Brad, I'd either leave them out or add some of the liquid that surrounds the peppers. They come in a can and I'm a real heat wuss, I like the smoky flavor but not the heat, so I'll put a tiny bit of the adobo sauce in things, then taste.

If you want the smoky flavor without any heat at all you can just add some smoked paprika, but if you don't want any heat, I'd just leave it out entirely and not substitute anything.

Annie

Hi Annie,

From what I read in the recipe, it'll be plenty of flavor, so I'll just leave the peppers out. Now, if I made this for my theatre group, I'd use a small 7 oz. can instead of the listed 11 oz. can.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad - one thing you might do is add a small jar of Goya Sofrito sauce. A very flavorful tomato sauce with onions, garlic and peppers (not hot) and spices.

I was making some meals for my niece's family when she had a broken leg and arm. I put a pork shoulder roast in a crock pot and half way through added a 6 oz. jar of Sofrito. I did not use any Dr. Pepper - but I'm sure it would make a good combination.

You should be able to find Sofrito in the Latino/Spanish section of your grocery store. Goya is a very common brand but perhaps your store has a different brand.

My niece has made her pulled pork with Sofrito ever since.

Teresa

Teresa, I will keep an eye out for the Sofrito. I have seen the Goya brand name for sale in stores downtown, but, I can't remember if they had Sofrito or not. It sounds like a good blend.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad, I think adobo sauce comes with or without chile peppers

dcarch

Dcarch, I think you're right. I believe I have seen it for sale without the chipotle peppers. I will have to look the next time I go to the store to make sure.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Adobo is Spanish for seasoning, and applies to sauces, dry seasonings and marinades. It's common in Mexican and SW US cooking. Chilis are an integral part of it. Sounds like this is not what you want. Go with a Dr Pepper sauce.

{{gwi:1523119}}I occasionally use soft drinks for a braising/BBQ sauce when making country style ribs. I don't do pork roast often because it's just too much in quantity. I'll make a shredded pork of the country style ribs and it's great. I hope he likes things sweet because using a soft drink for a braising sauce and even for a BBQ sauce will make it quite sweet, however if he doesn't like spicy and chilis and the like I wouldn't use that recipe with the Adobo in it. Put the pork roast into your Dutch oven (i'd brown it first for extra flavor) and put a can or two of Dr Pepper in there with some onions and a little of your favorite seasonings. Smoked paprika will give it a smoky touch, I like lemon pepper (call it Dr Lemon Pepper if you like... or not), some Italian Seasoning, dill, a touch of mustard and/or some Jane's Krazy Mixed Up Salt is a nice blend but you can add whatever seasonings you want and cook that little piggy till shreddin tender. There's packaged BBQ seasoning mix that's fine too but what I mentioned is flavorful-seasoned but not hot-spicy. Shred that porker and put in a bottle or two (depending on size of roast and how sloppy you like it) of Dr Pepper BBQ Sauce and simmer it for a while. Pick up some pretzel buns (pretzels go great with Dr Pepper) and make or buy some coleslaw. You can doctor up store-bought coleslaw to make it pretty decent but prepared coleslaw package and a bottled dressing is just fine and even better doctored up a bit. Some crisp potatoes if you like (crispy tots, roasted wedges, jojos or waffle fries are super) or a potato salad would be an optional addition without too much effort.

As an alternative, you can easily make your own simple Dr Pepper BBQ sauce. Mix ketchup with Dr. Pepper, and kick it up a bit. Add some Worcestershire sauce, a little garlic powder, onion powder, some lemon pepper or black pepper and just a touch of chili powder is optional but if he's really, uh, shall we say sensitive to the heat, leave that out. You can take a can of Dr. Pepper and a bottle of ketchup and do some experimenting. Use a tablespoon or so of ketchup and Dr Pepper to start. You can use that by itself but I think it's a touch bland. A lot of people think they're fancy by the "Ketchup and Coke BBQ Sauce" but I think it needs something more. Give it a touch (remember you're testing small quantities so be careful and keep notes on what you do and how much so you can adjust sizes up for larger quantities) then give it a taste. I'd try it on something, be it some meatball pieces or even some fries to give a better idea how it tastes with the food. When you hit one you like, make a note (remember to share it!), put it in with your shredded pig and you'll have a feast.

