Pulled Pork in Orange Barbeque sauce

 

Pulled pork out of pork tenderloin???  No fatty pork butt or shoulder????   B went to the store for me and I knew he'd get the tenderloin since I gave him a choice.  I was pretty thrilled when I sunk my fork into this recipe out of the oven.  I thought for sure it was going to be dry, or worse yet, tough.  No way. And better still, now pulled pork is.....healthy??? Can it be??

The orange barbeque sauce is not overly orange.  My husband is an affirmed fruit and meat combination hater, but I slipped this one by him successfully, and he loved the sauce.



Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Homemade Orange BBQ Sauce
Adapted from Confessions of a Foodie Bride

Ingredients

For the Orange Barbecue Sauce
Juice of 1 large orange
2 Tbsp sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped (about 3/4 - 1 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

For the pulled pork:
1 Tbsp ground black pepper
1-2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp dried oregano
4 Tbsp paprika
2 Tbsp table salt
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp ground white pepper
1 4-5 lb pork roast or tenderloin

Instructions

To make the sauce: Stir orange juice and sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat until dissolved.
Reduce the orange juice to 2-3 Tbsp, taking care not to scorch.
Heat olive oil in a 2-qt sauce pan, and saute onions for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the orange reduction and remaining ingredients. Simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.

To make the pulled pork: Mix all spice rub ingredients in small bowl.  Massage spice rub into meat. Wrap tightly in double layer of plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. (For stronger flavor, the roast can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.)
Unwrap roast and place it in slow cooker or dutch oven with 1/2 cup water. Turn slow cooker to low (or oven to 250F) and cook for 6-8 hours, until meat is fork-tender. Transfer roast to cutting board; discard the liquid from the pan. Shred the meat using forks. Discard fat- skip this if using tenderloin- there won't be any.
Return the shredded meat to the crock. Toss with 1/2 cup barbecue sauce, and heat on low for 30-60 minutes, until hot. Serve with additional barbecue sauce.