Easy BBQ "Pulled" Pork

I've never blogged a recipe before. But, I have read plenty of recipe blogs and lots of them are kinda witty but seriously, most of the time I just want the recipe.

I will say up front that the stand mixer is the star of this recipe for the almost instantaneous pulling/shredding of the pork that would ordinarily be quite time consuming. If you don't have a stand mixer, the pork will be soft enough to shred but it will take a lot longer.

Ingredients:
6 boneless center cut chops
1/2 cup water
Spices-I used a southwestern spice mix and fresh ground black pepper on the chops before putting them in the slow cooker
Sliced onions
~Half bottle BBQ sauce of choice
I'm a horrible Texan as I've yet to make my own. I used Stubb's Spicy.

Instructions:
Pour water and some BBQ sauce into slow cooker, stir well.
Place one layer of chops inside slow cooker. Mine allowed for three across.
Put some sauce and onions on top of first layer, then add another layer of chops followed by more onions and sauce. I set mine to cook on low for 7 hours.

At the end of the 7 hours, use a slotted spoon and transfer half of the cooked chops into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater. Mix on low until the pork is shredded to the level you want. Transfer shredded pork into another bowl and shred the remaining chops.

The end result will need saucing.
This part actually works great because while the shredded pork does have flavor without adding sauce, this gives everyone at the table the option of adding the kind of sauce they prefer.

FYI: Using 6 pork chops will yield A LOT of pulled pork. If you have a small family or don't want leftovers, I'd do half.

I served mine with Kansas City style sauce, fluffy buns, homemade slaw, and pickles.

Melted Heat a Mix

Alright welcome to the second installment of my critically acclaimed mix tape series. This one is brought to your aural pleasure by me, you trusty sonic captain. That was corny, just went with what felt right natural leaving my fingertips. Suppose a little background wouldn't hurt, have after all set a precedent. Talking shit about mix tape skills is a lost art, well so is the art of a good mix. All to often find yourself just pressing shuffle on the iCash while driving to work. Yes it works, buts its so un-personal, cold, sometimes depressing. (ed. Still have boat loads of Elliott Smith on mine.) The point is unless you have tons of free time on your hands, making lampshades is tricky business. Lampshades, mix tapes same difference. Well now that you, the reader is sufficiently confused lets get to work.

Melted Heat a Mix

The Mama Papa - Plants and Animals

This wasn't originally the first track. Wanted to start with something that I really enjoy. Plants and Animals reminds me of what Modest Mouse should have gone on to sound like, before that whole Float On debacle. But,but I digress. They have managed to produce two very good albums and should be looked into further.

Misirlou - Pulp Fiction Soundtrack

Huge sucker for Tarantino film soundtracks and films. His knowledge should astound you. No really it should.

Deadbeat Summer - Neon Indian

So I went to this ACL Pre-Festival show Thursday night a few years back. This set my weekend. I woke up saturday morning with my ears still rattling and enormously hung over. I was packed and ready for what turned out to be pure sonic bliss.

Hannah - Freelance Whales

I'm a sucker for good pop songs. This is what pop should sound like, people who play instruments, harmonize, and all that other musical jargon tossed freely around other pretentious blogs. Dreamy fantasy about things and people who make us better, or so we imagine.

Always Something - Cage the Elephant

Pure Rock in my book. These kids from Bowling Green, KY and I do mean kids can melt some faces. Really enjoy this raw angsty rock and tear the roof down shit. Kings of Leon started doing this on the first two records and somehow evolved to something different. CTE always gets cranked up on my rides.

Lovesick Teenagers - Bear In Heaven

If you haven't noticed, its been a up, up, down, up down down affair. Well that can be a problem with these things. I have this vision of a typical day for things that should have lifelike appeal. Mix tapes are no different. Bear In Heaven has a new album dropping this year, get on it.

99 Problems - Hugo

Also a huge sucker for cover songs. This version at karaoke would get you a standing ovation. But only at hipster bars, so yeah whatever. I'll tell you how it turns out later.

Love Me Tenderly - The Felice Brothers

Look at the cover of this album, tell me this didn't just happen. Boozy renditions of old saloon songs, full of love, loss, drinking, and heavy drug use. Darling, wouldn't you love that? Think not, however it is a treat to dream right.

The Bay - Metronomy

Let me start by saying "I am all stupid over this band." Absolutely dig this band, seriously if I could get away with it, the whole mix would be peppered with their songs. Music is supposed to take you away, and we're cruising the French Rivera in a rag top. Grab this, watch their vids, buy their clothes.

Ambling Alp - Yeasayer

Was so happy when I heard this live for the first time. I throw around sonic bliss a lot and well, this personifies it in my book. Funny, that book gets a lot of mentions or maybe its the 12yr old Scotch I'm drinking.

The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

They won the Grammy for Best Album. Had friends call and ask me "What the hell is this shit?" Seriously love that, one of my favorite bands since undergrad and vali-freakin-dation. I saw a unicorn born that day folks, it was glorious. Underneath it all, like this song a lot. Want this life, its absurd. The little hipster in me wants to live in records and this one I'd play till death or was bored and then...

I Might - Wilco

I'd live in this Wilco album. Why? Why the hell not? This is one of Wilco's best albums in a while IMO. If you're a fan of Wilco, then it's a familiar experience. If new, Wilco is intelligent folksy indie rock music,(ed. Ugh i hate that term) with a dash of everything in the right place. Hate to pigeonhole bands like that.

Comfy In Nautica - Panda Bear

After a strangely long night and very early morning, involving gunpowder of all things. Find myself oddly transfixed with this playing on the car ride to the killing fields. Clay pigeons or maybe some ducks, who will ever know?

