My first choice for the slow-roasted flavor of a pork shoulder or boneless butt is roasting it in the oven, and I told you about that in July, but this is my second favorite way to cook it, not least because it frees up the whole day to do other things and then just eat. I looked at a lot of web recipes for slow-cooker pork before I found this gem at CHOW: Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork.

Follow their directions, especially including the terrific rub with brown sugar, cumin, cinnamon, and chili powder. And they even have a short three minute instructional video. The only change I make is in step 3, where instead of using either the meat juices or barbecue sauce, I use both. My Cuisinart^® slow cooker has a timer that switches over to a warming stage, so I set it for 6 or 8 hours, depending on the size of the roast. Eight hours for a whole shoulder, bone-in; 6 for a boneless butt, 3-5 pounds.

Slow in the oven or slow in the slow cooker—it’s all good.