Budget Friendly Crockpot BBQ

Hubby and I have started a pretty strict budget this month in order to help us save more before baby comes. One area where we are trying to cut costs is groceries. This means choosing meals for the week that use a minimum of ingredients while still tasting yummy and for the most part being healthy.

Tonight we made pulled pork BBQ in the crockpot and it was delish. It was also very budget friendly. I will give you a cost breakdown after the recipe. 

Can you tell I was pretty excited about the coleslaw?! This afternoon I opened the tub right up, got a fork, and started snacking. Yum! 

Here is how I made it:

Pulled Pork BBQ

Servings: 4-6 depending how big of a sandwich you like, or how far you want to stretch the meal

Ingredients

Pork tenderloin (ours was 1.3 pounds)

Yellow Onion

2 cloves garlic

Bottle of BBQ sauce

Worchestire sauce

Brown sugar

Hot sauce

Salt 

Pepper

Rolls and coleslaw for serving

Directions

Salt and pepper (to taste) the tenderloin on both sides. Rough chop the onion (I prefer it chunky, but do it however you prefer) and dice 2 cloves garlic. Add all 3 ingredients to your crockpot. 

Pour about 3/4 (maybe slightly less) of your bottle of BBQ sauce into the crockpot. Add a generous splash of worchestire sauce, a few dashes of hot sauce, and about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Add 1/2 cup of water and mix sauce in the crockpot, spooning over the tenderloin. 

The sauce will look watery but as the tenderloin cooks it will thicken. I prefer the thin sauce because it really steams and marinates the meat as it cooks making it super tender. I don't love thick glopy BBQ sauce on my sandwiches anyway so this ended up being a perfect sauce for me. If you prefer a thick sauce mix the remainder of your bottle of BBQ sauce in with the meat at the end of cooking. 

Cook on low for approximately 5 1/2 hours. Shred the meat with two forks and switch the crockpot to warm for about 20 minutes to let the sauce thicken the rest of the way. If you want to add additional sauce do it now.  

I was at home while this cooked so I was able to baste the tenderloin with the sauce several times during cooking. I am sure it would be fine to throw it in and leave it, but no guarantees on the result.

Cost Breakdown:

1.3 pound pork tenderloin     $5.30

1 yellow onion                      $0.38

2 cloves garlic                       Pantry item 

(Factor in about $0.60 if you need to purchase)

BBQ sauce                           $1.00 

(We got Kraft Original on sale...don't worry about getting the most basic cheap sauce because you are doctoring it up)

Worchestire sauce                Pantry item 

(Factor in about $1.38, Food Lion store brand that I bought the other week, if you need to purchase)

Brown sugar                        Pantry item

Hot sauce                            Pantry item

Salt & pepper                       Pantry item

Rolls                                    $1.00 

(We got Kroger brand on sale, basic white hamburger buns, wheat would have been healthier, but eh...)

Coleslaw                             $3.29 

(This was my splurge. We could have gone without and saved more, but I really wanted it. I bought a large size container from the KFC drive through. Pre-made, delicious, and just the right amount!)

Recipe Total (not including pantry items): $10.97

Total per serving: $2.74 (4 sandwiches), $1.82 (6 sandwiches)

We served this meal with roasted sweet potato wedges. Add $1.00 for 1 medium sweet potato. Wash, peel, and slice into wedges. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and any other seasonings of your choice (I used chili powder) and roast at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. 

Hopefully this will be the first of many budget friendly recipe posts. Enjoy!