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½ cup beef broth

One 16-ounce package frozen corn, defrosted

Flour or corn tortillas for serving

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cumin, chili powder, and garlic and sauté until the garlic and spices are fragrant, about 1 minute.

sprinkle the meat with the salt and brown the pork on all sides in the seasonings. Transfer the pork to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Add the salsa and broth to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert and add the corn. Stir to combine. Cook on on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours, until the meat is tender. Serve the pork with warmed tortillas.

serves 6–8

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slow-cooker savvy

Some treatments for pork shoulder are no-brainers, so try these when you need some magic from your pantry to flavor a 4- to 5-pound pork shoulder:

3 cups prepared barbecue sauce; cook on high for 6 hours (reduce the sauce on the stovetop after cooking)

3 cups prepared teriyaki sauce; cook on high for 6 hours and serve in flour tortillas with hoisin sauce and green onions

3 cups prepared salsa; cook on high for 6 hours and serve for fajitas

3 cups prepared Caesar dressing; cook on high for 6 hours

Pork Shoulder Shanghai-Style

I love to serve this red-cooked pork in flour tortillas with hoisin sauce, green onions, and cucumber slices. The pork is infused with a delicious marinade of soy, rice wine, brown sugar, and ketchup, then slowly cooked until it is fall-apart tender. If you prefer, you can serve this with sticky rice and an Asian slaw.

1 cup soy sauce

1 cup rice wine (mirin) or dry sherry

½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cup ketchup

½ teaspoon five-spice powder

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

One 3- to 4-pound boneless pork shoulder, tied with kitchen string

2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with ¼ cup water

combine the soy sauce, rice wine, sugar, ketchup, five-spice powder, garlic, and ginger in a large zipper-top plastic bag. Add the pork to the bag, seal, and turn to coat the meat with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

pour the meat and marinade into the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat is tender. Remove the meat from the slow cooker and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

shred the meat using two forks. Skim off the fat from the sauce and stir in the cornstarch mixture. Return the meat to the sauce, cover, and cook for an additional 30 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.

serve the pork from the slow cooker set on warm.

serves 6–8

Pork Chalupa-Style

Chalupa in Spanish means “small boat,” and the chalupas that are sold on the street in Mexico are shells of corn flour that are deep fried and then filled with shredded pork and pinto beans, along with cilantro, onion, and maybe a bit of chipotle chile. This slow-cooker dish combines pork, beans, and chipotle for a great stick-to-your-ribs dinner. Serve it on tostada shells or alongside Spanish rice and a pico de gallo salad.

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 chipotle chiles in adobo, minced, with about ½ teaspoon adobo

Salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

One 3-pound pork shoulder roast, excess fat removed, cut into 2-inch chunks (see savvy)

1½ cups coarsely chopped white onion

½ cup gold tequila (optional)

Four 15-ounce cans refried beans (nonfat are okay here)

1 cup beef broth

Freshly ground black pepper

16 tostada shells

½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro for garnishing

1½ cups sour cream for garnishing

1½ cups shredded mild Cheddar cheese or crumbled queso fresco for garnishing

in a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the oil with the garlic, chipotles, 2 teaspoons salt, the cumin, and cinnamon to make a paste. Using rubber gloves to protect your hands from the chiles, slather the paste onto the pork and massage it into the meat. Heat the remaining