Slow Cooker Cola BBQ Pulled Pork

At Christmastime, Emily decided to organize my pantry. Heaven knows, I wasn't going to stand in the way of someone else working to make the kitchen be more efficiently arranged, so I happily let her work her magic. The upside is I got a cleaned out pantry, the downside is I had to listen to some good natured ribbing over duplications and expired foods that just happened to be hiding away in that pantry, among all the staples I use on a regular basis. So yes, there might have been a big trash bag full of stuff that wound up being thrown away, making way for cleaner, neater shelves. You know what I'm finding? If you cook at all, boxes, cans, and bottles of stuff can mount up pretty quickly - even when you're cooking for a guy who likes the same set menus week after week.  Since the extreme makeover, however, I've tried to use up what I already have before buying duplicates.

Today, I dug around in my pantry for a bottle of BBQ sauce I was given in a Yelp swag bag full of freebies. The sauce was poured over pulled pork, giving a very tasty dinner (with leftovers for a future repeat) and the satisfaction of not letting something in my pantry get shoved to the back of the shelves where it goes unnoticed until the expiration date is long passed. Emily would be proud.

Slow Cooker Cola BBQ Pulled Pork
from Tastykitchen.com

This recipe couldn't get much simpler and the final product was tender and very tasty. If I knew how to take meat pictures that didn't look completely gross, I would've included a photo. Maybe next time I won't be in a hurry to get to KidsJam and can take time to try setting up a shot with the meat in a bun.

Ingredients:
2 pounds boneless pork ribs
10 dashes of salt and pepper to taste (I found this an odd directive. Ten dashes???? What is a dash? And wouldn't ten of them probably equal an easier measurement, like say a teaspoon???)
12  oz. fluid can of coke, NOT diet
1 bottle (18 oz) of your favorite BBQ sauce, amount to taste

Directions:
1. Cut the pork ribs into pieces, using the pre-cut slices as a guide.
2. Brown the pork rib pieces.
2. Place in a slow cooker and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Pour can of coke in the slow cooker, cover, and cook for 6-8 hours on low.
4. Remove the meat and allow to cool enough to handle.
5. Shred the meat into bit sized pieces (mine shredded into strings, rather than bite size pieces)
6. Discard coke from the slow cooker and return the meat.
7. Cover with BBQ sauce to your desired taste. Some people like the meat dryer, others dripping wiht BBQ sauce. I happen to be a dripping type girl.
8. Heat through and serve on your favorite sandwich buns.