I'm Noel Chapman, recipe developer, food writer and Mom. My kitchen is the heart of my home. Strange as it seems, cooking is relaxing to me. I enjoy getting lost in my kitchen and fixing a homecooked meal for my family or friends. I'm sharing some of my family's favorite recipes, kitchen tips, meal planning strategies along with weekly menus with busy families like you. If most of you fellow foodies are like me and enjoy watching Ree (Pioneer Woman), then you must have seen her episode this past Saturday where she wakes up at the crack of dawn to throw a pork butt into the oven for a mouth watering lunch. I do mean mouth watering!
On my last grocery shopping trip, our grocery store was having a BOGO sale in the meat department so I stocked up. I added Ree’s recipe to my shopping list to try out and was on last night’s meal plan. I didn’t want to wait till the weekend totry out the recipe, so I improvised the recipe by using the crock pot. I cooked it on the low setting for 8 hours; little longer than the 6 hours her recipe called for and it still was falling off the bone, tender and juicy. I had used a 12 ounce can of chipotle peppers in adobo and it was a bit spicy, even for my husband and I. (We love spicy food!) However, it was way too spicy for the kids. Next time I’ll cut back on the peppers to maybe half the can so they are able to eat it. I’m still trying to think of a way to balance the flavors a little better so one ingredient isn’t overpowering the other. Here’s the recipe:
Pioneer Woman’s Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork
Servings: 18
Ingredients:
- 1 whole Large Onion
- 1 whole Pork Shoulder (“pork Butt”) – 5 To 7 Pounds
- Salt And Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 can (11 Ounce) (I used 12 ounce can) Chipotle Peppers In Adobo Sauce
- 2 cans Dr. Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Peel the onion and cut it into wedges. Lay them in the bottom of a large dutch oven. (I used the crock pot.)
- Generously salt and pepper the pork roast, then set it on top of the onions in the pan.
- Pour the can of chipotle peppers over the pork (include the sauce.) Pour in both cans of Dr Pepper. Add brown sugar to the juice and stir in.
- Place lid tightly on pot, then set pot in the oven. Cook for at least six hours, (6-8 hours using the crock pot and I didn’t touch it.) turning roast two or three times during the cooking process. Check meat after six hours; it should be absolutely falling apart (use two forks to test.) If it’s not falling apart, return to the oven for another hour.
- Remove meat from pot and place on a cutting board or other work surface. Use two forks to shred meat, discarding large pieces of fat. Strain as much of the fat off the top of the cooking liquid as you can and discard it. Return the shredded meat to the cooking liquid, and keep warm until ready to serve. (You can also refrigerate the meat and liquid separately, then remove hardened fat once it’s cold. Then heat up the liquid on the stovetop and return the meat to the liquid to warm up.
- Serve on warm flour tortillas. Top with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, grated cheese, avocado slices, salsa, and whatever else you’d like.
Recipe and from by Ree (Pioneer Woman)
For those of you who have tried the recipe, have any suggestions for balancing the flavors?
I love The Pioneer Woman show but I missed this episode. Had to laugh when my SIL – who’s also a fan – said she’d never make this because the soda in the recipe sounded gross. I’m wondering about the purpose of the Dr Pepper? I like that soda but does the meat then taste like Dr Pepper?
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Christina, The Dr. Pepper is basically used as a way to season and tenderize the meat. You could also use Coke if you like. Beer and wine are also great meat tenderizers. I use beer all the time when cooking meats in the crock pot or marinating them for the grill. The pork didn’t really taste at all like Dr. Pepper. It just kinda added a sweetness to counteract the spiciness from the peppers.