cherry Dr. Pepper Archives - Life's A Tomato

Everyone ranted and raved about this Cherry Doctor Pepper pulled pork. It was so incredibly tender and juicy, it melted in our mouths. I have smoked a lot of pulled 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.

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!

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.

Weber Pecan Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Apple Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

Weber Cherry Wood Chunks, for Grilling and Smoking, 4 lb.

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5 from 1 vote

Cherry Doctor Pepper Pulled Pork

Course Main

Cuisine American

Keyword pulled pork

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 12

Total Time 1

Servings pork butt

Calories 594kcal

Author From The Smoking Pit

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.