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Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork on a plate
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Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork

This Slow Cooker Root Beer Pulled Pork recipe is sweet, tangy, and completely delicious. The root beer barbecue sauce alone is incredible!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Pork, slow cooker
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 10 hours
Total Time 11 hours
Servings 12 people
Calories 450kcal
Author Jillian - a Food, Folks and Fun original!

Ingredients

SPICE RUB:

  • 4 Tablespoons paprika
  • 3 Tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons table salt

PORK:

  • 5-6 pounds boneless pork butt Boston butt, cut into 3 even pieces
  • 2 cups root beer

SAUCE:

  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup root beer
  • 3/4 cup ketchup
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons liquid smoke
  • Salt and pepper

FOR SERVING:

  • 12 Kaiser or hamburger buns

Instructions

FOR SPICE RUB:

  • In small bowl add all rub ingredients and stir to combine; set aside.

FOR PORK:

  • Coat each pork piece with spice rub. Place pork pieces into slow cooker insert, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.
  • When ready to cook, remove plastic wrap and place slow cooker insert onto base. Pour root beer over pork, cover, and cook on LOW until pork is tender, 8-10 hours.
  • Carefully move pork to foil-lined cookie sheet. Using forks shred pork into large chunks and discard extra fat. Cool pork while you make root beer barbecue sauce.

FOR ROOT BEER BARBECUE SAUCE:

  • While pork cools, set strainer over large saucepan. Pour cooking liquid through strainer, and skim excess fat from surface (you should have 5-6 cups of liquid). Bring liquid to boil over medium-high and continue to cook to reduce liquid to 1 cup, 30-40 minutes.
  • While cooking liquid boils, in large liquid measuring cup whisk together vinegar, root beer (be careful because it will foam - that’s why you need a large measuring cup and pour slowly!), ketchup, and brown sugar.
  • Once cooking liquid is reduced to 1 cup, pour in vinegar mixture and simmer for 5-6 minutes to thicken slightly. Off heat stir in liquid smoke and root beer concentrate (optional). You should have about 3 cups of sauce.

TO FINISH:

  • Pour half of sauce over pork, and use tongs to toss to combine. Let pork sit to absorb sauce, about 10 minutes. Season pork with salt and pepper. Serve with the extra root beer barbecue sauce standing by!

Nutrition

Serving: 1sandwich | Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 896mg | Potassium: 855mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 1630IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 5mg