Chef notes
Believe it or not, there’s one affordable grocery store ingredient that’s considered an open secret by barbecue experts everywhere: soda — or pop, if that’s what you call it. We’re not here to get in the middle of a heated debate about regional food names!
If you've never marinated pork in root beer before, prepare to experience the ultimate flavor pairing. The sugary, somewhat acidic root beer acts as a tenderizer, and after cooking it with the pork, low and slow, it creates a melt in your mouth combination.
Chef Isaac Toups cooks these po’boys for his annual Mardi Gras celebration, where he cuts the sandwiches into bite-sized portions and brings them out on the parade routes to keep partiers satiated. To get the same Cajun flavors in your kitchen, start by seasoning the pork with salt and pepper before browning it in a Dutch oven. After the meat develops some color, add the garlic, root beer, root beer extract and vinegar and cook for about four hours, until the meat is tender.
When the pork is done, Toups reduces the braising liquid into an easy Tabasco-based sauce before shredding the meat and dressing it up in French bread or hoagie buns with pickles and cheese.
Special Equipment: For this recipe, you’ll need a Dutch oven or a slow cooker. Cook the ingredients on the stovetop before cooking in the slow cooker for 4 hours).
Swap Option: You may substitute beef chuck roll for pork butt.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds boneless pork butt
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ teaspoons cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 (24-ounce) bottle root beer
- 1 tablespoon root beer extract
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce (optional)
- 1 large loaf French bread or several hoagie buns
- 8 slices Swiss cheese
- Bread and butter pickles, thinly sliced
Preparation
For the Pork:
1.Season pork butt with salt and pepper.
2.Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add canola oil and sear pork for 8 minutes each side.
3.Add garlic, root beer, root beer extract and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 4 hours until pork is fork tender. Remove meat from pot.
4.Ladle off all the fat until no more remains. Add sugar and Tabasco to braising liquid. Reduce liquid until there is about 3/4 cup left.
5.Add pork back to liquid and keep warm.
For the Sandwich:
Divide bread evenly into eight slices. Arrange pork on bottom slices of bread. Top each sandwich with a slice of sWISS cheese and pickles.
