Cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, oil, and, of course, beer are all that are required to make a delicious beer cake. Try it out and see if your buddies can figure it out.
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 6 hrs 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 8 hrs 30 mins |
| Total Time: | 15 hrs 5 mins |
| Servings: | 10 |
| Yield: | 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 (4.5 pound) bone-in pork shoulder roast
- 1 cup root beer
- 2 ½ tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon dry mustard
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ cups root beer
- 1 ½ fluid ounces whiskey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¾ cup prepared barbecue sauce
- 10 hamburger buns, split
Instructions
- Place the pork shoulder roast into a large plastic bag, pour 1 cup of root beer over the meat, and squeeze out all the air from the bag. Seal the bag closed, and refrigerate 6 hours to overnight.
- The next day, mix together the light brown sugar, kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, dry mustard, onion powder, garlic salt, celery salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl.
- Remove the meat from the marinade, and shake off the excess. Rub the meat all over with the spice mixture, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Mix together the balsamic vinegar, 1 1/2 cups of root beer, whiskey, and brown sugar in a bowl, and stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and sear the meat on all sides until the meat develops a brown crust, about 3 minutes per side. Place the seared meat into a slow cooker. Pour the balsamic vinegar-root beer mixture over the meat, set the slow cooker to High, and cook for 6 to 8 hours.
- Remove the roast from the slow cooker, and shred with 2 forks. Discard the bones and all but 1 cup of the liquid in the slow cooker. Return the shredded meat to the cooker, mix in the barbecue sauce, and let sit on Low until ready to serve. Serve piled on buns.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 485 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 46 g |
| Cholesterol | 81 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 29 g |
| Saturated Fat | 6 g |
| Sodium | 985 mg |
| Sugars | 21 g |
| Fat | 19 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I’ve made this dozens and dozens of times over the last decade and everyone who eats it with us raves about the flavor. Taking shortcuts still yields a good meal; but following all the steps produces the best flavor. I do it without the whiskey.
I followed the recipe pretty close., but I didn’t sear the roast before slow cooking. I turned out really good anyway. I also cooked it on high for just one hour, then on low for about 8 more hours. It was tender and moist. Next time I probably won’t add the cinnamon as I didn’t care for the taste of it in the meat.
Very good the first night but when reheated leftovers the rootbeer flavor came out a bit too strong
This is actually the only pulled pork recipe that I truly love. The flavor is amazing! I know it may seem like a daunting amount of steps, but in the end, it’s just soaking the pork, dry rubbing it and then putting it in the slow cooker. In my opinion, this is the best recipe and I’m going to continue to use it as my only recipe for pulled pork.
There really isn’t a LOT of steps to this recipe. I don’t know why people are complaining. If you want to cook it correctly sometimes you need to do an extra step or two. Its well worth it. Kosher salt is used because table salt has chemicals added to it & kosher does not. It has nothing to do with religious practices.
Fantastic!
This is my go to recipe for pulled pork. It is wonderful every time. I leave out the Bourbon simply because I cannot afford it. I use Heinz Memphis style BBQ sauce, it is a pefect match.
Delicious!!!
I loved how tender it was..i basically just needed to know how long to cook it for..i used my own marinade and seasonings..thx for the cooking info…
I don’t really enjoy pulled pork, but I had to rate this 5 stars because it’s succulent and very delicious. The overnight marinade really makes it even more yummy. I was nervous because of the root beer, but it really works. I didn’t have whisky but am assuming it gave it an even more smoky flavor.
Delicious!! Worth the work!!
Best pulled pork ever! I’ve been making this for every Super Bowl party every year. I make a double batch and it’s always gone!
Yes it was good the root beer and seasonings made a big change. It has a twist with the cinnamon but is good
I did the rushed version – used all the ingredients but threw them in the quick pot. Very delicious! Hope to follow all the steps next time.
Very good! Add a pickle on the side and it’s perfect.
This recipe has a lot of spices and seasonings but it was totally worth it. We’re still working on finishing it but it will not go to waste. Lol, I ate three sandwiches yesterday! Perfect recipe for my first time doing a pork shoulder. I was not put off by all the spices that go into this as I had all of them already. I’m going to use this rub on a beef brisket just to see if it gives the beef a better flavor than what I’m usually getting. I’m also going to double or triple the mix so I will have enough left over for something else. Have you tried making a large batch of this rub? If so did it work? Believe me folks…this recipe just looks complicated but it’s absolutely going to change the way you do your pulled pork. Cheers!
Was so delicious. Will make again!
This is really good. Made it as directed except that the smallest roast I could find was 7 lbs. I ended up having to cook it almost 10 hours and used about 1.5x’s the other ingredients. I used Sweet Baby Rae’s bbq sauce original. It was good but would like to try hickory smoked sauce next time.
So yummy! My family agrees that this is the new “go to” for sweet pork bbq. I did not have time to marinate the meat but aside from that, I followed the recipe exactly. Note: I feel strongly that the pork should be seared (ideally using a cast iron pan), so don’t skip this step.
Followed the recipe with one exception. Used jack Daniels whiskey. Delicious will make again
Been making it for years now. Always a crowd favorite!