pulled pork & homemade paleo BBQ sauce

you may be surprised to learn that i have never owned or even used a crock pot before. i have seen so many easy paleo recipes using them, but i always learned to make things on the stove or in the oven. the novelty of putting something in a crockpot in the morning and having dinner ready when we got home from work was very alluring. i decided to try my hand at it. my mother found a pretty standard crockpot on sale and with her multiple promotions and coupons, i got it for FIFTEEN DOLLARS! thanks mum :)

for the pulled pork:

4 pound pork shoulder or boston butt
28 oz. of liquid (i used chicken stock)
2 bay leaves
1.5 medium onions, chopped or sliced

put the chopped onions and bay leaves in the bottom of the crock pot. place the pork shoulder on top of the bed of onions and then pour in liquid. set it on low for 8-10 hours. after the time is up, pull the bone out (if you have one) and shred the pork in a large bowl. top with barbeque sauce and serve. i actually poured the liquid out and saved the onions to mix into the pork, they were delicious.

for the BBQ sauce:

half an onion, minced

4-5 cloves of garlic, minced or grated

2 heaping tablespoons of chipotle chili powder

dash of cayenne pepper (more or less depending on your taste)

1 tablespoon of cumin

pepper

salt

2 6 oz. cans of tomato paste

1 heaping tablespoon of organic yellow mustard

1 heaping tablespoon of dijon mustard

14 oz. of beef stock

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

saute the onion in the fat of your choice (lard, butter, coconut oil, etc.) until it's soft and trandslucent. add the next 6 ingredients listed and cook for an additional minute or two. now add the tomato paste, both kinds of mustard, beef stock and vinegar. reduce the heat, cover and let simmer for 45 minutes.