The Slow Cooker and Sunday Barbecue

Can you make low fodmap BBQ pork? Of course you can, and I am making one today. It is in the middle of early February and today it is snowing like mad. Even if it isn’t summer, it is still the perfect day to make pork barbecue and coleslaw.

Hooked On Southern BBQ

During my thirty years living in the South, I came to know and love good, authentic southern barbecue. On Sunday afternoons up in Shenandoah, my girls and I would drive around looking for small country churches with a sign out front that they were hosting a barbecue picnic. For just a few dollars, anyone could take home their fabulous barbecue, on a roll with a side of heavenly southern coleslaw, all made by local master chefs. Those folks knew exactly how to roast a whole pig or chicken on a spit, while mopping it constantly with their own secret barbecue sauce. It was smoky, vinegary, moist and delicious. Where is that here in CT? (sob)

The Slow Cooker Can Do the Job

Sadly I have not found any churches here in CT that have a pork or chicken barbecue after Sunday services, but I can still hope. In the meantime, here is my version of Sunday barbecue for those without a grill or a welcome all, church barbecue. The slow cooker can do a pretty good job folks; I promise you it can.

Choose Your Meat Wisely

First of all, I make my barbecue with pork tenderloin rather than a pork shoulder butt roast. Yes, the shoulder butt roast has the most divine flavor, but it also has too much fat for IBS folk to handle. I try to keep within the low fodmap safe range for fat content in a recipe. At first, I was afraid the tenderloin would be disappointing, not as moist and juicy, but that turned out to be false. Yay. It IS just as moist and juicy, if you don’t overcook it.

BBQ Sauce Can Be Dangerous

Second, I make my own barbecue sauce using organic ingredients. Processed foods contain too many fodmap chemicals for IBS folk or really anyone to handle. I know, I know, the bottled sauce is so quick and easy to use. But if the BBQ sauce contains some frightening chemicals, it could send you to il bagno for days. Make your own sauce!

Manufacturers seem to slowly be getting the message that we do not want to eat a bowlful of chemicals along with our food, so maybe soon the shelves will be filled with safe, delicious foods. Until then folks, below is my safe ingredients recipe for barbecue. My coleslaw is on this website under “Quick Southern Coleslaw” in my search box.

Ingredients

One or two 1 lb. pork tenderloin (two if you are more than 4 people)

1 cup organic ketchup (Fody Foods has a low fodmap ketchup)

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbsp. organic apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. organic mustard (I use dijon, but any kind is fine)

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Teaspoon chili powder

1 or 2 chopped green parts of scallions or a spring onion

Kosher Salt and pepper to taste for the BBQ sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper for rub

1 Tbsp. paprika for rub

Directions:

Low fodmap BBQ Pork Tenderloin — Low Fodmap BBQ Pork Tenderloin

Pat dry the pork loin and rub it all over with kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper and paprika.

In a 10″ skillet sprayed with cooking spray, brown the pork loin on both sides sealing it on every side while browning. Place the browned pork tenderloin in the slow cooker.

Mix together the ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire, soy sauce, chili powder and chopped green parts of several scallions or spring onion. and pour it over the pork tenderloin that is now in the slow cooker.

Set the slow cooker on low for 4 hours. The recipe using pork shoulder butt roast says 8 hours, but I found that at 4 hours, the pork tenderloin meat might already be very tender and ready to shred. If you think the meat is not tender enough to shred with two forks, continue to cook it for maybe 30 to 50 more minutes.

When the meat seems tender enough to shred easily, remove it from the slow cooker and rest it on a plate. Shred with a fork and place it in a container. Pour some sauce over it and refrigerate it until serving time. The meat improves over time and if you made it the day before, it will still heat up well and taste divine.

Pour the barbecue sauce into a pitcher or gravy boat. It will have a delicious, smoky, barbecued flavor and will keep well in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

I serve my barbecue on a platter with a lovely pitcher of sauce, but I include hamburger buns or crusty ciabatta rolls that everyone can fill with shredded pork topped with barbecue sauce and coleslaw. Some people like to eat the barbecue with a fork and put their coleslaw on the side. Then they use the bread to soak up whatever sauce remains on the plate. No matter how you like to eat it, this barbecue will still taste delicious.