If you can't tell by now, you should know that I love ethnic foods. It seems that most crock-pot recipes out there are as American as apple pie, so once again, I'm planning to shake things up again this week with something a little different.

While my belly loves ethnic foods, my heart belongs to Southern cuisine. I've been eating fried chicken and fluffy white biscuits since I got my first few teeth. But no food reminds me more of my Southern upbringing than pulled pork. I grew up eating my grandfather's, which he basted in his own homemade sauce for 24 hours. Now that's some slow-cooking.

Pulled pork is extremely easy to make in the crock-pot, which is my preferred method. While anyone can dump half a bottle of barbecue sauce over a pork tenderloin and end up with a fantastic and easy meal, let's get a bit more creative, shall we?

There are so many wonderful flavor combinations you can pair with pork. I'm particularly fond of the sweet and tangy flavors of teriyaki. If you like sweet and smoky barbecue sauce, this will be right up your alley, but also a nice change of pace.

TERIYAKI SESAME PULLED PORK (serves 4)

1 pound pork tenderlion
1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
2 garlic cloves
3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon sea salt (omit if using regular soy sauce)
3 teaspoon sesame seeds

Turn crock-pot on and set to low. Place tenderloin in the crock-pot. In a medium sized bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic, sugar, honey, oil, ginger, and salt, stirring well. Pour mixture over tenderloin.

Place lid over the crock-pot and allow tenderloin to cook for at least four hours, turning once after two hours. After four hours of cooking, shred the tenderloin using two forks to pull apart the meat into pieces that are 2-3 inches long.

Allow pork to cook at least one additional hour, but up to four hours. If pork is done before you are ready to serve it, turn the crock-pot to the buffet setting until you are ready to serve. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds and stir well to distribute them throughout the pork.

Serve on toasted buns with Asian Slaw (recipe follows).

ASIAN SLAW (serves 4)

6 oz. broccoli slaw*
1 oz. slivered almonds
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
fresh ground pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients stirring well. Allow to set for at least an hour to allow flavors to combine.

• I purchased mine at Trader Joe's. Six ounces is half the bag. You can substitute cabbage as well.

The sweet brown sugar coupled with the nutty sesame oil are a fantastic pairing in this dish. Add this sweet and nutty pork to creamy Asian slaw and you have an easy, incredibly tasty meal.

It's so very East meets West.

If you're anything like me, you will pile your bun much too high with delicious sweet pork and dripping creamy slaw. You'll drip it down your shirt and your dinner companion will laugh at the sauce on your face. Don't pay any mind. Mash down your bun for easier eating and grab a napkin. Lick your fingers if you must (sometimes you must).

This meal might have taken up to eight hours total to make, but it will be gone in a few minutes. Enjoy it while you can.

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If you missed the rest of the recipes in Crockpot Arsenal series, check out my Chana Masala or my Curry Chicken Soup.

Kelly Davis is a blogger, freelance writer, food enthusiast, and native North Carolinian. When she's not training for a race or cooking something delicious in the kitchen, she's writing, reading, snuggling her dachshund, or plotting her next project. You can keep up with Kelly's antics and recipes on her blog, Foodie Fresh.