This slow cooker pulled pork recipe is inspired by the filling in those dumplings. This is one of those recipes I couldn’t stop making or eating, it’s so good! Seriously. Easy to make too. We start with big chunks of well marbled pork shoulder rubbed with Chinese 5-spice powder. Chinese 5-spice is a common spice rub for Chinese cooking. (If it’s not available at your local market, you can make your own. We’ve included one recipe below, and there are several others online to choose from.)
Keep the Fat on for Flavor
Put the spice rubbed pork into a slow cooker, top with a sauce mixture of hoisin, soy sauce, honey, sherry, ginger, and garlic, and set it for 4 hours on high or 8 on low. One thing about cooking pork shoulder in a slow cooker is that a generous amount of fat is rendered in the process. You may be tempted to either cut off all the fat before cooking, or ladle off most the fat afterwards. Here’s a tip. The fat is where you’ll find the flavor, and it’s needed to keep the meat from drying out. I suggest ladling off excess fat after cooking, and then adding some back to get to the consistency, taste, and texture you want.
Ways to Use This Pulled Pork
You can put the pulled pork in tacos, burritos, or if you want to mimic the dumplings, serve them on a sweet Hawaiian dinner roll.
