Crockpot Pulled Pork Panini

If Ben had it his way, we'd eat barbeque every week. Don't get me wrong, I love some good barbeque like BBQ Chicken Pizza, but I find plain ole pulled pork boring. There's not much to it; just meat and a hamburger bun. So when Ben recently requested pulled pork and I wanted a crockpot dinner, I decided to please him but add a bit of variety. This sandwich turned out so good that next time he requests pulled pork, I won't complain!

 

Ingredients

(Makes 6+ meat servings)

• ~2.5 lbs pork shoulder
• 16 oz root beer
• 3 Tbsp pork rub
• 1 cup barbque sauce
• 1 loaf ciabatta 
• Optional toppings: colby jack cheese, red onions, cilantro

Directions:

• Cover meat with seasoning (we love Spice House's); don't forget the ends
• Set meat in slow cooker and pour root beer around meat (try not to pour directly over meat so that seasoning stays)

• Cook on low for ~8 hours; until meat is thoroughly cooked and shreds easily
• Drain root beer from slow cooker; leaving ~1/2 cup of liquid
• Use a fork to shred meat
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

•  Measure out a half cup of your favorite BBQ sauce (I discovered Stubbs at Whole Foods. I try to be diligent about buying items without High Fructose Corn Syrup, which is kind of hard to do with BBQ sauce! I later realized our regular grocer, Jewel, also carries the sauce and is a few bucks cheaper than WF. Surprise, surprise).
• Stir sauce into shredded meat; add more sauce as desired

• Prepare your toppings; per sandwich: two pieces of cheese, one tablespoon of cilantro and one tablespoon chopped red onion

• Line a cookie sheet with aluminun foil
• Cut ciabatta in half
• Scoop meat onto bread to that it's approximately 1" high

• Add toppings (can you guess which is mine and which is Ben's?)
• Place top on sandwich and bake for approximately 10 minutes (or until cheese is melted)

•  Enjoy!

Linking up with Let's Get Bananas and Blissfully Miller for Taste of Tuesday