The one interest that we all share in our house is an interest in wrestling. I'm talking about WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) in specific. I grew up watching longtime wrestling stars such as The Hulk, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, etc. My dad shared that interest with my brothers and I, the same way Devon's dad did with him. It only seemed natural to pass that onto our kids. Penny is a little too small to understand what is going on truly but Noah, he enjoys watching. At the wee age of five (ok so not so little but little to me), Noah has been to 3 live events. He has sat in the bleachers chanting out the town hero or current heel (bad guy) while standing proudly wearing his WWE t-shirts. The last event we attended he got the chance to shake hands and take pictures with some of the wrestlers. To see the look of excitement on his face was priceless. I can't say it was just Noah who was excited about getting to High-five them all.
So you're probably wondering how that fits in with today's meal. Tonight is the Royal Rumble. To match the high intensity and energy that will be in our house this evening I had to find a meal that equally stood the challenge. The Royal Rumble is unique in the fact that every 90 seconds a new challenger enters the ring. Entering at #1...pulled pork sliders! My peeps enjoy almost anything in a bun. I figured with all the jumping and hollering I wanted something small they could hold while they either chant or boo at the opponent who comes into the ring. The other star of the event is my instant pot. If you guys do not have one, let me tell you, it is fantastic! The best part is the speed at which you can cook things that would typically take hours in the crock pot. You won't even know what to do with all your free time, maybe also chant on along with us to tonight's wrestlers.
*If you do not have an instant pot, grab your crock pot and cook on high heat for about 3-4 hours depending on how large your pork piece is.
I like to season my pork with salt, pepper, garlic, and cumin. The cumin gives it a little spice. It also fills your kitchen with a great aroma. Slice your pork piece in half, then in half again. At this point, you can choose whether you want it to sit directly in the juices or place it on the steamer pan. I like to place it directly in the water. Put the pork inside your pot with a cup of water. Set your instant pot to the meat setting and time the cooking for 40 minutes. Make sure to seal your lid and to switch the lid dial. Just like that you have held your pork in a headlock and won this round!
We're going to move onto the slaw. I chose to grab a bag of sweet carrot slaw at the grocery store. You can choose to peel and finely chop your veggies; I decided to take the short cut route. Saving minutes here and there means less arguing and fighting with the wild things about when dinner is ready. As if we're just going to ignore the fact that once dinner is set it takes us 10 minutes to pull them away from whatever activity they are engaged in at the moment.
Me: "Weren't you guys just yelling about how you were starving?! "
Them: "Uh no we were just asking sheesh."
In my head: Running in and out of the kitchen five times while pretending to whine and cry is not "just asking." But alas, we must move and brave the fight for the next meal right?
Anyhow, back to the slaw. I like to grab about a cup of mayo (you could also do 1/2 cup mayo 1/2 cup sour cream) and mix in chopped fresh cilantro, salt, and pepper and the juice of one lime. Toss your slaw in the mixture, and you're all set.
Once the pulled pork is finished and you have released the pressure from the cooker, drain the juices and shred the pork. Set your instant pot to the saute /brown/sear setting and toss the pork back in. Let the pork crisp up a for about 5-10 minutes depending on the amount of pork you have. The crispy texture you create is a nice bonus for your sandwich. There can sometimes be a big debate about whether to add BBQ sauce or not. My family loves Sweet Baby Rays. I usually use whichever one I have on hand. Today we are springing for honey barbecue. It will add an excellent level of sweetness to the cumin and cilantro.
Toast your bun if you desire and pile on a hearty scoop of pulled pork and then a scoop of the slaw. I like to sprinkle a little cilantro on top and then finish with the top bun. Now sit back and realize that life with toddlers is like WWE. Someone is going to laugh, others will cry, everyone will follow you and dog pile on top, and at the end, there will only be one winner. Most likely that tiny beast that you created! And thank goodness for them because what would we do without them?
Carolina
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