Slow-Cooker Pork with Noodles

As I have mentioned before, I love my slow-cooker!   When the smell of a delicious home cooked meal greets you at the front door after a long day of work, you know a relaxing night is ahead of you with no meal prep.  When I found this pork with noodles recipe in my Food Network magazine ( May 2011 edition), I couldn’t wait to try it. 

The slow-cooked pork shreds apart so easily, while still remaining moist and tender.  The Asian inspired broth perfectly flavors the meat and noodles, while the crunchy bok choy adds a nice texture.  This meal sounds complex, but it only took 20 minutes of prep time, then the slow-cooker does the rest of the work for you! 

What are some of your favorite slow-cooker recipes?

Slow-Cooker Pork with Noodles

Recipe from Food Network Magazine

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup Chinese rice wine or dry sherry

3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 2-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced

2 piece star anise

Salt

3 pounds boneless pork shoulder

1 head bok choy, ,roughly chopped

3 ½ ounces dried rice vermicelli noodles

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Combine the chicken broth, soy sauce, rice wine, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, star anise and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker. Add the pork, then cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Add the bock choy to the slow cooker; cover and cook about 20 more minutes.  Next, add the noodles to the slow cooker, making sure they are submerged in the broth.  Cover and cook another 10 minutes. 

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred the meat. Divide the pork, bok choy and noodles among bowls, then ladle in some of the broth. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

Tips:

1)      When I made this, I didn’t have star anise (to be honest, I have no clue where to even buy this!), so I just skipped this ingredient and it came out wonderfully.

2)      I forgot to get fresh ginger at the grocery store, so I used 1 ½ teaspoons of dried ground ginger.

3)      This recipe made so much that we froze another meal for later! 
4)   Don't let my photos above fool you.  This is definitely a dish that requires a fork!!