Skinny and Delicious Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Heat up the crock pot for this fabulous recipe for pulled pork sandwiches.

It’s such an easy recipe to make and perfect for  entertaining. I’m starting with tender shredded lean pork that’s been slow-cooked for hours in a sweet and tangy sauce.  The secret is using a great tasting barbecue sauce such as my favorite, Sweet Baby Ray’s.  Next, piling the pork onto a whole wheat bun, topped mile high with homemade crunchy slaw.  The skinny for 1 sandwich, including the slaw is 447 calories, 10 grams of fat and 11Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS.  Use a sandwich thin instead of a wheat bun and each sandwich has 347 calories, 9 grams fat and 9 Weight Watchers POINTS!  You can even cook the pork a few days in advance.  Make sure to grab a bunch of napkins. You’re gonna need them!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: about 4½ hours

Ingredients

4 pounds pork tenderloin

2 large onions, sliced

1 (18 oz) bottle Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce or your favorite

1 recipe for Simply, Skinny Crunchy Slaw

12 whole wheat or multi-grain hamburger buns or Oroweat Sandwich Thins (I used Trader Joe’s Honey Wheat buns) see Reducing the Calories and Weight Watchers POINTS Tip below

Instructions

1. Cut each piece of pork tenderloin in half, to easily fit in the crock pot.

2. Place slices from 1 onion on bottom of crock pot.  Add pork.  Cover pork with remaining onion slices.

3. Pour ½ of the bottled barbecue sauce over top.  Cover and cook on high setting for 30 minutes.  Turn temperature down to low and cook for about 3½ -4 hours, until it’s easy to shred with a fork.

4. Remove tender-cooked pork to a cutting board or large plate and shred with a fork.  Discard sauce from crock pot.  In a large bowl, add shredded pork and remaining barbecue sauce.  Toss to coat well.  Just before serving, heat shredded pork in microwave before serving.

5. To assemble sandwiches: Heat the buns or sandwich thins slightly in the microwave or oven.  Mound ½ cup of pork on bottom of the bun or sandwich thin.  Top each with ½ coleslaw and other half of bun or sandwich thin. Leftover pork freezes great.

Makes 12 sandwiches (each serving, ½ cup shredded pork and ½ cup coleslaw)

Food Facts
Pulled pork is slow cooked and shredded by hand.  It can be served on a plate or made into a sandwich.

Here’s the history of Sweet Baby Ray’s barbecue sauce:

“It all began back in 1985 when a local Chicago boy named Chef Larry perfected his family’s recipe for a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce and entered it into the country’s largest rib cook-off, the Mike Royko Rib-off.  Chef Larry called his sauce Sweet Baby Ray’s. On the day of the rib-off, Sweet Baby Ray’s beat nearly 700 entrants to come in second-an amazing feat for an unknown. The rest, as they say, is history.”

*Reducing the Calories and Weight Watchers POINTS Tip
You can cut the calories, fat and and points down by using an Oroweat Sandwich Thin instead of a hamburger bun. My skinny facts are based on using Trader Joe’s Honey Wheat bun at 200 calories, 2.5g fat, 4g fiber and 5 POINTS PLUS. Oroweat Sandwich Thins have 100 calories, 1g fat, 5g fiber and 3 POINTS PLUS.  If you use a sandwich thin, the skinny facts are 347 calories, 9 grams fat and 9 Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS.

Healthy Benefits
The tenderloin is the leanest cut of pork.  A (4-ounce) serving contains 130 calories and 4 grams of total fat.  Most recipes call for pork shoulder or butt.  You won’t miss the fat at all with this leaner cut.

Shopping Tips
I bought the pork tenderloin at Trader Jose’s but most large supermarkets sell this cut of pork.  If you can’t find it on display, ask the butcher to cut some for you.

I think Bubbies kosher dill pickles are the best tasting pickles sold in jars.  You’ll find them in the refrigerated deli section.  I bought them at Food 4 Less and Von’s/ Safeway.  Bubbies are sold outside California in many natural food stores such as, Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Organic Food Depot and Co-Op stores.

Crock pots are sold in stores such as Bed, Bath and Beyond and Target.  They’re not very expensive and very easy to use.

Serving Tip
You might want to serve this yummy sandwich with my recipe for either Skinny Fries or Sweet Potato Fries.

Weight Watchers (old points) using a sandwich thin 7
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS using a sandwich thin 9

Weight Watchers (old points) using a bun 9
Weight Watchers POINTS PLUS using a bun 11

SKINNY FACTS: for 1 sandwich (each ½ cup shredded pork, ½ cup coleslaw and bun)
447 calories, 10g fat, 44g protein, 49g carbs, 6g fiber, 864mg sodium, 15g sugar

FAT FACTS: for 1 Pulled Pork Sandwich at Tony Roma’s
490 calories, 20g fat, 18g protein, 57g carbs, 2g fiber, 1160mg sodium, 17g sugar

Find more delicious recipes on Nancy Fox’s website, Skinny Kitchen