Just some ideas. Use a different bun if you prefer, or use bread or toast. I hate pickles but some love it on there so go with your taste. Gram's lemonade is a natural for this IMO. Offset some of the sweet with the lemon tartness.

Just hit me that those potato waffles of Ann_T's and dcarch would go well covered with pulled pork and slaw! I'm getting hungry... everything is sounding good!

This post was edited by cynic on Tue, May 21, 13 at 2:34

cynic, the girl scouts used to make that "coke and catsup" BBQ sauce, we did it over a campfire in a dutch oven, but you're right, it's not "fancy" at all.

It was just a layer of red potatoes, a layer of baby carrots, a layer of chicken pieces, all covered with a mix of half Coke and half catsup, and cooked until everything was done. Hungry Girl Scouts scarfed it up. My girls still love the stuff, and I think half Dr. Pepper and half catsup would do about the same thing.

Brad, I like it OK, but like cynic I like a little more flavor, so I add some garlic and onion that I've chopped and sautéed, maybe some mild chili powder or smoked paprika, a little of cynic's Worcestershire sauce. Taste as you go.

dcarch, I've never seen adobo sauce without chipotles. I see that the Goya Adobo without Peppers is just a mix of black pepper, turmeric, oregano and garlic, so it would probably be easy to add those things to taste. No smoke though, it just doesn't seem right...

Annie

Forgot to say, don't expect it to taste like Dr Pepper. I've never tried the Dr Pepper bottled sauce so I have no idea what that tastes like. And when adding sauce to the pork, use minimal at first. Just enough to get it wet but not drenched. For those who want more, add when they eat it. Plus part of the novelty for a Dr Pepper lover would be offering them the bottle of sauce to add if they like.

Oh, and Teriyaki is a great additive too.

Also, a little chili powder or some smoked paprika won't make it "hot" tasting. They're mild chili powders.

Annie, a friend of mine told me about the ketchup and coke thing a long time ago. She used it for pork chops and liked it as a gravy for potatoes too. I've mixed it with BBQ sauce, chili sauce and other things to improve the taste. I also have used ginger ale, root beer, 7Up, Sprite and beer too. I'm thinking about trying it with lemonade sometime. I often put a little lemon juice in the braising liquid so it shouldn't be too crazy. Oh

Brad, I've made this very recipe and after tasting it halfway through, I yanked out all the chipotles and tried to thin it down with more of the liquid. The second time, I made it, I think I used about a quarter of the peppers. And I like things with a bit of heat.

Rave reviews every time I make this. It's a fantastic recipe, even without the chipotles being replaced. Just leave it out!

Thank you, everyone!

The recipe did say that you could use half a can if you didn't like things on the spicy side. I do like the idea of adding Worcestershire, garlic, and onions are already in the recipe. She has another pulled pork recipe that I want to try as well. I wonder if a can or two of Dr. Pepper would work in this recipe or not. It sounds like it would, based on what you all were saying.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Here is a link that might be useful: Spicy Pulled Pork

the slaw she makes with it also gets rave reviews. Just in case you wondered. Good stuff! I'm sure it could be fiddled with by adding Worcestershire and more Dr. Pepper. It's really an easy-going recipe. After all, I added more liquid during cooking and it got rave reviews. Promise!

Here is the actual recipe for those of you wondering what all ingredients it takes. This sounds like a recipe more for cooler weather. I have read that some people have had success making this in the Crock Pot.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Here is a link that might be useful: Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

Oh my, Brad, an entire can of chipotles? Nope, I'm a wuss, I'd put in maybe one. Not one can, one chipotle!

I'd put it in the crock pot without hesitation, pulled pork does well in a slow cooker.