Something - The Willowz

Saw them open up for the Toadies one night. Long story short, I have 3 signed vinyl, lots of insane pictures, and gap in memory 4 days long. Thanks. LY. Our general admiration of the Toadies has solidified your place at the top.

Little Beam - You Can't Win, Charlie Brown

This is Lois Costa. He is from Spain. The label is Cakes & Tapes. This is a band he performs with, in Europe. If you want to impress your friends you will get to know this guy. First heard him, as himself on the last track. I'm giving out my gold here. http://bolachas.org/

Reservoir Park - The Dutchess & The Duke

First track off the first D&D album. Henceforth no more. Two fantastic albums full of catchy tunes about death and despair. Find something awesome with a band that takes a fucked up situation and manages to hose out a bright sunshiny day. Would have liked to been there during the recording process.

Little Maestro (ft. Noiserv) - Lois Costa

Back to Lois Costa, hmm... I like well arranged music and this is well thought out. Read more here, I do hope you have enjoyed your experience. Its been fun and till next time. Did someone find my keys? How the hell do you turn.......

Letter to Brick about MixTapes - ShareeOne

One night a friend says to me " I'm bored with the music I am hearing." In my infinite wisdom I casually mention I haven't made a mix tape in a while, "Let me see if I'm still up to it." Two weeks later its done. I had a couple different things I wanted to showcase but wanted it to stay fairly within the last five years. However while looking for the perfect song to start off the tape, I realized it had to be something enjoyed, sorta known, but still obscure enough to confuse some people. So without further delay.

Holland, 1945 - Neutral Milk Hotel - 1996
Pure Nostalgia also the fourth song I had in mind for the tape. Immediately knew it was gonna be the first track. Plus Jeff Mangum is slowly becoming my new favorite eccentric rock god.

Black Blizzard/Red Umbrella- The Octopus Project - 2007
I saw this band one night at the Josephine Theater on St. Mary's street. Was at another show ( Ra Ra Riot) and the headliner sucked ( Tokyo Police Club) Long story short I find myself in a room full of projectors shooting
all over the place. My accompaniment for the evening complained about the bass thumping interfering with her heart beat and the pictures making her nauseous. I causally mentioned she might be pregnant. She left, I danced my ass off till 1 A.M. Moral of the story, if it feels good turn it up. Oh this is also theme music for How They Make It.

The CN tower Belongs to the Dead- Final Fantasy - 2005

Ah, yes a little gem I had tucked away on the ole music player. Owen Pallett is his name, If you've ever heard of a little band called Arcade fire then you have heard his string arrangements. I cant say more then this is a very beautiful song that kinda teases the listener feel relaxed, I don't plan on blowing out your eardrums for the next 45 minutes. Feel this track personifies the mix.

You Will Leave A Mark - Silent Film - 2008
Pure Cheese. Enjoyable pop that fit the flow of how the mix needed to sound. The imaginary librarian in my head, jams this on her way home from work. She's super sexy and cool.

Too Too Too Fast - Ra Ra Riot - 2008
Been a huge fan of this band since I first saw them with my buddy Brick @SXSW. Another band that I feel if given the right airtime would blow up bigger then Vampire Weekend. Fun Fact, VW and RRR often tour together.

Crimewave (Crystal Castles VS Health) - Crystal Castles - 2008
I'm on the fence with CC. They exude lengths of talent over the first couple songs on their debut album. Crimewave is the finest example of their brilliance.

Solitudue Is Bliss - Tame Impala - 2010
Island Walking - Tame Impala - 2010
This band had to have its own showcase on the mix. I have only recently got back "into" this album InnerSpeaker. These Aussie dudes can jam, so slather me up some Boisin Berry, butter, and toast. The tracks are like this on the album and work out as a nice interlude for the rest of the mix. Island Walking shows that even without words, music has power to move people. And that's not just the booze talking. ' )

Excuses - The Morning Benders - 2010
Wall of Sound Awesomeness. First heard these dudes after a particular trying moment in my life and summarily forgot about them. Fast forward a handful of years and WTF the Morning Benders have a new album, and its freaking good. Particularly enjoy the melodic surf thing they have going on.

Swim Until You Can't See Lant - Frightened Rabbit - 2010
Personally I was not wild about this song, but its grown on me. The tempo and tone are what sells this song. Plus who doesn't like songs about death. It is about death right? Its also in my top75 played, and that is one awesome list.

Do You Want it All ? - Two Door Cinema Club - 2010
ACL 2010 I'm lost looking for my friends who are in the crowd at this show waiting for the next show. These guys are playing a couple songs and the crowd is reluctantly getting into their set. This song starts off and you could feel this buzz in the crowd. Building and building, beer in hand, and then, people exploding all over the place. A wash of people madly dancing or flailing around. Didn't stop moving till the end of the set, three songs later. Oh and the sun was shoving its wonderful rays into our corneas but no one seemed to care.

Airplanes - Local Natives - 2009
ACL 2010 Found my friends over by the Shiner Hippie flag. One of my new favorite albums of the last two years. Has quickly surpassed a lot of other music on the tunes lists. Well performed and frankly a treat to watch live. Also a must for any respectable amalgamation of musical brilliance, as I have hence forth shown.

Elephant Woman - Blonde Readhead - 2004
A guilty pleasure. Huge fan of acid jazz and trip hop. Reminds me of this woman I knew. Learned a whole bunch about music that year, among other nefarious habits. A progression towards the finality of the mix is a must. Abrupt endings always leave a foul taste to the senses.

Odessa - Caribou - 2010
Best way to end a mix is with a tripped out sonic walkabout. Some type of strange in the wilderness alone, scared, tripping, and wet. If you haven't seen the video I just summed it up. Or check out pitchfork.com
I highly suggest doing so, now.

If you haven't received a copy this mix tape don't fret. We have several ways of fixing this just pm your moderator or me.