Last week was epically terrible and I knew Team VP needed a two day break from the entire world. Cooking during a break is not high on my list of priorities, so this recipe is one of our favorites. It’s fast and delicious. As a bonus, it’s good for you too.
First you will need to assemble your team of ingredients.
Part one: Pork and Root Beer
Really I could stop now because part one requires only pork and root beer, but I’ll elaborate. I use pork loin because it is lean and there is no processing when the meat is finished cooking. The root beer is Virgil’s because it is the only brand that I know of that does not use chemicals or preservatives. We don’t drink the soda, we only cook with it, but still, it does go in our food.
You will also need a slowcooker and of course the liners that I like to use. They are optional.
Open your pork loin and put it in the slow cooker. There is absolutely no trimming that needs to be completed during this step.
Now, pour in one Virgil’s root beer on top of your pork. Don’t worry, I’ll wait here.
After the root beer is in, take a fork and get busy making holes in your pork. I usually poke each loin three times on each side.
Now put the lid on your slow cooker and set the whole operation for six hours.
Part two: Sauce
For FODMAPers this sauce is crucial because all the ingredients are approved. Hooray! Here are the details:
- 1 – 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon filtered apple cider vinegar
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Optional: {Pinch of chipotle chili pepper seasoning}
- 2 teaspoons garlic-infused oil
- Salt and pepper
Start with a medium sized pot. I like to use my red Dutch Oven. All your ingredients will go in the pot and then you will cook the whole yummy mixture for five quick minutes.
Add your tomatoes in first. If you are a FODMAPer please remember to read the label. The brand of tomatoes that I use is Carmelina. These are the best tomatoes I’ve found when fresh tomatoes are not available. Here is a close up of their ingredients:
As opposed to the other brands that use chemicals, these taste amazing.
Measuring the mustard is a matter of taste. We happen to like the taste of dijon, so my tablespoons were generous. Your sauce will not be a failure if you add a smidgen extra.
Apple cider vinegar can be a huge mistake for FODMAPers, but if you look for filtered vinegar, it is well worth the effort. Some dietitians say regular vinegar can be used as a substitute without compromising the taste, but I’ve found using filtered apple cider vinegar is safe and delicious.
The amount of brown sugar you add is completely up to you. We like four tablespoons. You can always add more, if the sauce is not sweet enough.
This garlic infused oil has become a new favorite for Team VP. Our FODMAP life cut garlic completely away, but garlic infused oil allowed us to indulge again. The oil is the perfect complement for the sauce.
Paprika is a fantastic spice for barbecue sauce when chipotle chili pepper seasoning is out of the question. I added a little less than a 1/2 teaspoon, but a full 1/2 teaspoon would be best for most palates. For the non-FODMAPers following this recipe I would recommend adding a pinch of chipotle chili pepper seasoning here as well.
Salt is truly important in every sauce. We are very sensitive to seasonings, so just a pinch of salt was perfect for us. Salt your sauce as you see fit remembering that you can always add more later.
Although chipotle pepper isn’t part of our diet, we do season with pepper. Just like with the salt I added the pepper modestly.
Combine all of the ingredients.
Place your pot on the stove for just five short minutes.
Mr. MVP photographed army guy while we waited.
After five minutes has passed the sauce needs to be processed. I used the food processor because we don’t own a hand blender. You can also use a regular blender. The food processor worked really very well. Simply put all the hot sauce in the food processor and snap on the lid.
Blend for one minute.
If you want to be fancy and store your barbecue sauce in a jar, I would recommend a funnel.
More or less nearly all of our sauce made it in the jar.
Honestly, I put it in the jar only for this photograph because approximately twenty minutes later, or five hours in elapsed time, this happened:
After the pork has been cooking for five full hours it will be ready to eat. Take it out of the slow cooker and put it in a bowl.
Empty the Virgil’s out of the slow cooker. Don’t worry about the stuff left over, just make sure all the liquid is gone.
Grab your pork loin and put it back in the slow cooker. It will probably start to fall apart, but that is a good thing, so don’t worry.
Use your tongs or a fork and shred the pork. This should take less than thirty seconds.
Now, add your sauce. We are not fans of dry pulled pork so the entire jar of sauce went in the slow cooker, but you can add as much or as little as you like. After the sauce is in, use your tongs and mix everything up.
Turn your slow cooker back on at its hottest setting and put the lid back on. Leave the pork alone for about thirty minutes or until you are absolutely starving and cannot wait any longer. We lasted fifteen minutes.
If you are a FODMAPer consider using Udi’s buns. They are the closest to gluten filled bread we have found.
Assembling a sandwich is straightforward. Put the pork on the bread of your choice and enjoy. We had our pork with sweet potato chips, which are something we have a few times a year. The combination was the perfect cure for an otherwise rotten week.
About The Author
Nicole
Member of Team VP, knitter and Mama to Blue and Franks. Life, is bloody good.
