Making pulled pork in the crock pot is a simple meal.   Crock Pot Pulled Pork BBQ is a crowd favorite recipe to plan in advance for harvest, or bring to the game! 




Pork shoulder is a great cut of pork for pulled pork. Using the crock pot is a great way to cook the pork at a lower temperature for a longer amount of time, and allows the meat to become tender enough to pull it apart for BBQ.

We attended the Indiana State Fair last weekend.  We watched our friends kids show pigs, ate lots of fair food, ate at the pork tent.  My daughter had a delicious baked potato with pork, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos on top, called loaded Potatchoes.  We drank lots of iced tea (it was a hot day) and of course, we had beignets for breakfast as soon as we got there! 

6 Fun Facts about Indiana Pork

1. There are more than 3,000 pork farmers in Indiana. The industry employs more than 13,000 people in the state.
2. Ninety-four percent of Indiana’s pork farms are family-owned and operated.
3. The Indiana pork industry contributes more than $3 billion annual to the state’s economy.
4. Pork is the No. 1 consumer of soybean meal in Indiana, consumer 500,000 tons in 2011.
5. Compared with 50 years ago, farmers are using 41 percent less water and 78 percent less land to produce pork.
6. Pork is Indiana’s third top commodity, and the state is the fifth-largest producer of pork in the United States

The Skyride was installed in 2017. There is a line to ride it all day long! We still haven't been on it, but I need to do that next year. I would love to see that view of the fairgrounds, it's 35 feet high! 

Use a 7-10 pound pork shoulder, place in crock pot and add chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 6-8 hours.  Remove from crock pot, and use 2 forks and shred the pork.   Remove the fat, if needed. Remove all the juices from the crock pot and save.  




Return shredded pork back to the crock pot, or you can freeze the shredded pork until you are ready to use it!  Add your favorite BBQ Sauce, and adding slaw gives it a crunch that I absolutely love!

INGREDIENTS FOR CROCK POT PULLED PORK BBQ

RECIPE

• 7-10 pound pork shoulder
• 24 oz. chicken broth stock
• Bottle of BBQ Sauce
• Pretzel Buns
• Slaw, optional

HOW TO MAKE CROCK POT PULLED PORK BBQ

NOTES ON MAKING CROCK POT PULLED PORK BBQ

Just seven things? Of course, more than seven things happen when your kids are in 4-H.  I'm making mental notes of what I want to do differently in the following years. Sometimes it's picking up the phone to ask alumni, a vet, or a friend, what can I do to make this better?

I still catch myself telling  my kids, "When I was in 4-H, this is how we did it!"  I am sure I thought I worked really hard on my projects, and I bet my parents thought I could have put more work into my projects.  That's what parents do.  Push their kids, because we know what they are capable of. 

What matters is the lessons we teach our kids, and the habits that form over time.  

1. You meet a lot of families with the same interest as yours.
   
   Photography, foods, animals, or learning about lawn mower parts, you are going to find that these parents are teaching their kids the same thing you want to teach your kids.  Chores, responsibility, life skills and knowing their way around the kitchen.  Survival.  Think you did it right the first time? Let's do it again!  Knowing other families with the same interests gives you someone to talk to, with questions about feeding, picking out an animal to purchase.  I have had conversations with some 4-H moms about the best brand of flour to use for our kids foods project.
   
   
   
2. You discuss more livestock than you ever thought you would at the dinner table
   My son started talking about sows at the dinner table that I'm sure most kids don't talk about. My daughter's friends who were over for the evening learned a few things. One time my son started talking about pigs when we were out to eat.  He was helping another breeder and was beginning to learn about what it takes to breed a sow.  I thought my husband wanted to hide under the table.  
3. There are deadlines to meet, and we like to push it to the last minute.
   
   As parents, we promise ourselves we are starting projects "earlier next year"  and many can be completed in the winter time.  Time tends to get away from us, and most projects are completed, just in time for check-in on general projects day. 
   
