Labor Day Dinner: Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ Fresh Coleslaw

Low and slow is the theme of the day on this Labor Day! A day where we can enjoy the island mentality of taking it easy. In line with the day's theme of low and slow, the menu for today's dinner is Pulled Pork BBQ Sandwich topped with fresh and crunchy coleslaw!

If there's one food that takes a lot of love, it just might have to be the pulled pork. It takes a lot of tender loving care to get it flavorful and tasty not just the day of, but the night before! Now, that's love!

So, usually for pulled pork you use a pork roast, but I chose to use 3.5 lbs of boneless pork loin. I liberally rubbed down the pork with a dry rub, which consists of chili pepper powder,dry mustard, brown sugar, garlic powder, and salt.

I've put it in the refrigerator in a zip lock bag to marinate overnight. Let the flavors sleep on it :)

I woke up nice and easy at 8 am to put my lovely pork into the slow cooker to cook low and slow through the day until dinner time! To help it retain the moisture while giving it another layer of flavor, I added 6 oz of tomato paste and 1/2 cup of water in the base of my slow cooker. Then I snuggled in the pork and let it cook on low. If you're using a probe, you want to make sure the pork loin reaches 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Let it cook on low for at least 3-4 hours. Most slow cookers will automatically switch to warm once it is cooked through. Allow it to stay on warm as it soaks up the moisture softens the tenderness of the meat.

About 3 hours before dinner time, prepare the coleslaw! You need:

• 2 lbs green cabbage
• 4 carrots
• 1 yellow onion
• 1/2 low fat mayonnaise
• 1/4 Dijon mustard
• 2 TSP cider vinegar
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 TSP black pepper
• 1 TSP cayenne
• Pinch of salt

Shred all the vegetables in a food processor. For the dressing, add all the ingredients, whisk, and fold it into the coleslaw mixture. Chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours so that the slaw develops it's flavors into one triumphant symphony! 

An hour before dinner, shred the pork with two forks. This can be pretty time consuming! Then you can use it as-is or add a favorite BBQ sauce to bring it up a notch. I like smokey taste in my pulled pork, so I'm using a hickory smoke BBQ sauce from Trader Joe's! Haven't tried it yet, so I'm putting it to use in this dish :)

Once you mix in the BBQ, in a hot pan, warm it up, put it on a bun (toast if you'd like!), and top it off with the refreshing slaw!

According to John: "Oh my gosh, Andi! This is one of the best things I ever ate!" (He had to come over and give me extra hugs and kisses after the first bite) :)

Anyways, we hope you enjoy. Good food + Good company = A great time!

Thank you, Lord, for providing us food and time to eat and enjoy together. I'll cook for you in heaven one day! Amen =)