Everyone ranted and raved about this Cherry Doctor Pepper pulled pork. It was so incredibly tender and juicy, it melted in their mouths. I have smoked a lot of pork, but I can honestly say this was at least as good as the best I’ve ever made. It does not have a strong cherry flavor, just a hint. The Dr. Pepper adds a nice flavor and a lot of moisture. The overnight rub is also important. As simple as this recipe and smoke is, the end result is amazing. That’s the best kind of BBQ. Nothing complicated, just great eats.
If you’re sitting in your lawn chair enjoying a BBQ sandwich and it takes more than 3 minutes to tell the story about what ingredients you used and how you smoked it, it’s too complicated. At least that’s my thinking. Spend your time with your friends, not in the kitchen or over the smoker. Of course, you can also make this pork the day ahead. Ditto the sauce.
To Foil Or Not To Foil
I opted to foil the pork at the end of the cook. This is not something I normally do, as the pork tends to not get much of a thick ‘bark’. But the Cherry Doctor Pepper pulled pork really came out fantastic anyways. You can skip the foiling if you wish, but expect a longer cook time.
Don’t forget to make a big batch of Cherry Doctor Pepper BBQ sauce to go with the pork. I served ours up on toasted onion buns, with the sauce and fresh-made slaw on the side. It was the perfect dinner basket!
- Pecan wood chunks
- Provides a rich & Sweet flavor
I prefer to use fruit or nut woods when I smoke unless I want a heavier smoke flavor. Pecan, apple or cherry are my favorites. I used apple for this pork.
Cherry Doctor Pepper Pulled Pork
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pork butt trimmed (I used 2 7 1/2 pound butts)
- prepared yellow mustard
- your favorite BBQ seasoning
- Brown sugar optional, see Instructions
- Cherry Dr. Pepper I used almost a 2 liter bottle between the pork and the Cherry Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce, which I doubled
Instructions
- Place each butt on a large piece of aluminum foil. Squirt all sides of each with yellow mustard. Do not be shy with it.
- Sprinkle all sides with the rub. Again, don’t be shy with it.
- Sprinkle a bit of brown sugar on all sides and rub in. This step is optional if you are using a sweet rub.
- Pour a bit of Dr. Pepper into a spray bottle and lightly spritz all sides of the pork.
- Tightly wrap the meat in the foil and place on large sheet pans in the fridge overnight.
- Fire up your smoker or grill for cooking 225 F to 250 F. Add a bit of fruit wood once it is fully lit.
- While waiting for the smoker to come up to temperature, inject each butt with more Dr. Pepper. Again, don’t be shy with it.
- Place pork onto the smoker fat-side up.
- Mist the pork with additional Dr. Pepper every two hours. Cook 1 to 1 1/2 hours per pound or until the pork reaches 175 F when tested in multiple places with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove pork from the smoker and place into aluminum half pans. Add 1 cup of Cherry Dr. Pepper to each pan. Cover with foil and return to smoker until meat temperature reaches 205 F.
- Drain any fat and excess liquid from the pans and uncover and cook a bit longer, until temperature returns to 205 F.
- Remove butts and cover in foil and let rest 30-45 minutes.
- Shred pork as desired and serve with the BBQ sauce on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
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