I am a BBQ novice.

I was born in the north, New York to be exact.  Please don’t hold that against me.  I know for some it is the unpardonable sin, but just because I wasn’t weened on sweet tea doesn’t mean I don’t like barbeque.

There’s something about southern food, and it’s more than just artery clogging.  They use sugar.  REAL sugar.  And butter and cream and they have Steak & Shake!

Ok, so maybe it is artery clogging, but we all have to go somehow.  May as well be with a big bowl of banana pudding.

This weekend my husband was telling my mother about some of the churches he’s preached in recently.  When he said a name and location, I piped in “They made the best green fluffy marshmallow fruit stuff.”  or “Their banana pudding was to die for.  I can almost taste it.”

I promise I don’t go to church just to eat, but if they’re going to feed me, I can’t be rude.  Now can I?

Of course not, but just so you know, I did not take seconds on the banana pudding.   I wanted to very much, but I showed restraint.

Last week I was dreaming of white sandy beaches and barbeque.  I couldn’t get the luscious dark red sauce out of my mind, so I determined to make pulled pork sandwiches this weekend.  I remember seeing like thirty thousand barbeque recipes on Pinterest, but when I went looking, I hadn’t pinned a one.  Huh?  I always Pin when I’m hungry.  They have the most tantalizing photos of food.  I can drool all night and not gain an ounce.  It’s kind of like the patch for smokers, only it’s for food addicts.

So I did what any fearless culinary novice would do, I improvised.  I saw no less than a hundred recipes that used three ingredients – soda, BBQ sauce, and salt/pepper.  Lot’s of people used diet soda in their BBQ, but I decided to throw caution to the wind and use the real stuff.  I don’t think anyone with sweet tea running through their veins would use Diet Pepsi.  Correct me if I’m wrong.

In the lineup is Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce, Dr. Pepper, and Seasoned Salt.  Next time I make it, I’ll add some other spices, red pepper flakes for sure.  It could have used more kick, but it was very tasty.

Finding a pork roast was no small task.  I went to two grocery stores and that’s all there is in a thirty mile radius.  Finally I found a roast at the local butcher shop and I just bought two, because who doesn’t want to eat barbeque two meals a day for a week.

I sprinkled the roasts with seasoned salt, put the roast in the crockpot, added Dr. Pepper with abandon, and squeezed about half the large bottle of barbeque sauce all over the meat.  Then I let it cook all day.

After it was cooked, I drained off some fat from the top, and pulled apart the pork.  I returned the pulled pork to the crockpot and let it absorb all the juice.  In its pulled form, it stayed in the crockpot for another hour.  Then I loaded it on whole wheat rolls, because I’m healthy like that, and gave it another good squeeze of sauce.

The only thing missing was the banana pudding, but I’m on a diet you know.

Update:  BBQ Pulled Pork Recipe

Generously sprinkle pork with seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and ground roasted coriander. Then add about 3/4 of one 16.9 ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper.

After 8-10 hours (or longer) in the crockpot, remove meat and put in mixing bowl.  Shred the pork in your Kitchen Aid mixer.  So easy!

Strain the gravy (juice meat was cooked in) and return shredded pork and gravy to crockpot.  Now add Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce to the mixture and let sit for about an hour.