Especially around this time of year, I rely heavily on my crockpot for easy summer dishes. My slow cooker really shines in the hot summer months, because you can cook dinner without heating up the kitchen!

This includes summer soups like gazpacho, chicken tacos, beer braised pork ribs, and my easy pulled pork recipe. Typically when I make pulled pork, I throw in a pork butt mixed with a variety of bbq sauces, and set on high for about 6 hours (fool proof, right?).

Martha Stewart's recipe however calls for a few more ingredients, but calls it her favorite pulled pork recipe. If Martha calls it her favorite, I'm trying it. Everything I have tried in Martha's book, Slow Cooker, is absolutely incredible, not to mention there are amazing tips and tricks I have benefitted from reading.

If you haven't purchased Slow Cooker liners yet, you are missing out on one of the worlds greatest inventions. Place a plastic liner into your slow cooker for nearly seamless cleanup. No liner? You can prep your insert with a thin coat of either vegetable oil or softened butter that will make cleanup so much easier (especially for baked dishes).

For Mrs. Stewart's incredible pulled pork, you will need 1 onion finely chopped, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 2 dried bay leaves, 1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced, plus 1 tablespoon sauce, 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, 1 (14.5 oz) can whole tomatoes in puree, 2 teaspoons coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, 2 3/4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, trimmed and halved crosswise.

Martha gives a great tip of always preheating your slow cooker before using, so set it on high while prepping your food. You wouldn't throw food into a cold pan, so why throw it into a cold slow cooker?

The rest of the directions are simple. Add onion, oregano, bay leaves, chipotle and 1 tablespoon sauce, crushed and whole tomatoes, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Add your pork and turn to coat completely. Cook on high until the meat is pull-apart tender, about 6 hours, or on low for 12 hours.

Transfer the pork to a bowl and shred with two forks. Next, return your pork back to the slow cooker and toss with sauce, discarding the bay leaves. I like to serve this with buns and pickles or coleslaw to top for some acid. Enjoy!

Claire Stabbert is an accomplished cook who loves to try new recipes. While she does enjoy eating at restaurants, she also loves to whip up a good meal at home. Claire gets some of her cooking inspiration from her grandfather and grandmother, Fred and Shirley Stabbert as well as Great Grandma Nellie.