Porter-Braised Shredded Pork Sliders {Cooking with Beer}

While I'm working on a story, the subject invades every aspect of my life - from the jewelry I'm wearing to the books I'm reading. So, beer has been on my mind.

I got my hands on The Craft Beer Cookbook by Jacquelyn Dodd and started making a grocery list. I started with her Porter-Braised Pulled Pork Sandwiches with IPA Jalapeno Slaw. Her recipe called for 6 cloves of garlic; my attitude - if 6 is good, 10 is better! And she used pork shoulder; I had pork loin roast.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pound pork loin roast
• 10 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 2 T sea salt
• 2 T organic coconut sugar
• 1 t freshly ground black pepper
• 1 t smoked paprika
• 2 t ground coffee
• 1/2 t chili powder
• 2 T olive oil
• 1 bottle porter beer
• 1 C organic chicken broth

Procedure
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Using a sharp knife, pierce the roast, making ten 2" holes evenly spaced throughout the meat. Push a peeled clove of garlic into each hole until the garlic is no longer visible.

Mix the salt, coconut sugar, black pepper, smoked paprika, coffee, and chili powder together in a small bowl. Rub the spices over the surface of the pork.

In a medium skillet, heat the olive oil until it's hot but not smoking. Sear the pork on all sides, about 2 minutes on each side.

Move the meat to an oven-proof baking dish. In a medium saucepan, bring the beer and chicken broth to a simmer. Pour the liquid over the meat. Cover and place in the oven. Turn the meat every 30 to 45 minutes. If the liquid evaporates, add extra broth or hot water. Cook until the meat is tender and falling apart, approximately 3 to 4 hours.

Once it's cooked, pull it apart into shreds. I like to use two forks. Stir in some of the cooking liquid to keep it moist and juicy.

To serve, spoon some of the meat into a roll. Top with slaw and dinner is served!