Spicy or Not - Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork

The two things I heard a lot about shortly after moving to Alabama was pulled pork and sweet tea. Having grown up in Louisiana and spending most of my young adult years in Los Angeles I must admit I don't remember pulled pork so I don't believe I had ever had any and the only tea that I knew of was the kind Lipton made in a can with lemon. There wasn't much that we didn't eat in Louisiana...and we ate every part of the pig/hog so maybe pulled pork wasn't a Lousi kind of dish. I did a little research and found that pulled pork origins was in places like North Carolina and Tennessee. Slow cooking was recognized as a way of cooking the cheaper or tougher cuts of meat and making better use of the entire pig. Pulled pork is usually made from the shoulder of the pig, and although the exact recipe varies from area to area, all involve the treating of the meat before it is cooked. The pork is cooked over the barbecue to give it a distinctive smoky flavour, and like other smoked meats the pulled pork is cooked for hours over a very low heat. And as with our recipe it can be cooked in the oven or in a slow cooker. Whatever the cooking method low and slow is necessary.

This recipe calls for an 11 oz. can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce but my husband and I are "whimpy" when it comes to spicy heat so I went with half of a 7 oz. can. After tasting it I may have been able to handle the whole 7oz can because it wasn't spicy at all. This was delicious! The meat was fork tender as promised with lots of flavor. I made pulled pork sandwiches with it and I loved the flavor of the onions on top of the pork. I added a little Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and spicy bread and butter pickles and it was delish! A side of coleslaw and baked beans would be delicious with this also.

Ingredients

• 1 whole Large Onion
• 1 whole Pork Shoulder ("pork Butt") - 5-7 Pounds
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 can (11 oz.) Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
• 2 cans Dr. Pepper
• 2-4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Peel onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven.

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.

Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.

Spicy or Not Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork - Oven or  Break out the Crock Pot!

Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, turning roast tow or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it's not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.

Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately Then heat up the liquid on the stove top and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.

Other ideas for serving:

• Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa and whatever else you'd like.
• rice bowl and steam veggies
• use for enchiladas
• mash potatoes or mac and cheese

You can also use Root beer or coke instead of Dr. Pepper.