Spicy Shredded Pork and Awards!

I've gotten to the point where I know I can try anything that the Pioneer Woman posts on her blog without the slightest worry about whether or not it will be loved! This shredded pork recipe is no exception, and it had my husband and little boy coming back for more! It was actually quite humorous to see my 2 year old holding a pork taco that was bigger than his own head! :) He loved it though!

The original recipe calls for the pork to be roasted for about 6-7 hours in the oven. Since my littlest one has been sick, I wasn't sure that I would have the flexibility to move it around every hour or so, to keep it moist and evenly cooked. With this in mind, I went ahead and prepared it the same way, but then put it in my crock pot instead. I can't vouch for how this compares to the roasting method and I do hope to try it that way one day. I can say that in the crock pot, the flavor was amazing and it literally fell apart. So delicious and my house smelled wonderful! I'm including my crock pot instructions here, but feel free to follow the source back to the Pioneer Woman for her original directions.

Spicy Shredded Pork

4-7 pound pork shoulder

1 onion

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 cup brown sugar

3-4 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1-2 tablespoons salt

pepper

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

2-3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Rinse and pat dry the pork shoulder. Place the pork shoulder in the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot and add about a cup of water in the bottom. Combine oregano, cumin, salt, pepper, garlic, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic, olive oil, white wine vinegar and quartered onion in the food processor. Process until well blended. Pour over the pork and rub well into entire surface. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the meat easily shreds using 2 forks. Serve in warm tortilla shells with fresh salsa and sour cream.

Source: Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Now... onto the awards! I was so excited to hear from Heidi, from Tried and True Cooking with Heidi , that she was passing on several awards to my blog! These are my first official awards, so my sincere thanks to Heidi! I'm so touched and honored!

The 'Friends' award comes with the following message: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated."It also says : "Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

In the spirit of these awards, I am passing all three along to some of the blogs that I find myself checking on a regular basis.

Christy's Kitchen Creations
Rachel vs. The Kitchen
The Life and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch
Tried and True Cooking with Heidi
My Tasty Treasures
The Sisters Cafe
Brown Eyed Baker
Annie's Eats
Picky Palate