Cherry Cola BBQ Pork

Dinner by 10 is the rule I live by to keep our budget in check.  I love to cook, but after long days I'm tired, my brain is tired and my children are tired.   The last thing I want to do is to prep dinner - especially when my children are in their "needy" time of the day.

My rule is to have dinner planned and prepped by 10am.  When I used to work full time it would be 10pm the night before.  I chop all the vegetables I can, measure out all ingredients I can and have as much mixed as I can so when dinner time comes around it's just pulling it all together.  It makes after dinner dishes much easier too!

This recipe is adapted from the Southern Cast Iron Magazine from May 2018.  Here is how I prepped it to have my dinner ready by 10am.

First, let's prep those Picked Red Onions and get them in the refrigerator.



In a small bowl, or I used a mason jar - fill with 2 cups of thinly sliced red onion.  Then, on the stovetop combine 2 cups of water, 1 cup apple cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, cook for 1 minute and then let cool completely.  Pour over the sliced red onions, cover and place in refrigerator up to 5 days. 

Pork Rub:
 1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1.5 teaspoons garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

Now, let marinate the meat.  The longer it sits, the better it tastes! In a small bowl combine salt, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper and ground coriander.  Rub into the pork, cover and refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

BBQ sauce:

Combine:
3 cups Cheerwine or Cherry Cola
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 tablespoons Dijon Mustard


Here are your cooking options.  I usually throw into the crockpot because it just makes my life so much easier on busy days.

Cook on low 6-7 hours in a crock pot - pork should easily shred with two forks when its done. If possible, I add the sauce about halfway into cooking - giving it plenty of time to thicken.

If you're not able to add in the sauce, cook sauce on stovetop for about 20 minutes, then when ready to eat combine sauce and pork.

And, lastly if you have the time and a good cast iron dutch oven pot - you can throw the pork in there and put in the oven at 450 degrees for about 45 minutes.  Then, turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to cook for about 2.5 more hours.  Pork should register to 185 degrees and easily fork shred.

Shred your pork and add your sauce!

To assemble sandwiches, start with a good crusty hamburger bun, top with pork, sauce, pickled red onions, pickles and enjoy!