crockpot pulled pork and turmeric green beans

Pulled pork by beardenb, on Flickr

This was my dinner for stage 2. I had a 10 lb pork shoulder in the freezer, and since GAPS is all about fatty meats, it seemed like the thing to do. However, stage 2 only allows stewed meats, so I saved the other half to make carnitas for stage 4.

This recipe is time-consuming since you both brine and then crockpot the pork, but requires very little hands-on time.

I was a bit afraid this would be too much vinegar and spoil the meat, as I'm not fond of vinegar and it's not like I'd be slathering it with barbecue sauce afterwards. But it came out quite yummy!

crockpot pulled pork

ingredients

• 1/4 cup unground sea salt
• 4 cups apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 5 lbs pastured pork shoulder
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 TB cumin
• 1 TB mustard powder
• 1 TB chili powder
• 2 large onions, cut into wedges

method

1. Mix salt, vinegar and water in a container that will cover the pork (if not using it otherwise, the crock from your crockpot is handy). Place pork in brine and put in fridge for 12-24 hours.
2. Pour meat and brine into crockpot (if not already in there). Remove enough brine that pork is about an inch out of the water. Add honey, cumin, mustard and chili to the brine. Add onions to crockpot.
3. Cook for 8-10 hours on low. Refrigerate crock.
4. Remove pork to plate and shred with forks (or your hands). Remove fat layer to saucepan to melt and stir back into meat. Drain remaining liquid to rescue the onions and mix them back in also.

This became my default vegetable primarily because my garden suddenly produced GOBS of Romano beans.

turmeric green beans

ingredients

• 2 TB ghee (see below)
• 2 TB grated ginger root
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1 lb trimmed green beans
• 1 tsp turmeric
• unrefined sea salt, to taste
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp lemon juice

method

1. Heat ghee over low heat in Dutch oven. Add ginger and mustard seeds and continue cooking until the seeds start to pop.
2. Add beans, turmeric and salt. Stir the beans to coat well.
3. Add water and cover pot. Let simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Remove lid and add lemon juice. Cook uncovered another 2 minutes.

ghee

ingredients

• 1 lb butter

method

1. Place in small saucepan over very low heat. Heat for about half an hour.
2. Pour melted butter into a pint-sized mason jar and refrigerate.
3. The butter will have formed 3 layers. The top foamy layer is water, peel that off and discard.
4. The second, largest layer is ghee. Eat this.
5. The bottom layer is milk solids. Don't eat this.