Shredded BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Made this up for a potluck and it turned out great. It can be cooked in a slow cooker (6-8 hours) or a pressure cooker.
Made this up for a potluck and it turned out great. It can be cooked in a slow cooker (6-8 hours) or a pressure cooker.
- Carbohydrate 20.1342804054054 g
- Cholesterol 70.308 mg
- Fat 14.03924 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 19.75428 g
- Saturated Fat 4.946732 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (175g)
- Sodium 442.8211 mg
- Sugar 20.1342804054054 g
- Trans Fat 1.377906 g
- Calories 294 calories
Step-by-step
- Mix the Dr. Pepper and the 2/3 cup bbq sauce and pour half into the bottom of the cooker.
- Rub the Seasoning into the pork and place in cooker, pour rest of mixture over pork.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 60 minutes and use natural pressure release (let it come down on it's own).
- If you are using the slow cooker start out on high for 3 hours and finish for 3 hours on low.
- Take out pork and shred.
- Return to cooker and add additional bbq sauce.
- If you are using the pressure cooker you will want to take juices out and add back into pot after meat is shredded and sauce is added, to make sure it doesn't get too wet.
- If you are using or transferring to to a slow cooker do the same.
The ingredient list omits the crucial chemistry happening inside the sealed cooker. Soda contains carbonic acid and simple sugars that break down tough collagen fibers within a four-pound pork shoulder during long cooking cycles. This acid softens connective tissue far more effectively than water alone. Using bottled barbecue sauce introduces high sugar content, which burns easily if exposed to direct heat. Thermal regulation matters heavily here. Pressure cooking forces liquid into the muscle fibers rapidly at 240 degrees Fahrenheit. Slow cooking achieves similar collagen conversion through sustained, lower heat over six hours.
Managing Moisture and Shredding Technique
Pork shoulder releases substantial internal juices as it cooks. Drain excess liquid from the pot before shredding the meat with two forks. Retaining all cooking liquid makes the final mixture watery and dilutes the barbecue sauce adhesion. Add the remaining two cups of sauce incrementally to control viscosity. Stir the shredded meat until every strand glistens without pooling at the base of the vessel.
- Strain cooking liquids through a fine-mesh sieve if the mixture exceeds one cup of total residual fluid.
- Store leftover shredded pork in an airtight glass container for up to four days at 38 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Reheat portions gently in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water to prevent scorching.
