OH. MY. GOODNESS. You have got to try this pulled pork recipe I found on The Pioneer Woman. Definitely a winner! I know it sounds kinda weird to cook a pork shoulder in Dr. Pepper, but trust me, you won’t be sorry! You can’t really even taste a Dr. Pepper flavor. It just brightens the whole experience and adds a little sweetness to contrast the spiciness of the chipotle peppers. The Pioneer Woman cooked this in the oven, but I used a slow cooker and it turned out great.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1 large onion
- 1 whole pork shoulder (“pork butt”) – 5 to 7 lbs (however, I only used about 1/4 of the meat since I was only feeding 2 people)
- salt & pepper
- 1 can (11 oz) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (can be found on the Mexican food aisle)
- 2 cans Dr. Pepper
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
Start by peeling and quartering a large onion and scatter around the bottom of the slow cooker (or pot if you’re cooking it in the oven).
Here’s what the label will most likely say. Don’t worry. It’s not really a pork “butt”. It’s the shoulder. 🙂 Still figuring out why they call it a butt.
The whole shoulder would have probably fed about 10 people so I cut about a quarter of it and put the rest in the freezer to use later. Liberally sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place on top of the onion.
Pour the whole can of chipotle peppers onto the meat (sauce too).
Now, I know this might be going against your nature, and may seem weird, but trust me! It’ll be worth it!
Pour both cans of Dr. Pepper over the meat, peppers, and onion. I used room temperature Dr. Pepper even though we had cold ones in the fridge. I figured, it was going to need to get hot anyway, so I might as well help it along.
Next add the brown sugar. Stir it around so that everything is nice and combined.
Cook for at least 6 hours on Low if using a slow cooker, and at 300° if cooking in the oven. You’ll want to turn the meat over 2-3 times while cooking.
When the meat is ready it will be practically falling apart, so use caution when taking it out of the pot.
Shred meat with 2 forks, separating the big chunks of fat as you go. The fat should be pretty easy to see since it will be slimy and soft, and the meat will be more firm.
Place the shredded meat back into the slow cooker and keep warm until ready to serve. Discard the fat.
I served the pork with a side of mashed potatoes. The juices from the slow cooker made a wonderful gravy! Hope you love it as much as we did!
