What happens when you take three things you “hate” and put them together to make a meal?

Epic success, apparently.

What are my hates? Well for this meal, they were pork, mango and cilantro.

Normally, the only pork I like is bacon. Very rarely, I’ll eat sausage; but only if it’s really, really good, high-quality sausage. My friend Elizabeth once got me to eat a stuffed pork chop, and that was delicious, but not something I’d try to make for myself. My experience with pork chops have been…Do you want the nice version? Unsatisfactory. Dry. Inedible. Just plain “ugh.”

Mango is one of those things I really want to like. It’s so exotic. And pretty! But it has the strangest texture. And truthfully, I like the aftertaste better than the actual taste. Isn’t that weird? There are a few mango flavored things (ice cream) that I enjoy, but I seriously love fresh fruit. I would very much like to eat fresh mango the way my husband and son devour them.

Cilantro. I can take it in very small doses. Or I can leave it out entirely, which is a better option. If it’s supposed to be the main source of flavor or “pop,” I generally sub in basil. This poses a problem for me because I love Indian food. And Indian cuisine uses a lot of cilantro.  Basil is a good substitute most of the time, but not always.

But when I was stalking the internet uhh, drooling over recipes umm, researching what to make for dinner, this beauty made me stop.  And then I read the title.  “Hold on, hold on.  Pulled pork?  With mango slaw?  Oh great, cilantro!”

But it just looked so juicy!  And fall-y apart-y.  Did I mention delicious?

And then I made the *mistake* of telling Nick about it.  The next thing I knew we were at Costco putting a four pack of pork sirloin and a flat of mangos into our cart.  A quick trip to Safeway led to a few sprigs of cilantro, and dinner was in business.

I’ve been changed.  I’ve been converted!  Well, maybe.  Converted to Andie’s Pulled Pork with Mango Slaw, anyway.

This is so full of flavor, but it feels very light.  It wasn’t at all greasy, but that was mostly due to the sirloin that we got.  And the Mango Slaw is a must.  Seriously, don’t leave it out.  The pork is amazing on it’s own, but with this slaw?  Just do it.

Can You Stay For Dinner Pulled Pork with Mango Slaw
Serves 4

1/2 onion, sliced (not chopped)
1 pound pork sirloin
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
3 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Mango Slaw
1 large mango, peeled & sliced into matchsticks
juice of one lime
2 tbsp minced fresh cilantro

Place the onion in the slow cooker, followed by the pork. Combine the rest of the ingredients and pour over top of the pork. Cook on low for 8 hours. Before serving, use two forks to shred the pork. It will look like you have too much sauce before you shred it, but I promise you it will get absorbed and be amazing.

Combine the mango, lime juice and cilantro in a bowl. Keep covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

In case you aren’t sold yet, you should really go check out the photos from the original post. Here’s what I managed in my haste to eat:

Andie, for real, I would love to stay for dinner!