Don’t put your slow cooker away just because it’s summer! Slow cookers are great for hearty stews in the winter, but continue to be wonderful resources for lighter summer meals. I love this recipe because it takes absolutely no skill, very few ingredients, and is just a delight. The only challenging thing is that you have to remember to put everything in the slow cooker in the morning. This means remembering to pull out your slow cooker the night before, and get your shopping done. You are totally capable of accomplishing these things.

When watermelon’s in season, I always make sure to have some in my home. I forget just how good watermelon is — the “watermelon smiles” are simply watermelon slices, but watermelon makes me so happy, I think it’s more appropriate to call the slices “smiles”. Plus, the slices sort of look like smiles.

Ingredients

• 2.5 pounds of pork shoulder
• 1 pack of sliced sourdough bread
• 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (your favorite kind, or what’s on sale!)
• 1 medium seedless watermelon
• [optional] sliced pepperjack cheese

Serves: will make 6 really big sandwiches

Time: 5 minutes actual preparation; 8-12 hours for the pork in the slow cooker

Step 1: Preparing the Slow Cooker

On the morning that you would like to have pulled pork sandwiches for dinner, take the pork shoulder out of the fridge, and put it in your slow cooker.

Open a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, and pour it all over the meat. Make sure the meat is fat side up. This means, the thick white part of the meat should be on top.

Put your slow cooker on low, and go to work. The pork should cook for anywhere between 8-12 hours (depending on how long your day is).

When you get home, the pork will be fully cooked, and really succulent. Using two forks, pull apart the pork shoulder. It should shred really easily, and look like this:

Step 2 — Cut the Watermelon and Toast the Sourdough

Put two slices of sourdough bread in the toaster. While the bread is toasting, cut up your watermelon into little slices

Step 3 –Putting Everything Together

Using a slotted spoon, place the pulled pork on the sourdough. If you like, add a slice of pepperjack cheese. Add a few slices of watermelon to your plate, and you’ve got a really easy meal!