- 7-9 lb. pork picnic roast
- ⅓ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- ⅓ cup bourbon
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoon fresh minced or grated ginger
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 cups orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Red pepper flakes, to taste (I added 2 teaspoons & considered it medium spicy)
Season the pork roast on all sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Place in a large slow cooker insert. Mix together the next five ingredients (lemon juice through ginger) and pour over the roast in the slow cooker. Slow cook on LOW for 6 hours. Allow the roast to continue super slow cooking on the WARM setting until ready to proceed to grilling.
The sauce can be made before, during, or after slow cooking the pork. Store it refrigerated in a container until ready for use. To make the sauce, place the sugar, orange juice, zest, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and red pepper flakes in a saucepan. Turn the heat to medium and cook on low until thickened. The sauce will be an amber, almost clear sauce at this point.
When you are ready to grill, prepare a grill over medium heat. Carefully lift the roast out of the slow cooker and place it in a heavy metal baking dish, roasting rack, or similar grill-proof container covered in heavy duty aluminum foil. Grill the roast, uncovered, for 20-30 minutes to crisp the edges. Baste it with the prepared sauce every 10 minutes until finished and serve the pork with additional sauce. To serve, pulled strips of the roast with forks and serve in buns, taco shells, or over rice.
- Yields: Enough to feed a big crowd (15-20 people)
- Preparation Time: About 7 hours (mostly slow cooking time)