Gluten-Free “Pho” Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Heat a large, dry cast iron skillet up on high heat. Place onions cut-side down into the skillet and cook until charred, about 5 minutes. Flip and cook and additional 2–3 minutes until charred. Once done, pull onions halves apart and place in the bottom of a 7-quart slow cooker.

Heat a separate small pan (not cast iron, it burns the spices too quickly) on medium-high heat and cook the anise seeds, stirring constantly until dark brown and fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Remove from the pan into a small bowl.

Add cinnamon, coriander and cloves and cook, stirring constantly until spices really darken (but not burn!) and are fragrant, about 1–2 minutes. They burn quickly, so watch them closely. Transfer to a separate small bowl.

Dump the toasted anise seeds onto a cutting board. Use the edge of a drinking class to crush the seeds until broken down. Add crushed seeds, coconut sugar, red pepper flakes and sea salt into the bowl with the remaining toasted spices.

Cut the large fat-cap off the pork. Rub the spice mixture evenly into the rest of the pork, covering evenly.
Sprinkle the garlic, ginger, fish sauce and lime juice over the onions. Place the spice-rubbed pork on top.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for for 8–10 hours.

Once cooked, remove pork to a cutting board. Remove onions and set aside separately for later use. Shred pork with two forks, and then put back into the slow cooker and toss to coat in all the juices. You will have a lot of juice left over—that’s normal.

Fore the sauce:
Heat a cast-iron skillet up on high heat. Place jalapenos in, cut-side down, and cook until charred.

Add the charred jalapenos, ginger, and lime juice into a small food processor (mine is 3 cups) and pulse until jalapenos are broken down. With the food processor running, stream in olive oil until the mixture thickens. Add pinch of salt, cilantro and mint and pulse until herbs are broken down.

To serve, spread 1/2 tablespoon sauce on each side of the bun (about 1 tablespoon total per bun). Divide the pork between the buns, followed by cooked onions and a sprinkle of bean sprouts. Devour.