes or simply cut the crust off and cut them into 4 pieces. We were lucky enough to have my son-in-law who has a small BBQ business furnish us with BBQ sliders for the party.

I stocked up on candy after Easter for the baby shower. Pretty pastel candy to put out in bowls on the table. I also found some cute little foil wrapped ducks that were perfect for the party….all half priced!! We did the same for my daughter’s wedding, we stocked up on candy after Valentines day. Heart shapes and the pretty reds, pinks and purples were perfect for her wedding candy buffet that she wanted.

Going to big warehouse stores is another great place to find deals on food like appetizers, rolls, prepared salads, candy, baked goods and on and on. If you don’t have a membership, ask a friend who does to take you as a guest. This is also a fantastic place to purchase bulk serve ware, disposable plates, napkins, cups and utensils. For larger functions (such as weddings) we also use the warehouse stores to purchase the aluminum trays for cooking and serving. Keep the food and drinks simple such as Tea, punch and/or lemonade covers just about everyone.

  • Decorations

With time you can search sites like Pinterest and come up with all sorts of ideas that you can do yourself. Take the theme or color scheme and start a notebook of ideas. I know that each week in the paper there are coupons for a craft store that I shop at. I can buy 1 item at a discount (if it isn’t already on sale). So little by little I stash away the things I need for decorating the party including table centerpieces and flower arrangements, all at a discount.

Check out YouTube also for instructions and ideas on just about everything. Don’t be afraid to try to make something you have never done before. Even if it isn’t picture perfect, the guests will never know and will likely be just as impressed. My daughter made huge tissue paper puffs that we hung from the ceiling for the party. It gave the impression of lanterns swaying in the wind. It was the talk of the party, yet she didn’t like the way they turned out. I thought they were wonderful.

  • For Family Gatherings

My grandmother taught me that you never attend a  party or gathering empty-handed. You always bring a hostess gift, a gift or a covered dish. For the family gathering, it is always best to bring a dish. If we are hosting a party we cover the main dish and ask everyone to bring a side or dessert.  Everyone now has “signature dishes” that are expected at these family dinners or a get-together. One of these days I want to put together a recipe book of all our favorites and give it to the family as a gift.

Well, I hope this helps you plan a frugal party and keep it within your budget. A party is a celebration of friends and family…it should never be a strain or stress financially.  Let’s Party!

Guest Post By: Follow Frugal Sally on Facebook or her blog Being Frugal Sally.

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