Cooking with beer is a great way to give pork and added kick to overcome its understated, non-gamy flavor. By cooking pork and beer in a slow cooker, you can make a delicious meal for your family without being stuck in the kitchen. The slow-cooking Crock-Pot is an electric, counter-top pot that heats food at a low, steady temperature. Don't worry about serving your kids a slow-cooked pork meal that contains beer, as the alcohol in the beer will burn away during the cooking process.
Pulled Pork
One of the best-known easy pork and beer meals that you can make in a slow cooker is pulled pork. Pulled pork is a cut of pork that, after several hours of slow cooking, you can "pull" or break apart into fine, succulent shreds of meat. Cooks often slather pulled pork with a zesty barbecue sauce and then spoon it into sandwich rolls or hamburger buns. However, you can also spoon pulled pork into tortillas or taco shells or pile the pork on a plate with rice. For a Southern flare, top the pulled pork with coleslaw. For a European flare, top the pork with sauerkraut and Swiss cheese.
Instructions
Cooking pulled pork with beer in a slow cooker is as simple as dropping your pork into the pot, covering the pork about 3/4 of the way up with beer, covering the pot and then turning the slow cooker on the "high" setting. According to the Kitchen Daily website, you should allow the pork to cook in the beer for between five and seven hours. After cooking, lift the pork out of the pot, shred it into strands with a fork and apply your favorite sauces and spices.
Tips
For best results, use bone-in cuts of pork when making pulled pork in a slow cooker with beer. This is because the bone marrow and collagen will add to the pork's flavor and tenderness. Examples of bone-in cuts to use include arm picnic pork shoulder, which is the lower part of the shoulder, and Boston butt pork shoulder, which is the upper part of the shoulder. When slow-cooking the pork in the beer, add in some slices of onions and Worcestershire sauce to enhance the pork's flavor even further.
Other Options
If you are tired of making pulled pork and are looking to expand your culinary horizons, there are several other easy pork and beer options you can create in the slow cooker. Examples include Southwestern pork chops, which you can make by slow-cooking pork chops with beer and then topping the chops with corn, beans and salsa; a hearty pork rib stew, which you can make by slow-cooking radishes, carrots, potatoes and pork ribs in beer; and an autumnal pork stew, which you can make by slow-cooking apples, parsnips, sweet potatoes and chunks of pork meat in beer. Round out the meals with an easy salad topped with a bacon ranch dressing to tie in with your pork theme.
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