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Dr. Pepper is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE pop (soda, if you’re fancy or not from the Midwest) so it was a natural progression for me to try this recipe. I saw this years ago on The Pioneer Woman’s website and was intrigued by the combination of pop and chipotle peppers to create this sweet and spicy mix that penetrates the meat and makes a delicious sauce when cooked down for hours with the pork.
I love when pulled pork is so good that you don’t even need BBQ sauce. This is THAT GOOD. And it feeds a huge crowd! The key to a wonderfully juicy, tender and melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork is to leave some of the small pieces of fat in the shredded meat.
Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork
- Yield: 10 to 12 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, halved and thickly sliced
- One 5– to 7-pound pork shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 3 cups Dr. Pepper (2 cans)
- Half of an 11-ounce can chipotle puree, or chipotles in adobo, finely minced or pureed in food processor, or more (or less) depending on your spice preference
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 300°.
In a large Dutch oven, lay the onion slices on the bottom to form a bed for the pork. Generously season the pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Lay on top of the onion slices. Combine the Dr. Pepper, chipotle pepper puree and brown sugar, stirring to mix. Pour over the pork, ensuring most of the meat is submerged in the liquid. Place the lid on the pot and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 to 4 hours, until your pork is tender and falls apart when shredded with two forks. Let the pork cool slightly before shredding; discard any large pieces of fat. Return to the cooking liquid and keep warm until ready to serve.
Notes
- The key to a wonderfully juicy, tender and melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork is to leave some of the small pieces of fat in the shredded meat.
Inspiration: Spicy Pop Pulled Pork on foodnetwork.com
- Category: Pork