The Secret To The Best Slow Cooker Pulled Pork You'll Ever Eat

While everyone loves bacon, pulled pork is form of the same meat that is difficult to resist. Cooked low and slow, the meat falls right off the bone, lending to a tender, shredded texture that is deliciously slathered in a variety of barbecue sauces, from Carolina to Kansas style. It's also one of the best meals to prepare in a slow cooker or Crock Pot. You can throw it all in the pot that morning and come home to a superstar dinner after work. To make our pulled pork even tastier, we spoke with Kevin Chrisman, the executive chef at Golden Hour in Asheville, North Carolina, who reveals the secret ingredient one simply must add to the mix: vinegar.

"Pork love, love, loves vinegar," the chef reveals. "Not only does it add to the flavor, but the acid in the vinegar will help denature all of the intermuscular fat, which will result in a tender and very juicy pulled pork dish." In this case, to denature essentially means to help break down tough tissue. The tough protein in the meat is softened by the acid in the vinegar, allowing the flavors of all the other ingredients in the slow cooker to better penetrate the pork.

What else you throw in the slow cooker is up to you, but for a classic barbecue pulled pork, you will want to include some barbecue sauce, a sweetener like brown sugar or maple syrup (the secret to adding rich sweetness to pulled pork), and some spices, including chili powder, paprika, cumin, and thyme. Additionally, aromatics, such as garlic and onion, and perhaps a bit of mustard or Worcestershire, are perfect for this dish as well.

If you wanted to go in an entirely different direction than traditional barbecue, Italian pulled pork can be slow-cooked in the same way, but with different ingredients. This take on pulled pork is typically seasoned with herby and citrusy ingredients, like lemon zest and juice, fennel seeds, rosemary, and thyme. You should slow-cook your pulled pork on low for at least 8 hours, but you can let it sit for up to 12 for the best results.

If you did go with the barbecue style, the best two cocktail pairings for your pulled pork are an old fashioned or a tequila negroni. Both beverages offer smoky and spicy notes that complement the meat while balancing its sweetness. To play into the acidity from the vinegar, you can pair pulled pork with a dry red wine like pinot noir, which will also tone down the sweetness from the sauce with just the right amount of bitterness.