Pulled Pork with Root Beer BBQ Sauce

Source: H.J. Heinz Company

1 8-pound pork shoulder
Salt and pepper
2 heads garlic cloves -- separated and peeled

Root Beer BBQ Sauce:
Reduce 1 2-liter bottle root beer to 1 cup
1-1/2 cups Heinz Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup Heinz Ketchup
1/2 cup Heinz Yellow Mustard
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon Heinz Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon TABASCO
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

To finish sauce: 2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Place the pork shoulder, fat side up, in a large roasting pan and season well with salt and pepper to taste. Toss 2 heads of garlic cloves that have been peeled, but leave cloves whole around the pork.

Cover well with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Slow-cook in the oven until tender and falling apart, and the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. This should take about 6 to 8 hours. Remove from the oven and let the pork
rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

With two forks, pull apart the meat into small chunks. Toss with the root beer BBQ sauce and serve.

Root Beer BBQ Sauce:
Reduce the root beer to 1 cup over medium heat in a large saucepan -- this takes about 1 hour. Add the vinegar, ketchup, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco, salt, and pepper. Stir well and simmer for 20 minutes. Finish the sauce by whisking in the cold butter for extra body and flavor.

Serves: 6-8

TIP: Never use diet root beer in this recipe! The sugar in the root beer is critical to the success of the recipe.