   
   
4. When things start disappearing from the house, you know it's probably out in the barn.
   
   My kitchen ladder disappeared this spring.  I  use it to get to the top shelf in the kitchen.  I'm that short, or my cabinets are just too tall.  The ladder is being used to hang lights, and fans, and hold a door open.
   
   I'd love to hear what kind of soap is your favorite to use on pigs, we use Dawn. You know why it gets the grease out! So when we run out, the kids pull mine from the kitchen sink.
   
   We like to give pigs treats.  It's a late night snack or a way to coax them to walk out of the barn, or a little further down the lane.  All the marshmallows are currently cleared out of the pantry.
   
   
   
   
   
   
5. The family spends a lot of time in the barn.
   In the evening, we tend to gather in the alley of the barn, sitting in folding chairs, or on buckets. We watch the pigs eat, and we watch them sleep.  When we finally look at our watches, we know its late, and time for us to head to bed ourselves.
   
   
   
   
6. Learn from the Mistakes                             
   
   Last year, my son took lawn mowers for the first time.  There was a driving test and a written test.  He became so confident in driving the course, he bumped the throttle up.  When he bumped up the throttle, his speed increased.  He approached the end of the course with too much speed and knocked off the golf ball from the last post.  That lesson will always be remembered.  Learn from the mistakes so you can do better the next time.  
7. Celebrate the victories
   Celebrate the victories, no matter how small. The blue ribbon in foods, completing the tractor course. Embrace your kids and tell them you love them and are proud of them.  At the end of the week, when the family packs up the trailer and pick up the projects, you realize how fast the week went at the fair.  Take those victories and apply them to the next year.

We are beginners here.  This is our fourth year in 4-H, and at the end of every year we always say, "We won't do that again," or "Let's do that again!"  We look back and laugh at certain things, and sometimes we talk about favorite barrows the kids showed.  I know when we get to year ten, our list will be different!  Raising kids on the farm is very rewarding.  Raising kids on the farm gives them a first-hand experience of many life-lessons. Some lessons are rewarding, some are hard.  

I spent my summers growing up in the barn and at livestock shows.  My friends showed livestock, we worked together and hung out together.  In my first year of 4-H, I use to tuck my jeans in my boots. Not sure I would repeat that fashion statement today, but by my tenth year, I owned different colored jeans, like black, red and a pair of striped jeans. Jeans went over my boots by then. Things change.  One thing that hasn't faded is the memories I had of that week at the fair.  I remember where we stalled, the judges and the friends we made that week.

TOP 10 THINGS 4-H HAS TAUGHT OUR FAMILY

1. Hard Work Pays Off   This pertains to so many things. Practice makes perfect. It is very evident who has worked hard on a project on show day. It is noticeable as soon as the animal enters the ring.  If you want it bad enough, you will work for it.
   
   
   
2. Work Hard, Play Harder Fair time is a great time to kick back and relax and have a great time.  We always feel like we can relax the day after the show.  Then we enjoy watching the beef and dairy shows the end of the week.

   4-H Beginner Showmanship Winners

3. Deadlines Deadlines are very important. Register for 4-H, deadline to register your animals, record book deadlines, and state fair deadlines. One day, your kids will have deadlines with their jobs, and hopefully these skills will help them meet their deadlines.

Year #2 of the Jasper County Fair is in the books.  Congrats mom and dad! We survived and as we are preparing for State Fair we are already making a list of things do different next year. Things we need to buy, and other things we need to improve on.

2015 family picture

There are days when you are wondering why are we doing this? Why am I getting up early and staying up late to do chores? Who's project is this anyway? :)

Mason front and center for the beef show.

But the moment the kid head to the show ring for the first time, this mom gets a little teary-eyed, but don't tell the husband.

Ryan showing in mini 4-H swine show

Watching Macie improve her showmanship skills every time she went back into the ring was very rewarding. There are so many showmanship skills to work on!

Macie placed 2nd with Duroc gilt

I think she's growing up too fast!

I know the best part about 4-H is friends.  It's priceless and a forever bond.  Sure, there is some fun competition. These smiles, and the milkshakes, and the late nights make it all worth it!