Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork Sandwiches { collab with FiveStarSoda }

Hello, friend. 

Guys, I’m real sad. Summer is almost over! *insert sad face emoji* Where did the summer go? It feels like yesterday I had just turned in my last final exam. But it’s almost football and hoodie-wearing season and that makes me pretty excited. Tailgating and bonfires, sweaters and warm apple cider, and pumpkin flavored everything. Speaking of tailgates, I have the perfect recipe for one! This slow cooker pulled pork has a secret ingredient: root beer. A few weeks back I photographed the Homer Soda festival. One of the soda judges at the festival was FiveStarSoda. We didn’t have the chance to meet up which bummed me out. So I sent him a DM via Instagram seeing if he wanted to collaborate and the rest is history. On FiveStarSoda’s site, you are going to find a soda review for Capt’n Eli Root Beer. When you’re done reading this post, head on over there and tell him TK sent you.

So I love pulled pork. Not as much as my love for smoked ribs but I digress. When I think pulled pork, I think party food. You have your paper plate piled high with potato chips, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, casseroles of all kinds, and then a mound of pork smothered in tangy BBQ sauce. I live for that kind of food. Side note: developing this recipe makes me want to join a competitive BBQ team. Travel the country and try amazing BBQ #LifeGoals.

Momma Crawford is the queen of slow cooker recipes. Some of my favorite recipes of hers come from the slow cooker. It’s so easy! Add all your ingredients, turn it on, and wait. It’s no hassle cooking at its finest. For this recipe, I made a root beer BBQ sauce as well as braising the meat in root beer/water mixture. The sauce of the perfect balance of sweet and spicy with the root beer adding just a slight vanilla note to the sauce. Opening that lid 6 hours later and the kitchen filled with smoky goodness. I decided to make a quick and easy coleslaw to be put on the sandwiches as well as some red onions in a little lemon juice and salt (fun fact: this tames the harsh taste of the red onions and mellows them out. Isn’t food science amazing??). The family loved this recipe and for good reason, it’s pretty dang good! I served my pulled pork on toasted buns, but it would be equally as good on pulled pork nachos or even tacos. Future recipe perhaps??

Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork

Recipes adapted from Byron Talbot & Ree Drummond

Ingredients

            Pulled Pork

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 lbs pork butt

1 tbsp salt

1 tbsp black pepper

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

8 oz tomato sauce

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 cup root beer

5-7 cups of water (enough to almost cover the pork)

1/4 cup of bbq sauce*

            BBQ Sauce

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, diced

¾ cup ketchup

1/3 cup molasses

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon cumin

4 tablespoons root beer

2 tablespoons distilled vinegar

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Dash salt & pepper

Coleslaw

1 cup sliced cabbage

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon black pepper

Pinch of cayenne

            Red onions

1 red onion, sliced

Juice of one lemon

Pinch of salt

Directions

For the sauce. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook or 5 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Reduce the heat to low. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Allow mixture to simmer for 20 minutes. Taste after simmering and adjust seasonings. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer and allow to cool before storing in the fridge.

For the pulled pork. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cut the pork butt in half. In a small bowl, mix together the salt, black pepper, cumin, chili powder, and paprika. Coat every side of of pork butt with the dry rub mixture. Sear the meat on each side until golden brown. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.

In a large 6-quart slow cooker, add the meat, onions, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, root beer, water and ¼ cup of the BBQ sauce. Cover and set the slow cooker on low. Allow to cook for 6-7 hours or until the meat is fork tender.

Remove braised meat from the slow cooker and into a large bowl. Using two forks, pull apart the pork into shreds of meat. Transfer meat back into the slow cooker. Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper if necessary. Serve pork on toasted buns or however you would like, topped with coleslaw, red onions, and drizzled with some extra BBQ sauce if desired.

For the coleslaw & red onions. In a medium bowl mix together the sliced cabbage, sour cream, olive oil, red wine vinegar, black pepper, and cayenne. Set aside. In a small bowl, toss together the red onions, lemon juice, salt. The lemon juice and salt will combat the harsh taste/bite of the red onion.

{click here for the printable recipe}