Name: Slow-Cooker Big Red Pulled Pork
Cook time: 20 minutes
Total time: 8 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper; 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin; 1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika; 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 (6-pound) skinless, boneless pork shoulder roast (pork butt or Boston butt); 1 cup Big Red soda; 1/2 cup store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce (not too sweet); 1 cup store-bought or homemade barbecue sauce (not too sweet); 2 tablespoons (or more) Big Red soda; Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper (optional); Hamburger buns, sliced pickles, and vinegar-based cabbage slaw (for serving); A large slow-cooker (at least 6 quarts)

Side view of a pulled pork sandwich in front of a line up of glass Big Red soda bottles.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Michelle Gatton

The pairing of barbecue and Big Red Soda is super-popular throughout the South, so why not combine the two in one killer dish? The sweet, cult-favorite cream soda, originally from Texas, is often compared to cinnamon bubble gum, but also has notes of lemon, orange, and vanilla. Here, it's combined with barbecue sauce as a cooking liquid for slow-cooked, spice-rubbed pork shoulder, with results that are sweet, spicy, and as uniquely flavored as Big Red itself.

Cooks' Note

To make the pork in the oven, cook at 300°F in a covered Dutch oven, basting occasionally, until very tender and shreds easily when pulled with a fork, 6–7 hours.

Recipe notes

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