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Coke Brined Pulled Pork

Have you ever tried brining your pork shoulder or boston butt in a coke flavored brine? I hadn't either but I was curious what would happen with the flavor and taste of it. The result brought me a very juicy flavorful piece of pork perfect for a pulled pork bun. Find out how to make it yourself through instructions below!
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, asian
Total Time 12 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 kg pork shoulder or boston butt
  • Spicy Lee's BBQ sauce end sauce at taste

Brine Ingredients

  • 500 ml coke
  • 500 ml water
  • 100 ml sherry vinegar
  • 100 ml soy sauce
  • 50 gr. salt
  • 3 chunks smokewood I used whisky barrel wood

Instructions

Brining the pork (1 day ahead)

  • Mix all brine ingredients. Add salt at the end and you'll see the carbonisation from mixing the salt with the coke.
  • Add the piece of pork meat to the brine and put aside for 12 hrs. 
  • Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry. Put back in the fridge for another 12 hrs. uncovered to dry out the surface of your piece of meat.

Time to smoke

  • Prepare your smoker for an indirect session at low heat 110°C / 200°F). Add three chunks of wood spread over the coals aim for a combination of hot spots and low heat spots. 
  • As soon as the smoke turns blue you can add the pork meat to the BBQ and let it smoke lid closed. Meanwhile you can sit back and relax. All you need to do is control the temperature of your smoker and have an occasional drink. Try to avoid opening the lid often to keep a stable dome temperature. Don't worry if it takes it's time cause that's exactly what you need. We're cooking low and slow baby. It soon takes half a day, even if it seems to gain temperature fast!
    Hint: when using a different BBQ than a kamado you might want to add a waterpan to keep the dome environment moist. 
  • At an internal temperature of 72-74°C/160-170°F you may notice the temperature stalls or even drops a few degrees. Don't worry this is the legendary stall caused by the evaporation of the juices on the surface of the meat. This can take a couple of hours. I prefer to let it sit and take it's time to have a delicious bark in the end. You can opt to wrap your piece of meat if you want to go the quick way. Read more about it over here. 
  • When the pork reaches an internal temperature of 94°C/200°F it's the moment to remove it from your smoker. Try poking it to test if it's done. If it falls apart with a small touch you'll know it's done. Gently wrap it in tin foil and let the meat rest for a half hour. Turn it on the other side halfway. 

    Note: I let the meat rest in a preheated oven at 70°C/160°F to keep it warm without overheating it and risking to lose moisture.

Finishing touch

  • Now's the moment to start pulling. Pull the pieces of pork in little threads. This should go rather easy.
  • Add some Spicy Lee's BBQ sauce (recipe here) or your own preferred BBQ sauce to the meat at taste and you're ready to serve.