Dr. Pepper Crock Pot Pulled Pork Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is co*ke or Dr Pepper better for pulled pork? ›

Pepper soda, which acts as a tenderizer for the meat and adds so much flavor during the low and slow cooking process. Any similar soda that you enjoy will work well — Coca Cola and root beer are also great options and can be substituted in equal quantities.

You will be amazed at how much flavor a can of Dr. Pepper adds to pork. Not only that, but the sugars in the cola help to tenderize the crockpot pork, making it fall-apart tender.

Transfer everything to a large slow cooker and add a splash of liquid — water is great, but so is broth, apple juice, or beer if you have them handy. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily.

Cola typically has a pH of about 2.7—for comparison, lemon juice has a pH of 2—making it acidic enough to break down some proteins without dissolving your meat. Soda acts as great tenderizer—you could get a tender cut of meat grill-ready in less than a half-hour.

Additionally, spray chicken broth or apple juice on the meat to prevent it from losing more moisture in the crockpot. To add a strong flavor during the process, white wine can also be sprayed. You can shred the pork during smoking or in the crockpot.

Why add apple cider vinegar to pulled pork? Pulled pork relies on both the vinegar's acidity and the low-and-slow cooking process to tenderize the meat, breaking down the protein to give the dish its signature moist, fall-apart texture. Cider vinegar also provides a tangy counterpoint to the fatty pork.

We use brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika, a good amount of salt & pepper, and a pinch of cayenne! Make sure you use all of the seasoning! Also, really rub it into the pulled pork, get all of the nooks and crannies!

This easy Pulled Pork recipe is made with pork shoulder (or butt), pantry spices and co*ke to tenderize the meat and add sweetness to the seasonings. The result if perfect, tender and juicy pork cooked in the oven, slow cooker or instant pot!

Typically, when you make pulled pork, you'll cook it in barbeque sauce or another acidic ingredient like vinegar, citrus, or Worcestershire sauce, which work to tenderize the pork.

Low: 7-8 hours to reach the simmer point. High: 3-4 hours to reach the simmer point. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

What happens if you put too much BBQ sauce in pulled pork? ›

Namely, if you accidentally incorporate too much sauce, the flavor and texture of the pork are going to be completely overwhelmed by the sauce — meaning you'll have a soggy mess, including buns that are potentially too soaked to hold, that is also missing the complex flavors of the slow-roasted pork.

After you've pulled your pork butt, drizzle over the meat and combine. The vinegar adds contrast to the smoky flavor and cuts through the fat in the meat. It also helps mellow out the darker, gamier-tasting parts of the butt.

Pulled Pork Ingredients

I prefer bone out with the top layer of fat removed. You'll likely find this cut of meat in the supermarket, but definitely at the butchers. Dr Pepper – This offers a faint sweetness and helps keep the pork moist as it cooks. Onion – This infuses into the liquid.

It's good to add a binder, which helps the rub stick to it. This can be olive oil, yellow mustard, or a spray oil like duck fat. For pork butt I usually go with mustard. It doesn't add any flavor to the finished product, but I like the way it holds the rub and the color it gives to the exterior early in the cook.

You wouldn't necessarily just season pork with cumin, but mixing it with other seasonings like ginger and lime can enhance the flavour significantly. We'd recommend using ground cumin in recipes like our Pork Kebabs Marinated In Orange & Cumin, where the cumin can bring out the citrus and pork flavours well.

Fyi, this topic, and the history around it, are covered at the Dr Pepper museum. All sodas are essentially bad for you. There might be small differences in the amount of sugar, calories, or caffeine between the two, but if you're trying to be healthy, cutting out soda altogether is the way to go.

If you're not from the south, it may not have occurred to you that you can cook with Coca-Cola. But the king of sodas has been used in southern cooking for years — particularly in marinades and sauces for beef and pork. Its sweet acidity can help to tenderize meat, making it an ideal addition for a long slow brine.