Bourbon-Peach Pulled Pork

I don't always follow any recipe with pulled pork. I just toss it in the crock pot for a few hours, usually with some sliced or chopped onion, salt and pepper and then taste and season as I go. Not always, but I often use BBQ sauce -- either homemade or store-bought; but beyond that it really depends. Extra stock as needed to keep everything moist.

Feel like Hawaiin pulled pork? Throw in some pineapple. Want a little heat? Stir in some diced or minced peppers or chilis, or use chili powder. Want to take it Southwest? Add some cumin, garlic or a little cayenne in with the those chiles.

Brown sugar or a little molasses often goes into my pots of pulled pork. Sometimes spoonfulls of stone-ground mustard. I usually like a spash of vinegar; also a bit of soy sauce (or fish or oyster sauce). I also like ginger.

I'll still work that way most often with pulled pork, just tasting and seasoning as it cooks. It's easier than being picky over measured amounts from a specific recipe. But when I stumbled on a pulled pork recipe first sears a pork roast coated with a simple spice rub before tossing it in the slow-cooker with bourbon and peaches...I gave it a whirl!

Actually, no peaches are used in the original recipe*, just peach preserves. But I added half a peach, sliced super thin along with the onions. I also didn't want to open a quart of chicken stock just for half a cup, but I had about half a cup of pineapple juce leftover for extra moisture - and a pinch of smoked salt. To me, even though I love smoked paprika, this recipe was pretty heavy on the paprika, especially with crushed red pepper as well. But it does mellow a bit as it cooks, and my addition of pineapple-juice sweetness may have helped balance the spice too.

Though I may or may not work specifically from this recipe to make pulled pork again, the bourbon peach combo with molasses and balsamic in the mix is a flavor combination I will definitely enjoy again!

* I'm crediting Cooking Light with the original recipe. I also found it on two other recipe sites: My Recipes (using the exact same photo as Cooking Light); and Prevention RD - who credits CookingLight.com.