About once a year I get a craving for pulled pork. Like, a lot of it. On pillow soft rolls, with bourbon bbq sauce. So I make a vat of it in my slow cooker. We eat it for a few days, then freeze the rest for later in the month when I’m feeling lazy. I use a half pork loin, because I like it lean, but you can also use a pork shoulder which has a little more fat in it. Usually I slice up an onion for the bottom of the crockpot, but I was out of fresh onions, so I sprinkled in half a bag of diced frozen onions. They worked just fine. I do recommend using a crock pot liner for this recipe. While I try to avoid all disposable items, this is one of those times it comes in incredibly useful. This is also a fantastic summer recipe because you don’t need to heat up the kitchen at all.
Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
Half Pork Loin or a Pork Shoulder (3-5 lbs. Just make sure it will fit in your crockpot!)
1 Onion sliced into rings (or half a bag of frozen diced onion)
12 ounce can of Dr. Pepper (or other cola of choice)
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Salt & Pepper
Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
Soft Rolls for serving (I suggest King’s Hawaiian hamburger buns)
Chop your onion, and place in the bottom of your crock pot.
Place the pork loin or shoulder on top, and sprinkle with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and fresh cracked black pepper.
Gently pour the Dr. Pepper around the edges of the crockpot. Don’t pour too fast or you’ll have a mountain of fizz.
Put on the lid and cook on low for 7-8 hours. Once done, remove the pork gently (it will be falling apart), and shred with forks. Dump out some of the cooking liquid, but not all, and retain the onions. I usually leave about 1 cup of liquid in the pot. Return the shredded pork to the crockpot, and stir to mix in the cooking liquid.
Pour on about 1 cup of the BBQ sauce, and stir again. If the meat is still a bit dry, add it more until you’re happy with the consistency.
Serve on soft rolls, with slaw, corn on the cob, or a little salad, to balance out the pile of meat and carbs you’re about to indulge in. Freeze the rest into meal-sized portions and enjoy not having to cook later this month.
