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Food and Life

Recipe: All-Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder {and a Melissa d’Arabian Cookbook Giveaway!}

· Narrative

Slow Cooker All Purpose Pork Shoulder
Is that not the most gorgeous picture ever? It makes me want to make the recipe all over again.

Melissa d’Arabian first burst onto the public food scene when she competed on The Next Food Network Star a few years ago. I watched as she held her own against other, sometimes more flamboyant and edgy, competitors, staying the course. She went on to win the competition, earning herself her very own spot on the Food Network line-up.

Her point of view? Ten dollar dinners.

A movement I can get behind.

Especially when it’s a well-balanced meal.

That’s kid-friendly.

And features recipes that don’t have you hunting all over heck and creation to find ingredients you’ll likely never use again.

Amen.

She is a stay-at-home mom of four, who has lived in Paris. As such, her menus have many different cultural influences, and aren’t just relegated to plain, ordinary fare. She learned her frugal tendencies from her mom, who was a single mother putting herself through college and medical school, and those lessons have clearly served her well.

So when I heard that she was coming out with her first cookbook, I was all in. After looking through it, the recipe for the pork shoulder caught my eye.

And the fact that it was a slow cooker recipe, when it was still plenty hot outside, was a bonus.

Pork shoulder, white wine, onion, garlic, salt, pepper.

People, it doesn’t get easier.

It smelled heavenly a few hours in.

And once done, it shredded up in nothing flat.

It was moist, flavorful, and kid-friendly.

Which is my favorite kind of recipe.

One of the features I like best about the cookbook is that Melissa gives you suggestions for how to use the recipe. The page following the pork shoulder recipe features 10 different ways to use the meat, everything from chili and tacos to hash, turnovers, and tamale pie.

Because who wants to eat the same thing for days on end?

The cookbook includes recipes for Salmon Cakes, Four Step Chicken Piccata, Kale and Crispy Bacon Salad, Roasted Garlic and White Bean Chili, Zucchini Carpaccio, Chicken Marengo, Bulgur-Stuffed Veggies, Fennel-Onion Quiche, Provencal Tomatoes, Cheesy Popovers, Double Chocolate Pound Cake, Homemade Yogurt, and much  more.

And now how about a chance to win her cookbook?  It’s over 350 pages of colorful photographs, easy and delicious recipes, and as Bobby Flay said, “Melissa’s real-life experience as a wife and mom makes her the perfect person to help all of us get dinner to the table.”

Amen to that.

  • TO ENTER: Comment on this post and tell me your favorite chef/cook.
  • FOR MORE ENTRIES: … Tweet this post. Or Pin this post. (You can do that by using the handy little buttons at the bottom of this post). Or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, if you don’t already (and come back and tell me you did).
  • GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, August 17th at 11pm EST
  • WINNER ANNOUNCED: In this upcoming weekend’s Weekend Photos in Review post
  • NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
  • FINE PRINT: The winner will be selected using random.org.

All-Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder
Recipe courtesy of Melissa d’Arabian

  • 1 3-to-4-pound boneless pork shoulder (or 4 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

Rinse the pork, place on a cutting board, pat dry with paper towels and rub in the salt and pepper. Set the pork in the bowl of a slow cooker, scatter the onion over the pork, sprinkle in the garlic and add the wine. Cook until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork, about 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and transfer the pork to a platter. Use two forks to shred the meat.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can braise the pork shoulder in a 325 degrees F oven for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

I served ours shredded on whole wheat buns, with sliced red onion, avocado, and a bit of Dijon mustard.

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Comments

  1. I would say Ina Garten in my favorite — although she sure loves her butter etc (I lighten her recipes pretty often). I don’t think I’ve ever had a miss with her recipes. Your dinner sounds great.

    Reply

  2. Hmmm, it’s hard to pick just one favorite, I think I would have to say Paula Deen. That Pork Shoulder looks so good, may have to give it a try soon. I really like that the cookbook gives other meals to use the meat in, it does get boring on the third day of trying to use leftovers, LOL.

    Reply

  3. Now this is something I can get behind too! 2 kids, a full time job and a tight budget would make this the perfect cookbook for our family!! I’m a big fan of Giada DiLaurentis…now off to share on FB, Tweet & Pin :-)

    Reply

  5. I’m not a big pork eater but this recipe looks quite yummy and very economical! I’m a single mother also and a reformed fast food junkie so I’m looking for good, kid friendly, versatile recipes!

    My favorite food network chef to watch is Giada! I love her recipes and especially the sound of the crunch when she chops her veggies! LOL

    Reply

  9. My favorite cook is Mary Ann Esposito. She hosts a show on PBS (haven’t seen it on lately) called Ciao Italia and has published several Italian cookbooks! I like Melissa too. I saw her on the food competition and was so happy that she won.
    Debbie recently posted..Vanilla Lime Pound Cake

    Reply

  10. I can’t think of one favorite right now. I love Nigella Lawson’s books – they have substance and are a bit exotic (to me) yet the recipes are still within my reach. I will stop and watch Melissa whenever I come by her show – she always makes something good. Rachael Ray’s recipes are good (even though her portions are ridiculous). I love Bobby Flay for his personality (when he first came around I couldn’t stand him).
    paula recently posted..Ah, finally! Chorizo Carbonara

    Reply

  15. Waaaaay too many great Chefs to choose from but I’d have to say
    Ina Garten is my favorite !!! Simple and elegant……

    Reply

  17. I like to watch Alton Brown; I love his scientific approach. I’m also quite entertained by Gordan Ramsey. And I could listen to and watch Curtis Stone cook all day with googley eyes.

    Reply

  21. I have to give my favorite chef award to Julia Child! My boyfriend and I have been watching old episodes of “Baking With Julia” for years, and she’s just so kooky and lovable.

    I follow you on Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest — um, basically everywhere. Ha!
    Meg recently posted..Sunflower fields forever

    Reply

  26. I’d have to say my mom is my favorite cook, she taught me so much while always making cooking dinner look easy.

    Reply

  29. There are a lot of food chefs on TV that I do like, but if I had to pick a favorite cook, it would hands down be my grandmother. She was my inspiration and many treasured recipes and memories come from her.

    Reply

  30. Ever since I was a little girl I loved The Galloping Gourmet, Graham Kerr. During the summer, my sister and I used to act out all his cooking shows when we made our lunch. Even down to pulling someone (each other.. haha)out of the audience to sample the food! I still have the shows on tape. He really makes me laugh now that I understand more of the adult humor! I always thought the meals were so exotic. I certainly got interested in cooking from this early T.V. chef!

    Reply

  32. This recipe is perfect! I was looking to offload some of the cooking my wife does for our very active family of 5. She is a great cook in her own right but also has a full time job. Our family loves pulled pork and barbecue ribs, especially my oldest daughter and I. I plan to cook the Pork Shoulder this weekend and surprise them all. I went online to find this gem of a posting and cant wait to try it out this weekend. I was excited to see Melissa has a cookbook of simple meals for the family as that will be perfect to entice me to do more cooking. I would love to win the book :)
    My favorite chef right now is Marc Vetri who has 4 amazing restaraunts in the Philadelphia area. Vetri, Osteria, Amis and his new one Alla Spina. He continues to come up with incredible dishes and does a great job pairing wine or beer with the meals.

    Reply

  33. I just made this and wow is it fantastic! It tasted so good as is and was falling apart, took no effort to shred! We added BBQ sauce tonight and will use the other for shredded pork tacos later this week! The dogs were surrounding us as we shredded the meat. They had a little for dinner too:-)

    Reply

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