Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders and The Slaw Throw Down

Slow Cooker Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders

This recipe was originally posted Sundaynitedinner.com as an oven roasted version, it was further modified on sloblogs.thetribunenews.com where Larissa and Chrissy first introduced the slow cooker modification.  And now I have further modified the recipe with respect to some of the seasonings and the quantity of the delicious Lemongrass Caramel Sauce.  The bottom line I doubled it.  

This recipe seems time consuming but the individual steps take very little time and the crock pot does most of the work.  Given that the pork butts needs to marinate overnigth, cook for 8 to 10 hours in the crock pot and be basted half way through the cooking with the Basting Liquid.  Plus, it will need some cooling time before you can shred it.  The only tricky part is making the Caramel Sauce that is a component to the Lemongrass Caramel Sauce, there can be some sizzling drama but if you persevere through it is well worth a few bubbles.

A key ingredient for this recipe is the Chinese Five Spice, unfortunately I was out (very bizarre) so I sourced an online recipe and think I will make my own from now on.  If you are also out here is the link Chinese Five Spice Powder .


I have to add that the leftovers I used to create a faux version of pho.  A phenomenol soup that I am going to have to measure next time so I can create a recipe.  Too pho-king crazy.

Roughly, here is my timeline:

Evening Day 1: 

• Prepare Dry Rub and marinate pork butt
• Make Basting Liquid and put aside in refrigerator

Morning Day 2:

• Put pork butt in slow cooker
• Make slaw (see recipes that follow, choose whichever you like)

Afternoon Day 2:

• Baste Pork Butt

Evening Day 2:

• Make Lemongrass Caramel Sauce
• Pull your Pork Butt
• Serve 

Dry Rub Ingredients: 
2 T Chinese Five Spice 
1 T ground black pepper 
3 T course kosher salt 
2 t cayenne pepper 
2 T dark brown sugar

Basting Liquid Ingredients:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

3/4 chicken stock

1 T dark brown sugar

2 T fish sauce

2 T Chinese five spice

1 t sambal olek

Lemongrass Caramel Sauce Ingredients:
5 tablespoons canola oil
6 medium stalks lemongrass , mince in a food processor
10 cloves of garlic, minced
4 large shallots, minced
12 T caramel sauce
5 T fish sauce
3 Thai chili peppers or Serrano pepper, minced
1/2 t pepper
1 1/2 cup low sodium chicken stock

1 (5 to 7 lb) bone-in pork butt, shoulder or Boston Butt
14 - 16 hamburger buns

Remove fat cap and trim excess fat from pork butt. Mix dry rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Apply dry rub evenly over pork butt, wrap in Saran wrap and place in a ziploc bag, refrigerate overnight.  The next morning place the pork butt in the slow cooker and set the crock pot on low.  Cook for 8 to 10 hours or until the pork shreds easily with a fork.

Halfway through the estimated cooking time baste one side by spooning the the Basting Liquid over the pork butt.  Flip the meat over and baste the other side.  Repeat the basting process one more time, halfway through the remaining cooking time.

Meanwhile, prepare the Lemongrass Caramel Sauce.  In a saucepan, heat canola oil over medium heat. Add the lemongrass, garlic, shallots, stir and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in caramel sauce, fish sauce, chili peppers, and black pepper. Gently simmer for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock, return to a simmer for 3 minutes and then set aside.

When the pork is fork tender, remove from the cooker and place in a bowl. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and rest for 30 minutes. Shred pork by using two forks and pulling apart the meat and discard fat. Put shredded pork in a large bowl. Pour sauce on shredded pork and mix well.

Serve pulled pork on a hamburger bun with a side of either Hao Long Dragon Slaw or Asian Slaw My Way(recipes below).

Basting Liquid Recipe

In a saucepan, heat chicken stock, vinegar, brown sugar, fish sauce, five spice, pepper and cayenne over medium high heat.

Simmer gently, stirring for 5 minutes until sugar dissolves. The basting liquid will thicken slightly when removed from heat.

Caramel Sauce Recipe
Caramel sauce (nuoc mau, pronounced "nook mao") is one of the cornerstones of Vietnamese cooking. The color and flavor of caramel sauce are transformative, making food not only look beautifully amber but also delectable. 

1 C sugar

1/4 C water, plus 1/2 C

Fill the sink with enough water to come halfway up the side of a 1-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Place the sugar and 1/4 cup of the water into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, about 2 to 3 minutes.

As the sugar melts, the mixture will go from opaque to clear. Small bubbles will form at the edge and gradually grow larger, moving toward the center of the pan. Eventually, bubbles will cover the entire surface. After about 15 minutes, the sugar will begin to caramelize and turn in color. You’ll see a progression from champagne yellow to light tea to dark tea.

When smoke starts rising, remove the saucepan from the heat and slowly swirl it around. Watch the sugar closely as it will turn darker by the second; a reddish cast will set in (think the color of a big and bold red wine) as the bubbles become a burnt orange. Pay attention to the color of the caramel underneath the bubbles. When the caramel color is that of black coffee or molasses, place the pan in the sink to stop the cooking process. The hot pan bottom will sizzle upon contact and the bubble action will subside.
Add the remaining 1/2 cup of water (there may be a small dramatic reaction) and place the saucepan back on the stove over medium heat, stirring until the caramel has dissolved into the water. The result will be slightly viscous; flavor-wise, it will be bittersweet. Pour the caramel sauce into a small glass jar and let it cool; it will thicken further. Store indefinitely in your kitchen cupboard.

The Slaw Throw Down
The first recipe I sourced from a Washington Post article that featured Hao Long Dragon Slaw This cabbage-free slaw is served atop Vietnamese pulled pork sliders at Social Restaurant in Columbia Heights, wherever that is.  Nevertheless since I STILL have zucchini it seemed perfect.  After a few hours of thought, it came to me that I might prefer something with a bit more onion, to cut the richness of the pork.  So I decided since I was going to be inside for the whole day, due to the weather, I might as well go for a second slaw and have a showdown.
Both of these slaws should be made several hours ahead and refrigerated.
In the end it was a draw, I preferred my version and Scott preferred the Hao Long Dragon Slaw.  Obviously we need to make this again.
Hao Long Dragon Slaw

• 2T unseasoned rice wine vinegar
• 2 T sesame oil
• 1 T soy sauce
• 2 T sugar
• 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut into julienne
• 1/2 lb zucchini, cut into julienne
• 1 apple, cored and cut into julienne
• leaves from 2 large sprigs of mint, finely chopped
• 2 scallions, chopped
• salt
• freshly ground pepper

Combine the vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and sugar in a large bowl, stirring to dissolve much of the sugar.  Add the carrots, zucchini, apple, mint and scallions; toss to coat evenly.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate several hours before serving.

 Asian Slaw My Way
I made this up using the flavours that I was craving to go with the Vietnamese Pulled Pork Sliders, plus I really wanted to give cabbage another try.  It is pretty basic.

• 2 C shredded Savoy cabbage
• 1 large carrot, cut into julienne
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 C cilantro, minced
• 3 T mint, minced
• 1/4 C rice wine vinegar
• 2 T sugar
• 1 T sambal olek

In a bowl mix together the rice wine vinegar, sugar and sambal.  Add the vegetables and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for several hours and serve with Pulled Pork Sliders.