Southwest Shredded Pork Salad -- The Night I Made Something Worth Keeping

Mid-July and the heat is at its most serious. I have given up fighting it and have leaned into the summer kitchen instead: cold soups, big salads, things that come together quickly so the stove is on for as little time as possible, except for the slow things that are worth the heat like pulled pork that I put in the slow cooker at seven in the morning and ignore until five in the afternoon.

The pulled pork this week was for a purpose: Tyler and I had DeAnna and her new boyfriend Marcus over for dinner on Saturday at my apartment, the first time I have had two couples over at once. I made the pulled pork with a vinegar-based sauce, coleslaw, baked beans from scratch, and cornbread. Tyler showed up early and helped set up and made the sweet tea, Debbie's method, which he knows because he grew up watching her make it.

DeAnna and her Marcus got along with my Tyler immediately, which is what I had hoped for and also what I had been slightly nervous about in the way that you are nervous when two parts of your world meet and you want them to fit. They did fit. The four of us ate around my small kitchen table for three hours and the conversation moved easily between funny and serious and everywhere between and I looked at the table at one point and thought: I made this. This table, these people, this food, this evening. I made this the way you make something slowly, over years, one choice at a time.

The pulled pork that anchored that Saturday evening — the one I put in the slow cooker and walked away from — is the same patient, generous kind of cooking that goes into this Southwest Shredded Pork Salad. After a night that reminded me what it feels like to have your people around a table, I wanted a recipe that honored that same slow-built effort: tender, falling-apart pork over something bright and alive, the kind of dish that looks like you gave it everything and somehow also gave you something back.

Southwest Shredded Pork Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours (slow cooker) | Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 lbs pork shoulder (bone-in or boneless)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, divided
• 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed (or fresh cut from the cob)
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• Tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips, for serving
• Your favorite ranch or southwest-style dressing, for serving

Instructions

1. Season the pork. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder, pressing it in on all sides.
2. Slow cook. Place the seasoned pork in the insert of a slow cooker. Pour chicken broth and 1 tablespoon of the lime juice around the base of the pork. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the pork is very tender and pulls apart easily with a fork.
3. Shred the pork. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and transfer to a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any large pieces of fat or bone. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and toss it in the cooking juices. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of lime juice.
4. Build the salad base. Divide the chopped romaine evenly among six bowls or spread onto a large serving platter. Arrange the cherry tomatoes, black beans, corn, and red onion over the greens.
5. Add the pork. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, pile a generous portion of the warm shredded pork over each salad.
6. Finish and serve. Top each salad with diced avocado, shredded pepper jack cheese, fresh cilantro, and tortilla strips. Drizzle with your preferred dressing and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 7g | Sodium: 520mg