BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches

     This is only the second time that I have ever made barbecued pulled pork sandwiches.  The first time the recipe had tons of ingredients and didn't turn out so great.  I was pretty disappointed and haven't attempted another pulled pork recipe until now.  I found this excellent recipe from Sweet & Savory and it only has four ingredients, unlike the last one I tried.  And although the recipe title says sandwiches, I had some hot dog buns I needed to use up, so that's how we ate ours!

2½ lbs. boneless pork tenderloin
seasoning salt
12 oz. can of Pepsi (feel free to use a different kind of cola)
12 oz. Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue, more to taste (about ½ of the small 18 oz. bottle)
Hamburger buns or kaiser rolls

     Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning salt onto the pork and rub it in.  Place the pork in the bottom of the crockpot.  Dump in the Pepsi and barbecue sauce, using a spoon to rub the barbecue sauce over the pork.  Turn the crockpot on low and cook for about 6 hours.  After 3-4 hours, use two forks to pull apart and shred the pork.  Spoon the pork onto your favorite buns or kaiser rolls to make a sandwich.  Makes about 10 servings.

Nutritional information per serving:  303 calories, 9 grams of fat, 20 carbohydrates, 33 grams of protein, 0 gram of fiber.  **Calculations do not include buns.**

Ranch Pork Tenderloin

     Have I ever mentioned how much I love my crockpot?  I mean seriously, I don't know that I have ever made a bad meal in that thing.  And the best part is that I am not the only one that makes meals in the crockpot!  That's right, my husband actually made this meal!  Well, to be fair to myself, I did set out the ingredients and write down all two steps he needed to follow.  And I sent him a text while I was at work, reminding him to turn the crockpot this time!  So if he can do this, so can you!  This recipe came from Living, Laughing, and Loving blog, which I of course found in the course of several hours I spent scouring pinterest for all sorts of goodies.

Thin cut pork tenderloins
Ranch dressing dry seasoning packet
Cream of chicken soup
Water

Mix together the ranch packet, cream of chicken soup, and 1 soup can full of water in the crockpot.  Place the pork in the crockpot, spooning some of the mixture over top of the pork.  Turn on low for 4-6 hours.

Brown Sugar & Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

     This was one of the first recipes I found on pinterest.  It is from C + C Marriage Factory blog.  I attempted to make this recipe once before...last week.  That night we ate tacos instead.  Why?  Well I was rushing to leave for work on time that morning and had thrown everything in the crockpot.  I knew I couldn't start cooking it at 6:30 AM so I asked my husband to turn on the crockpot for me around 11 AM.  You might be thinking this disaster was all his fault, but he actually did his part and turned it on.  But I had forgotten to put the water in the crockpot, so when I got home we had an overly cooked and dry chunk of pork tenderloin.  We gave a little bit to the dog and the rest to the trash can! At least on my second attempt at making this meal, I was successful.  My husband and I were both a huge fan of the glaze, which I may try with chicken next time.  As a side dish, I paired this with roasted root vegetables, which complemented this pork perfectly.

1 lb. boneless pork tenderloin
1 tsp. ground sage
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup water

Glaze Ingredients:
¼ cup brown sugar
1½ tsp. cornstarch
1/8 cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup water
1 tbsp. soy sauce

     Combine the sage, salt, pepper, and garlic.  Rub over the pork.  Place in the slow cooker with the water and allow to cook on low for 6-8 hours.  About 1 hour before the roast is done, make the glaze. Combine all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and heat until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally.  Brush the glaze on the roast three times during the last hour of cooking.  Just before serving, heat the remaining glaze up again and serve over the pork.   Makes about 3-4 servings.

Dad's Pork Tenderloin

     This is a recipe from one of the many amazing Gooseberry Patch cookbooks.  It probably requires the least prep out of any recipe I have ever made!  The original recipe calls for an entire tenderloin, but I have never made it that way since there is only two of us!  I always use thin cut pork tenderloin slices instead (except this time and I regretted it later because the meat was not near as tender).  And just so we are clear, that is my husband's plate stacked high with a double serving of meat and potatoes!

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can of golden mushroom soup

1 can of french onion soup

1-2 lbs. of thin cut pork tenderloin

     Combine all three cans of soup into the crockpot, stir until smooth and well mixed.  Place pork in the crockpot and spoon soup mixture over top so that pork in covered.  Cook for 4-5 hours on low, or until meat is tender.