ROOT BEER AND BANANA PEPPER PULLED PORK PALOOZA
I was chosen as 1 of 30 bloggers to compete in the Miller’s Sweet and Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce Blogger Recipe Challenge! The challenge is to really think outside of the box and create new recipes highlighting their delicious banana pepper sauces in entrees and appetizers.
Whether it’s game day, a snowy afternoon, or time for meal prep, this pulled pork will get rave reviews with 2 secret ingredients that create the most delicious, tender, fall-apart pulled pork…. Drumroll please…. the secret ingredients are root beer and, of course, Miller’s Sweet and Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce ! The root beer adds unique flavor and the carbination helps to tenderize the meat while the Miller’s sauce brings the heat and incredible layers of sweet and spicy flavor! It makes big batch so it’s perfect for meal prep and can be used on sandwiches, tacos, pizza, nachos, and more!!
Here’s how I made it! Note – you can also scroll to the bottom of this post to skip to the full recipe or click on the photos in this post which will link you to the recipe page as well.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Liberally rub a 7-7 ½ pound pork shoulder/butt all over with 2-2 ½ tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon of black pepper to fully coat.
Heat the olive oil in a large (5-6 quart) Dutch oven. Place the seasoned pork in the hot oil and sear on all sides for 3-4 minutes per side until a mahogany-colored crust forms all over. Remove the pork from the pot and set aside.
Add 2 large onions 2 green bell peppers (cut into large chunks), 15 whole garlic cloves, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the pan drippings and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until the veggies are fragrant and begin to soften. Add 1 bottle of root beer, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula.
Place the pork back in the pot and nestle it between the onions and peppers. Add the other bottle of root beer and half of a bottle of the hot banana pepper sauce to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and bake for 2 ½ hours.
After 2 ½ hours, remove the pork from oven and flip it over in the pot. Cover and place it back in the oven for an additional 40-60 minutes until the pork is falling apart when you poke it with a fork. If the pork is not ‘falling apart’ place back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes until it does.
Gingerly remove the pork from pot and set aside in a large bowl.
Skim most of the excess fat off the top of the liquid in the pot and discard. Bring the remaining liquid in the pot to a boil over medium high heat on the stove. Dissolve the corn starch in the water and add it to the pot along with ½ cup of apricot preserves and the remaining banana pepper sauce. Bring the sauce back to a low boil and cook, whisking until the preserves are melted into the sauce and the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon.
Shred the pork in the bowl it into bite size pieces with 2 forks. Remove any bones when all of the meat is shredded. Add the meat back to the pot and toss in the sauce to fully coat.
While the pork cooks, make a spicy slaw for sandwiches or tacos. Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and mix to thoroughly combine. Keep cool in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Serve the pork in sandwiches, tacos, on pizza or nachos!! Soooo goooood!!
The sandwich in the photo below is topped with the spicy slaw, melty cheddar cheese and pickled onions and cucumbers on a deli roll, but this pork is delicious however you want to top it or eat just straight out of the pot!!
ROOT BEER AND BANANA PEPPER BRAISED PULLED PORK PALOOZA
The Pork:
1, 7-7 ½ pound pork shoulder or butt
2-2 ½ tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, cut into ½” thick chunks
2 green bell peppers, seeded and cut into ½” thick chunks
15 whole cloves garlic
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2, 16.9 ounce bottles root beer soda
1, 7.9 ounce jar Miller’s Sweet and Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce, Hot
3 tablespoons corn starch
½ cup water
½ cup apricot preserves
The Slaw:
3 cups cabbage, finely chopped
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Miller’s Sweet and Spicy Banana Pepper Sauce, Habanero
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Liberally rub the pork shoulder all over with the salt and pepper to fully coat.
Heat the olive oil in a large (5-6 quart) Dutch oven. Place the seasoned pork in the hot oil and sear on all sides for 3-4 minutes per side until a mahogany-colored crust forms all over. Remove the pork from the pot and set aside.
Add the onions, peppers, garlic, and cinnamon to the pan drippings and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes until the veggies are fragrant and begin to soften. Add 1 bottle of the root beer, scraping up any brown bits off the bottom and sides of the pan with a spatula.
Place the pork back in the pot and nestle it between the onions and peppers. Add the remaining root beer and half of the bottle of the banana pepper sauce to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover the pot and bake for 2 ½ hours.
After 2 ½ hours, remove the pork from oven and flip it over in the pot. Cover and place it back in the oven for an additional 40-60 minutes until the pork is falling apart when you poke it with a fork. If the pork is not ‘falling apart’ place back in the oven for another 20-30 minutes until it does.
Gingerly remove the pork from pot and set aside in a large bowl.
Skim most of the excess fat off the top of the liquid in the pot and discard. Bring the remaining liquid in the pot to a boil over medium high heat on the stove. Dissolve the corn starch in the water and add it to the pot along with the apricot preserves and the remaining banana pepper sauce. Bring the sauce back to a low boil and cook, whisking until the preserves are melted into the sauce and the sauce thickens to coat the back of a spoon.
Shred the pork in the bowl it into bite size pieces with 2 forks. Remove any bones when all of the meat is shredded. Add the meat back to the pot and toss in the sauce to fully coat.
While the pork cooks, make the slaw. Combine all of the slaw ingredients in a large bowl and mix to thoroughly combine. Keep cool in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
Serve the pork in sandwiches, tacos, on pizza or nachos!! Soooo goooood!!
The sandwich in the photo below is topped with the spicy slaw, melty cheddar cheese and pickled onions and cucumbers on a deli roll, but this pork is delicious however you want to top it or eat just straight out of the pot!!
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