Loaded Pulled Pork Bowls
I am a broken record. Every single time I start a new blog post my first inclination is to start with something about how this is my new favorite recipe. But I'm never lying!
I feel like as a recipe developer it's always my job to keep creating even better recipes than the last, right? So I think it's on par for to me to continuously say that each new recipe is my favorite!
As I said at the beginning of this year, my goal has been to vary my protein sources. I'm a big chicken, turkey, and salmon girl, but I've been trying to incorporate a variety of proteins into my diet. This helps a) change things up, b) helps me develop recipes that reach a wider audience, and c) forces me to get creative in the kitchen!
Pork is something I love getting when I'm at a restaurant, but I generally don't cook with it at home, until now! Pork is so easy to make, especially in the crockpot, and it's incredibly high in protein. Pork tenderloin is especially low in fat too, so if you're counting macros, it's an excellent choice when it comes to meat!
With that said, this is truly my new favorite recipe. First of all, anything that can be made into a Chipotle style bowl, is automatically my favorite thing. Bowl style meals are easy to prep, they're convenient, and you can make a bunch of them at one time with little mess.
I also love them because you can totally tailor them to fit your own personal preferences. Which leads me to how I came up with this recipe.
Where it All started
Being from KC, it's only natural that I love barbecue right? Right. And if you've never had KC barbecue, you've never had barbecue, so let's set that record straight right off the bat. If you've never been, come visit me in KC and we'll eat the best barbecue you've ever had in your life.
That said, one of my favorite barbecue dishes is a really good pulled pork sandwich. A lot of restaurants here do amazing pulled pork, but my all time favorite pulled pork sandwich has pickled onions and pickles.
I wanted to recreate the sandwich somehow, but I realized how messy prepping sandwiches can be, and I thought, why not make it like a Chipotle bowl. Everything all in one bowl! And that's how this recipe started.
Because you can't put a bun in bowl, I decided to stick with my favorite carb source: sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes go so perfectly with the sweet pulled pork; it's the best combo! Last but not least is the corn.
I went back and forth trying to decide whether to include a slaw or a corn, and I think the crunch of the sweet corn brings everything together, and really gives it a summertime flavor!
So there you have it! The inspiration behind the loaded pulled pork bowls.
What You'll Need for The Pulled Pork
pork tenderloin
barbecue sauce
coke zero
What You'll Need for the Pickled Onions
medium red onion
vinegar
water
honey
salt
What You'll Need for The Sweet Potatoes
4 medium sweet potatoes
dill
ranch powder
oil spray
garlic salt
Store Bought Ingredients
sweet corn (I buy the canned sweet corn from Trader Joe's!)
pickles (I use these - they're the best pickles ever!)
Recipe for The Pulled Pork
Pulled Pork
The easiest 3 ingredient pulled pork recipe you'll ever make! I promise you'll never make it any other way after trying this recipe. Don't let the coke zero scare you, it adds a sweet flavor and makes it so good! The pulled pork can be used in a variety of ways, but the bowls are my favorite way to use it!
1.15 lbs pork tenderloin
2 cups sugar free barbecue sauce ((use whatever brand/kind you love, we use G. Hughes original))
1 can coke zero ((this is optional but adds a sweet flavor and it's so good!))
Put everything in the crockpot on low for 8 hours, or high for 4 hours, and shred with two forks when it's done!
Recipe for the pickled onions
Pickled Onions
These make the most amazing salad or burger topper, and can be used on so many different things. Tacos, wraps, anything you love that needs a little extra flavor! They're extremely easy and I plan on always having a batch on hand to add to various things throughout the week!
1 medium onion ((thinly sliced))
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup white vinegar
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
Combine everything in an air tight container, give it a good shake, and stick in the fridge until you're ready to use them! They're good in the fridge for two weeks!
Recipe for the Sweet Potatoes
Diced Sweet Potatoes
I use this sweet potato recipe all the time. It's amazing for any dish you can think of. You can use it in a breakfast hash, egg cups, as a side, a salad topping, in bowls, anything!
3 medium sweet potatoes ((diced))
oil spray
2 Tbsp dried dill
1/2 packet dry ranch powder
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Dice your sweet potatoes into small pieces.
Dump your sweet potatoes into a large bowl and spray generously with olive oil spray.
Top with dill and ranch powder and shake until all sweet potatoes are evenly covered with spice mixture.
Spread thinly on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, checking on them intermittently.
Bowl Assembly
Once everything is done, you're ready to assemble!
If you're wanting an extra serving of veggies, start your bowl with a romaine or cauli rice base!
Then add your pulled pork, sweet potatoes, onions, pickles, and corn!
Enjoy!
Disclosure
This post was written in collaboration with The National Pork Board. All thoughts and opinions are my own.