SUPER-EASY pulled pork loin over hoe cakes

It has been a really great week of eating.  We were gone all last week for Spring Break visiting family in Indiana, and when we take those trips, I always take the stack of magazines I've saved to read.  I watch Create TV, of which I have fallen in love, and I surf the internet more than ever.  I prepare and plan meals the way I wish I always did, and it makes for such a smooth week when we return.  Grilled burgers and romaine, fish tostadas with cilantro lime crema, roasted salmon with lemon butter...  Good, good and good.

I'm in the middle of planning for this coming week and am thinking of using one of the greatest gifts given to working moms - the crockpot.  It's a lifesaver and a planner's - or, in my case, a wannabe planner's - dream.  If you have a hunk of meat and any spices at all, you can usually pull something together and make it great.

Enter this recipe.

Once upon a time, there was a pork loin roast hanging out in my freezer, and the rest is history.  It comes out tender, juicy, wonderfully good, and you can use the results for just about anything. As you can see here, I just added some more BBQ sauce and spooned over Paula Deen's Hoe Cakes. Southern goodness.  Almost zero work.  Sounds like a plan to me!

Pulled Pork Loin in Crock Pot

makes about three pounds of meet

printable recipe

• 3 pound pork loin
• 8 ounces of BBQ sauce of choice
• 1 small onion minced (I grated mine - quick and easy to incorporate)
• 2-3 garlic cloves minced
• hot sauce as desired
• salt and pepper 

1. If you have time, salt and pepper the pork loin and let sit for at least an hour.  If not, just do right before using.

2. Mix remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over loin.

3. Cook on low 6-7 hours.  

* Towards the end, I did give the meat a good stir and left off the lid to cook off some of the liquid, although you don't have to.  You can drain.  At this point, the meat is not overly BBQ-y.  That's what makes this a flexible dish.  I did add more sauce, as we were wanting a BBQ meal.  And extra sauce is definitely a must for the following hoe cakes to taste their best!

Paula Deen's Hoe Cakes

makes about 15-17 cakes

• 1 cup self-rising flour
• 1 cup self-rising cornmeal or mix (Aunt Jemima recommended)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp water
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil or BACON GREASE (can you tell which one I prefer?)
• Oil or butter for frying

1. Mix all the ingredients except for the frying oil.  Heat that oil in a medium or large skillet (a griddle or cast iron skillet is my preference) over medium heat.

2. Drop the batter by tablespoons (two per cake) onto the hot skillet.  Fry until brown and crisp and then turn to do the other side.  

3. Remove cooked cakes with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.  Will keep in fridge for two days.