Slow Cooker Dry Rub Pork Roast

I hope you're having a wonderful Valentine's Day! My kids are off school today, and are in the other room in a chocolate coma, giving me a few minutes to type.

You'll love this pork. Unless you don't like pork. Then you should use a beef chuck roast or something similar.

I had a frozen pork butt/shoulder in the freezer and wanted to make a pulled pork of some sort but wasn't feeling in the mood for barbecue sauce. I threw together this dry rub in a few seconds using pantry staples, and was really happy with the end result. The meat is perfect--- not gloppy wet, not dried out ---- just perfectly seasoned with a very pleasant flavor.

The secret is the anise. Don't be scared that your meat will taste like black licorice --- I'm a red vine kind of girl (THEY ARE NOT GLUTEN FREE!) -- and always steered clear of anything black licorice, and I promise you that the anise just gives a lovely flavor you're not going to be able to recreate without it. A bottle will last you for quite a while, and if you have extra, my friend Jenny made some awesome cookies using anise.

The Ingredients.
serves 6 - 8


1 onion, peeled and sliced into rings
3 to 4 pounds pork roast (butt/shoulder)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground corriander
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon anise seeds
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 to 2 limes, for serving (optional)

The Directions.

Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Place the onion rings into the bottom of your cooker, and spread them apart a bit with your fingers. Place the pork directly on top --- my meat was still frozen. If there is netting on your meat, cut it away. 
In a small bowl, combine the sugar and all dry spices to create a rub. Using your fingers, rub this all over the meat, flipping a few times to ensure good coverage.
Cover, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until meat has lost shape and pulls apart easily with a large fork.
Serve over a bed of rice or quinoa, or stuff into pita pockets, lettuce leaves, etc.
I squeezed a bit of lime onto our servings, and enjoyed the contrast in flavors, but it's certainly not necessary.

We had enough leftover for me to reheat on the stovetop (or in the Ninja!) with a 1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce the next day for sandwiches.

The Verdict.

I used to be allergic to pork; this last pregnancy re-programed my body, and I'm so happy that I can now add this meat into our meal rotation.  I like how this seasoning blend doesn't create an overly sweet or sticky or gloppy meat --- not that those features are bad --- I just wasn't particularly in the mood for that, and this fit the bill!

in other news:
I made a DIY standing desk for myself out of an ironing board!

I'm going to be on the Rachael Ray show again next Friday, the 22nd   UPDATED: it's NOW TUESDAY, the 19th!! for a few minutes. It's a 5-year follow-up to the first time I appeared. The premise of the clip is how "Rachael Ray changed my life" and I pretty much cried through the whole thing.... I promise to be more composed next time. :-)

have a wonderful day!!