Pork Stew in the Crock Pot

I am flabbergasted that it is the beginning of April and it is supposed to get up to nearly 90 degrees today! I, therefore, am still trying to stay away from using my oven because I refuse to turn on the air conditioning yet. Anyway, I was in the mood for pulled pork BBQ sandwiches but I had no buns and I was not in the mood to run to the store to buy some. It has been a while since I have made a stew in the crock pot and today is the last day expiration-wise for my pork, thus the pork stew recipe. If you prefer a thicker stew, in the last 15 minutes of cooking, turn up the heat to high and thicken with some cornstarch or flour . To avoid clumps when thickening, mix flour or cornstarch with water thoroughly in a small bowl before adding. I personally thought this was good and I would rate it at about a B but my husband said it was not his taste (probably because I left the potato skins on and he is not a big fan of that).

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 to 2 lbs boneless pork (I used boneless country-style today)
• 2 to 3 whole carrots, chopped or cut into bite-sized pieces
• 4 to 6 potatoes, cut into chunks
• 1/2 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp dried thyme
  
• Sea salt, to taste
• Fresh ground pepper, to taste
• Paprika, to taste
• Corn (optional) If using frozen, add in the beginning with the rest of the vegetables; If using canned, add during last 15 minutes of cooking.
• 4 c chicken or beef broth (I used chicken since I ran out of beef bouillon cubes)
  
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 1/3 c BBQ sauce

Directions:

• Place all vegetables (minus the corn if using canned) and garlic in a crock pot. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. Add bay leaf.
  

• Place pork on top of vegetables, sprinkle paprika over.
  
• In a large bowl, mix broth, brown sugar, mustard and BBQ sauce well.

• Pour mixture over all in crock pot.

• Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.
• If thicker stew is desired: In the last 15 minutes of cooking, thicken with cornstarch or flour. If desired, add corn.