MexiCajun Pulled Pork

A few days ago I was watching the Today Show (as I always do), and Ree Drummond (aka the Pioneer Woman) was demonstrating her easy pulled pork recipe using Dr Pepper.

“Brilliant!  I love Dr Pepper, so this is a no-brainer,” I says to myself.   I pulled out of the freezer the last pork roast from a hog Spicehubby killed on his last hunting trip and set it to thaw.

This is not exactly the Pioneer Woman’s recipe.  I tweaked it using what I already had on hand, but her idea of using cola to cook the meat in was the basis.

Funny enough, I didn’t use Dr Pepper!  Ultimately, I decided I like to drink my Dr Pepper, not cook with it  so I used another cola I had readily available:  root beer.

pork roast (boston butt or pork shoulder)

MexiCajun Seasoning

2 bottles root beer (or Dr Pepper, or any dark cola)

Preheat oven to 350°.  Put roast in a large cast iron pot with lid.  Add root beer and cover liberally with seasoning.

Cover and cook for 4 hours, or until meat becomes fork tender.

Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes.  Using two forks, shred meat and serve immediately.

Served with homemade potato salad and a spicy bbq sauce.

It turned out really well; tender and flavorful and a little sweet.  Since I used root beer, it had hints of vanilla; but no overwhelmingly.  I will probably try it with Dr Pepper the next time to see what difference it would make.

How do you typically serve pulled pork?  I had a hard time trying to decide what to do with it once it was cooked since I really didn’t want to serve it as a sandwich.  Any other serving ideas???