Dr Pepper Spicy Pulled Pork - 52 Church PotLuck Main COurses

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This is a CROCK POT EASY DISH!  Literally 15 minutes of prep work, a few unattended hours in the slow cooker and bingo bango bongo, 6 pounds of cooked deliciousness!


I feel like I need to explain myself... I can Grill.  I can smoke and BBQ.  In fact I have a very detailed post on Smoking a Pork Shoulder (Pulled Pork) on a Weber Grill.  There is nothing like a Summer BBQ with pulled pork!  But Sometimes (like now when my smoker is covered in snow), a hint of summer BBQ out of my Crock Pot is still something special!

Special but amazingly easy.  Sure, it is called a slow cooker and this does take time.  But the time is hands off cooking.  Eight hours when you don't touch your meat... Shirley you can do that...  My apologies, I am writing this up while watching Airplane!, I will try to be nice...

EASY, like I said, only 4 ingredients.  You could certainly make your own BBQ Rub (See THIS POST for a Texas BBQ Rub recipe), but every grocery store or BBQ specialty store sells prepackaged Rub.  And of course those same stores have dozens of BBQ sauces for sale (Or make your own... I even have a post for making a sweet BBQ Sauce that goes wonderfully with this pork, see THIS POST for that recipe).

BUT, as I said... Let's talk easy.  There is only one tricky part to this recipe  That is to trim the hard fat from the pork shoulder.  It is easy to spot, it feel hard.  Just slice it away, leaving a tiny tiny bit.  This fat is on the outside of the shoulder and is easy to get out.  Sharp knifes always work best.  this also helps to get the rub into the meat.

As to differences between a smoked BBQ Pulled Pork and the slow cooker... Well, you do lose that smokey flavor.  You lose the texture of the "bark" that forms on a smoked pork shoulder.  But the taste from the rub is there.  If you are not ready to BBQ... or like me, too much of a weenie to grill in the snow, you will LOVE this recipe.

I love the Dr Pepper edge that this gives.  A tang of sweet, a tang of that unique flavor.  And yet the spicy Chipotle peppers added to the simmering crock pot makes this a unique flavor profile.

One note on the Chipotle spice, it does come out with a definite spice flavor.  If you are serving to more delicate pallets that prefer a less spicy flavor, feel free to only use 1/2 or even 1/4 of the can of spice.  You will still get a tinge of spice but not the overwhelming twinge that the full can gives.

Easy... Filled with Flavor, and enough to feed an army!

And did I say easy???  Shirley this will become a favorite!

OK... Here's What I did...

Dr Pepper
Spicy Pulled Pork

Ingredients

• 7-8 Pound Boston Butt Pork Shoulder
• 1 Can (12 Ounces) Dr Pepper
• 1 Can (7 Ounces) Chipotle in Adobe Sauce, Pureed
• 1/4 Cup Garlic Salt
• 1/2 Cup Your favorite BBQ Sauce (Hint, a sweet sauce will compliment the spicy Chipotle flavor very well. BUT, if you like a spicy product, add a spicy sauce)

Cooking Directions

1. Trim your meat, remove the hard fat. This fat will simply never melt and you end up with fatty pieces of finished product. But do not over trim, leave the soft fat (that does render out making the meat moist and tender). Rub the garlic salt into the meat.
2. In a blender or food processor, add the contents of the can of Adobe Peppers with about half the contents of the can of Dr Pepper and blend until smooth.
3. Put the Pork Shoulder into the crock pot, pour the pureed pepper on top of the meat, add the remaining Dr pepper.
4. Set the Slow Cooker at LOW, planning for an 8 hour cooking session.
5. Measure the internal temperature of the pork after 8 hours. Should be at least 195 degrees. When the internal temperature is correct, remove from the crock pot and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Then take two forks and shred away. Put the shredded pork into a bowl (or back in the slow cooker (remove liquid first)). Add the BBQ Sauce of choice.
6. Serve warm on a bun with Cole Slaw, Dill Pickle and more BBQ Sauce and ENJOY!

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This simple recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Simple but Next Level Dishes"!

Kind of an odd title for these posts. But the longer sentence is... Simple recipes that are easy and inexpensive that will take your cooking to the next level... Things like easy pickled items (I always have a jar of Pickled Red Onions for sandwiches in my fridge). Or how about the easiest bread to make in the world... Beer Bread that is tasty on it's own but also makes a wonderful open face pizza style sandwich... With easy to make Tomato Sauce. Or how about Roasting Garlic for a spread on toast points for a unique appetizer. Infusing Oil with Herbs or spices or spicy peppers. Or how about making your own BBQ sauce. Nothing sets you apart as a grill master like setting out a jar of your own specialty BBQ Sauce.

You get the idea. These recipes are very simple, take very little time but will set you apart as a better cook...

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So,  I am pleased to list this as one of my Growing list of "52 Ways to Cook SLOW COOKER-CROCK POT Easy Recipes"!!!

From meat dishes (Like an AMAZING Root Beer Pulled Pork that will feed a small army), to kitchen staples (FREE Gallon of Chicken Stock anyone?) to a slew of Soup and Stew recipes, these are the dishes that will change the way you cook.  Start in the morning, set and forget and dinner is on the table... Easy Peasy indeed!!!

****************************PINTEREST**************************

This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...

Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

***********************PINTEREST*********************

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