Take A Shortcut On Pulled Pork Sandwiches With One Flavorful Canned Soup

Over the course of a few hours a slow cooker can effortlessly transform pork shoulder from tough and chewy to tender and juicy. To tip the flavor into transcendent without any added labor, pour a can of French onion soup into the braise. Pork is already associated with sweet flavors — think molasses laced barbecue sauce or pineapple studded tacos al pastor. The caramelized alliums of French onion soup are just as welcome in pulled pork sandwiches.

There's no need to spend your precious time chopping onions, let alone caramelizing them yourself. Just look to the cupboard for a can of soup. If you don't already have a can, Tasting Table has ranked store-bought French onion soups to help you pick the best one.

If you don't mind hanging out in your kitchen for just a little longer, brown the pork before handing off the rest of the work to the slow cooker. Add a splash of vinegar to balance the soup's richness, and be careful not to over season. Canned soups can be sodium heavy, providing all the salt your pulled pork sandwiches need.

Once you're a believer in the miracle combo of pantry staples and the slow cooker, there's no need to stop with the French onion soup. Swap in pork for beef and add pickled peppers and ranch dressing powder for a rich take on Tasting Table's recipe for Mississippi pot roast. 

Canned cream of mushroom soup has long been a key support in a wide variety of dishes from casseroles to pastas. With some carrots and potatoes, mushroom soup joins the French onion to make a comforting, weeknight pulled pork stew.

If sticking with sandwiches, you can still switch up the taste with different bottled barbecue sauces. Kansas City style sauces like Bull's Eye or KC Masterpiece keep things sweet. A Carolina sauce like Traeger Liquid Gold or Duke's Carolina Gold can tilt the profile toward smoke and tangy mustard. 

As for how to serve your inexpensive, easy, countertop pulled pork? A four-pound roast can make sandwiches for days. Piled high on a soft roll with coleslaw is the classic, but that could get old by day four. Keep your bountiful braised pork from feeling like leftovers by tucking it into quesadillas or topping up loaded baked potatoes. You can even pair it with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce for a barbecue Benedict. And if this slow cooker hack is still too much effort for a hard day, you can always turn to a tasty pre-cooked pulled pork from the store.