Gochujang Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 495 min
Servings: 12
Yield: 12 servings

Description

Gochujang (Korean red pepper sauce) meets spice-rubbed American pulled pork in the slow cooker, resulting in mouthwatering fusion flavors.

Ingredients

1 large onion, thinly sliced
2/3 cup gochujang (Korean hot pepper paste)
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons fresh ginger
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
5 sprigs thyme, stemmed
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
1/4 cup butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
8 hamburger buns, split
3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions

1 Combine onion, gochujang, vinegar, chicken stock, honey, brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, mustard, cinnamon, garlic, salt, thyme, and black pepper in a large bowl and mix well.
2 Dredge pork in gochujang sauce on all sides. Pour sauce into a slow cooker and add pork. Spoon some of the sauce on top of pork.
3 Cook on Low until pork roast shreds easily with a fork, about 8 hours.
4 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
5 Place pork roast in a large bowl and shred meat with 2 forks. Pour sauce from the slow cooker into a medium pot over medium-high heat. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover; reduce heat to a simmer.
6 Mix together 1 tablespoon butter and flour in a small bowl until well combined; add to sauce in the pot and mix well. Cook until heated through and slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir again.
7 Spread remaining 3 tablespoons butter over insides of buns. Place on a baking sheet.
8 Toast in the preheated oven until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes.
9 Pour sauce into the bowl with shredded pork and mix. Top pork with green onions. Spoon pork over toasted buns.