Lemonade? Cynic, you might be onto something there. Our dear friend, San, a prior poster, had a lemonade chicken recipe that I think went in the crockpot, it took lemonade concentrate if I remember correctly.

Annie

I had looked up the recipe before but I understood you to say you didn't want the heat and extra spiciness for this friend so the one with the chilis in adobo would not be a good choice for them so that's why I made the suggestions I made. The "spicy" one that you were looking at would be a better choice.

Keep in mind the liquid is there primarily to add moisture to braise the meat and keep things moist over the long slow cooking time so that it'll break down the fat, collagen and the like and make it tender. Adding different liquids will add to taste and flavor so yes, add the Dr Pepper if you like. I usually use beer, since it helps tenderize and I've used Dr Pepper, root beer, etc as I mentioned before. I often put in some lemon juice and/or vinegar, depending on the taste mood I'm in at the time.

Seems to me that lemonade, lemon juice, orange juice, apple juice would all be perfectly fine choices for the liquids. Most any juice. Cranberry, grape might look a little strange but white grape?

You don't have to follow a recipe exactly. My motto is recipes are guidelines, not hard and fast rules. If you don't like something going in there and it's not integral to the purpose, leave it out or substitute. Most every pulled pork recipe is basically the same. Cook it slow, usually braising, often searing (or seering? I've seen it spelled both ways), often coating with a rub, shred it or chop it and add a bit of sauce or liquid of some type whether it be broth, bbq sauce or some even like coleslaw dressing and call it bbq sauce. The meat will usually still shine through and should be the main event of the dish IMO.

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork is not unique to Pioneer Woman. It's been around a long time. Here's a bunch of variations Crockpots are often used. Of course I use my Nesco but have done it baked or stovetop too. I really emphasize the taste benefit of browning the meat first even if you're using a crockpot. It's fine if you don't but usually better if you do. I also have several more formal recipes for a Dr Pepper BBQ sauce if you're interested.

This post was edited by cynic on Wed, May 22, 13 at 0:28

Just be to clear, I wasn't dissed you cynic. I was just reassuring Brad, as a user of the recipe, leaving out the peppers works just fine. It's actually become my go to recipe since it's just as good as the best kind you can get at the places around here that are well loved. Much cheaper, but just as tasty. All this talk of pulled pork has me leaning towards that as the Memorial day menu. It was grilled, but I may not now!

:)

I didn't take it as a diss at all rob333. Don't give it another thought. And yes the pulled pork sounds so good.

Cool!

Thank you again, everyone!

It's been too hot here to go ahead and bake anything in the oven, but if we do make homemade pulled pork, we may make it in the Crock Pot and brown it first.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

Brad, Just a thought.

Have you ever tried Liquid Smoke?

Adding a few drops of Liquid Smoke to cook pulled pork can be very interesting.

But try it out first and see if you like it before you do the final thing.

dcarch

dcarch, No, I have never tried liquid smoke, but, I've wondered what it tastes like. I'm not too big on grilled foods. Some are okay, and I can taste that slightly smoky flavor from them. I may have to give it a go to see for myself.

Brad AKA Moonwolf

I would suggest if you try liquid smoke, try it on something non-critical (not a 20 pound ham or something) and something you could easily and frugally replace. And go light on it. A couple drops really has a lot of impact. It's one of those things some people love and some people hate so know your diners! Hope you had a great holiday weekend.

Brad,

You really don't need a complicated recipe. Just get a pork arm/ shoulder roast or a butt. Put a layer of onions in a Crock Pot, add the roast and pour in a can of soda, cook for 10-12 hours on low (ck at 8 hrs to see if falling apart yet). When done, remove from pot and shred, add bbq sauce as desired. The soda can be Dr. Pepper, root beer, ginger ale, etc. You won't really taste it, it just adds sugar and moisture. You can add the onions to the meat or not. Same with liquid, it will be fatty and need skimmed. Good luck with whatever you try!

This post was edited by lizbeth-gardener on Thu, May 30, 13 at 23:49