Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Flatbread

Earlier in the week, I asked my boyfriend, Dan, to throw out some ideas for tonight’s dinner. He requested anything barbecue. While just a couple weeks ago I would have shot him down, as I went my entire life thinking I didn’t like barbecue, we recently tried a place called Percy Street BBQ that completely changed my mind. I’m still not over the fact that I’ve been depriving myself of the intensely flavorful food that is barbecue for the first quarter-century of my existence. Thus, I welcomed his idea with open arms. Give. Me. More.

After some brainstorming, I came up with a master plan. I love love love flatbreads. The options are endless, and getting creative with my cooking is what keeps me inspired. Additionally, they’re extremely easy to make. Initially, a barbecue chicken flatbread came to mind. But, I’m all about kicking it up a notch, so I decided to give barbecue pulled pork flatbread a whirl − slow cooker barbecue pulled pork, to be exact.

I’ve been dying to make make my own crust for a while now, so I figured tonight would be the night. While I was at it, I decided to try my hand at homemade barbecue sauce. Despite this meal being a night of many firsts − my first time making pulled pork, barbecue sauce, and dough – I think it’s safe to say that Dan and I were in heaven. One of the best parts: you’ll have plenty of leftover pulled pork and barbecue sauce to use however you please over the next couple of days.

I adapted my concoction from three different recipes, which can be found here, here, and here.

Part 1: Barbecue Sauce & Pulled Pork

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup water
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. crushed fresh garlic
• 1/2 tbsp. onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp. ground mustard
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. chipotle pepper
• 3 to 4 lb. cut of pork shoulder

What you’ll do:

• combine all ingredients (minus the pork shoulder) in your slow cooker
• once thoroughly combined, place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker, coating every side with the sauce
• apply the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours
• once your sauce and pork are finished cooking, move the pork into a medium bowl and pour the sauce into a large saucepan
• bring the sauce to a boil for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened
• meanwhile, use a fork to shred the meat away from the bones, discarding the bones as necessary
• once the sauce has thickened, set aside 3/4 cup and pour the rest over the meat; mix well

Part 2: Dough

What you’ll need:

• 1 cup warm water
• 1 package Fleschmann’s Pizza Crust Yeast (specially formulated for pizza crust and eliminates the need for allowing time for the dough to rise!)
• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 tbsp. grape seed oil

What you’ll do:

• combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl; stir and allow to sit for 5 minutes
• in a large bowl, combine 2 1/2 cups flour, sugar, and salt; mix together with a whisk
• add yeast mixture and grape seed oil to the large bowl; mix with a hand mixer until the dough forms
• on a well-floured surface, knead the dough for about 5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour as needed
• form the dough into the shape of a disk

Part 3: Flatbread

What you’ll need:

• dough
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 2 cups pulled pork coated in barbecue sauce
• 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend
• 1/2 a medium red onion, sliced
• 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro

What you’ll do:

• preheat the oven to 450 ºF
• spread the dough onto a greased baking sheet
• layer 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce, followed by the pulled pork
• sprinkle on the Mexican cheese
• arrange the sliced red onion
• bake in the oven for approximately 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown
• using a squirt bottle, drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce on top of the flatbread
• garnish with fresh cilantro