Strawberry BBQ Pulled Pork and Garden Coleslaw

Being that summer is fast approaching, I am very much in the fresh fruits and veggies mode (I know, I know, I should be all year but the sunshine just makes me want to eat healthier). This self-acknowledged recipe-aholic found the idea of this unique combination of flavors irresistable and decided to try strawberries and BBQ in a whole new way. The dish ended up being fabulous whether eaten by itself, served on round rolls, or fixed up the day after in a tortilla wrap with spinach and avocado (mmm). The Garden Coleslaw is my go-to recipe for coleslaw as it's got a nice tangy, creamy flavor- and it was a great complement to the pulled pork sandwiches.

Pulled Pork with Strawberry BBQ Sauce

2.5-3 lb. boneless pork sirloin, shoulder, or butt roast (mine was a shoulder roast that had two smallish bones in it and it worked out fine!)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
4 c. strawberries, halved or quartered (divided)
1/2 c. ketchup
1/4 c. cider vinegar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed
Bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
8 rolls or buns, split

Trim fat from pork. Sprinkle pork with salt and pepper. In large Dutch oven over medium heat brown pork in hot oil on all sides. Add half the strawberries, the ketchup, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and several dashes hot pepper sauce. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, 2 hours or until pork is tender. (**I would suggest turning meat over after an hour to cook in sauce evenly**) Remove pork from Dutch oven; loosely cover with foil; let stand 10 minutes.
For strawberry BBQ sauce, skim fat from cooking liquid. Return liquid to Dutch oven; bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes or until reduced to about 2 cups (mine was pretty much at 2 c. already so I just drained the fat off the top and then let it simmer a bit)
Using two forks, shred pork; discard fat. Stir 1 c. strawberry BBQ sauce into pork. Stir remaining strawberries into BBQ sauce. Serve pork on buns. Top with additional sauce.


Garden Coleslaw
**I use a whole head of cabbage and then double the rest of the ingredients**

3 c. shredded cabbage
1/4 c. chopped green pepper
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream (I've also used fat free half-and-half; decide on the trade-off: calories vs. flavor)
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. salt

In small bowl, combine the cabbage, pepper and onion. Combine the remaining ingredients; add to cabbage mixture and toss to coat. **Best chilled.