In the freezer I found an almost 7lb pork loin and immediately I know I want both tamales and BBQ shredded pork. Can I do both with this one big chunk of meat? I’m going to try!
We like our meat full of flavor and spice (who doesn’t?) To me, this means using the same slow cooked pork for both tamales and sandwiches can be done. So, here I go:
Ingredients:
6-7lb pork loin (if you only want half the amount only 1 dish, use 3-4lb pork loin)
Lemon pepper or whatever meat rub you have on hand
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Large yellow onion sliced
Entire garlic head
Low sodium Spicy V8
Large skillet
Large crock pot
Get yourself ready: 1st make yourself a bloody mary!
I couldn’t help myself... I had vodka in the freezer and Spicy V8, what else was I supposed to do? Put ice in a glass, add vodka, fill glass with Spicy V8, add couple dashes of worcestershire sauce, add dash of lemon pepper, stir, garnish with celery stick, green olive, and enjoy!
2nd: drizzle EVOO in bottom of large skillet and warm pan on medium heat. Rinse off pork loin and rub it down with lemon pepper or other spices. Brown seasoned pork on all sides. You want a nice crust on the top and bottom.
3rd: slice the onion and prepare the garlic. (I clean off the garlic cloves as much as I can and then I put them in the microwave for 10 seconds to loosen the remaining skin and soften them up.) Use a fork to mash the garlic cloves on the bottom of the crock pot. Layer the sliced onions on top of the mashed garlic.
4th: Place the browned pork in the crock pot and pour Spicy V8 over the pork. You can use the rest of the bottle, or leave yourself enough for another bloody mary.
5th: Slow cook on low for a minimum 20 hours. Yes, 20 hours.... the house will smell scrumptious!
6th: Remove from the crock pot and place on a large plate. If any fat remains on the pork, it should just fall away. Remove that fat. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for at least an hour.
7th: Shred the meat and separate into two batches for tamales and sandwiches.
Use the meat however you'd like or go on and try either my
barbecue pulled pork sandwiches or
tamales!
Let me know how you like it and any changes you make to it.
Misty Lou, Misty Jean, Mistycal and even Extrafancy are just a few of the nicknames to which I answer. The most important names though are Wife, StepMom and Mom. With all these names it's sometimes hard to know who I am! This blog started as a Nebraska girl learning, trying, succeeding and failing at gardening in Colorado. Along the way in growing my garden, I grew my family too as I married a wonderful man and became StepMom to two precious Boys. Now our family grows more as we have a Baby Girl. So here is all of me as I share my family, home and garden. BTW my middle name is Jennifer; my name is Misty Jennifer Montano.
