SLOW COOKER PORK WITH PEACH BARBECUE SAUCE
Submitted by Southern Living on Nov 24, 2017

We still love our slow cookers as much as we did 30 years ago, though we’ve gotten a lot smarter about using them. We know now that searing the meat first and deglazing the skillet with the liquid you’ll add to the slow cooker yields deeply flavorful meat. The sear also creates a crust that tastes like the pork has been in the barbecue pit for hours. Every ingredient in the cooking liquid will transform into a sauce with plenty of depth and body. You can use apricot preserves instead of peach, and omit the bourbon if you like.

Servings:
Group

Complexity:   
Easy

Total Time:
7 hours

Ingredients:
2 tsp. smoked paprika
2 tsp.reduced sodium soy sauce
11/4 tsp.kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. crushed red pepper
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup peach preserves
1 (31/2lb.) bone in pork shoulder
roast (Boston butt) trimmed
2cups vertically sliced onion
5 garlic cloves thinly sliced
1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
1/4 cup bourbon
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp. cold water
1/3 cup molasses
2 tsp. cornstarch

Directions:
Heat a large skillet over medium high Coat pan with cooking spray.
combine paprika, 1/2 tsp. salt, and black pepper in a bowl; rub evenly
over pork. Add pork to pan; cook ten minutes, turning to brown on all sides.
Place pork in a 6 quart electric slow cooker.

Add stock and next four ingredients through the crushed red pepper to
skillet; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Add pre-
serves, stirring with a whisk. Pour stock mixture over pork; top with
onion and garlic. Cover, and cook on low 61/2 hours or until pork is
very tender.
Place pork on cutting board; reserve cooking liquid. When cool
enough to handle, shred pork into large pieces, and place on a platter.
Remove onion from slow cooker with slotted spoon; add to pork.
Place a large ziptop bag inside a 4 cup glass measuring cup. Care-
fully add cooking liquid; let stan 10 minutes (fat will rise to the top).
Seal bag; carefully snip off a bottom corner. Drain drippings into the
skillet, stopping before fat layer reaches opening; discard fat. Stir
bourbon into drippins; bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes or until reduced
to about 11/2 cups.

combine 2 tbsp. cold water and cornstarch in a small bowl. Stir cirn-
starch mixture and remaining 3/4 tsp. salt into cooking liquid mixture;
cook 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Drizzle sauce over pork and
onion; toss gently to coat.