Slow Cooked Pulled Pork with Sweet and Sour Cole Slaw and Chipotle Sauce

Lately, I have been so rushed come dinner time, that I have not been able to devote a sufficient amount of my time to making dinner that I would ideally like under more normal circumstances.  A lot of my friends do not understand why I come home and actually cook dinner, as opposed to picking up carry-out or eating cereal, particularly when it is just for me.  Who better for, I ask?  To me, the perfect way to spend several hours in the evening is busy chopping, sauteing, stirring, roasting or frying. I love the way the kitchen feels, my favorite knives have been my nightly companions for almost 20 years, and the aromas remind of what was going on in my life all those times before when I made a particular dish.  It is not a chore or a necessity, it is time when I feel the most comfortable, the most like myself.  Lucky for me, I had the time and inspiration yesterday, a cold and rainy spring day, the perfect day to slow cook a pork picnic roast.

I seasoned a 4 1/2 pound pork picnic roast, or Boston butt with a mix of chili powders (ancho, pasilla and chipotle), cumin, coriander, oregano, garlic powder and salt and pepper and placed it in a shallow roasting pan.  I also crushed 5 or 6 cloves of garlic and roughly chopped a sweet onion and placed them all in the pan with the pork roast.  After adding about 1/2 inch of water to the pan to prevent it from scorching, I placed the pork in at 275 degree oven for 2 hours, uncovered.  I checked on it every so often and added a touch of water, when needed, to the pan.  After two hours, I covered the pan with aluminum foil to keep the pork from drying out and from burning on the the edges.  I cooked it for an additional 2 1/2 hours for a total of 4 1/2 hours.  I let it rest for 30 minutes, at which time, the bone slide easily from the roast.  Using two forks, I shredded or pulled the tender, moist pork and discarded any unappetizing pieces of fat.

Traditionally, a pulled pork sandwich, which I actually served on a flour tortilla, includes a sweet and sour cole slaw, which, in my case, was no exception. I thinly sliced 1/2 head of savoy cabbage and combined it with some packaged broccoli slaw as well.  The dressing was made from red wine vinegar, salt, sugar, cracked black pepper and canola oil.  After tossing it well, I placed the slaw in the refrigerator for several hours before eating.  

I prepared a simple chipotle sauce by placing 1/2 mayonnaise in a food processor with 1 chipotle chili in adobo, the zest of 1/2 lime and the juice of 1/2 lime and combing well until the chili is fully incorporated into the sauce.  

As I said, I served my "sandwich" on a flour tortilla because it suits my taste, however, please feel free to use the more traditional hamburger bun for your sandwich, if you prefer.  I slathered on a layer of chipotle sauce, followed by a healthy pile of pulled pork and a spoonful of slaw.  A few firey pickled jalapenos were the perfect finishing touch.  Looking forward to the leftovers for tonight's dinner too!