Iron Chef Challenge: Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork Sandwiches

I was super excited to hear Ott, A.'s Iron Chef Challenge this month featured King's Hawaiian bread - it's on my shopping list every week! I especially love their rolls, but my latest addiction is their mini sub rolls. Super yum!

I recently found a fabulous on pork shoulder roasts - only $1.79/pound! - so I stocked my freezer and decided to try Pioneer Woman's Spicy Dr. Pepper Shredded Pork on King's Hawaiian mini sub rolls. Here's what you'll need to get started:

Pork Shoulder/Pork Butt roast (2 different names for the same cut of meat)

1 onion

salt and pepper

1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce

2 cans (or 12 ounce bottles in my case) of Dr. Pepper

1-2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional) 

Start off my quartering your onion. Separate the onions and spread the onion wedges on the bottom of a big pan (I used a Paula Dean dutch oven).

Generously salt and pepper the pork roast and place it on top of the onions.

Open the can of chipotle peppers and pour over the roast. If you're not into spicy things, use only half the can. I can tell you this recipe is SPICY—not the immediate "burn your mouth" kind of spicy—more the "sneak up on you after you've finished eating and go on the hunt for a big glass of milk" kind of spicy.

Next, add your Dr. Pepper.

See how it fizzes in the pan? I love fizz.

 If you want, sprinkle some brown sugar across the top. Then, cover your pot and cook for a minimum of 6 hours or until the meat is fall-apart tender.

Turn the roast a couple of times during the cooking process.

Now it's time to break out the bread—my favorite mini sub rolls from King's Hawaiian. I love the soft texture and sweet flavor.

Open the rolls and put them on a baking sheet. Lightly spread some butter on then and put them in the oven to toast about the time you pull the pork out of the oven. The time it takes to shred the pork is about the right amount of time for them to toast. Make sure they don't burn.

Here's what your roast will look like when you pull it out of the pan. Pull out the pork and place it on a platter to shred. Leave the onions and peppers in the liquid of the pan. 

 

 Here's what your sub rolls will look like after toasting. Yum!

At this point, separate what fat you can off the remaining liquid. The drizzle some of the liquid over the shredded pork for extra flavor.

Here at the ones I made for the kids; they loved the toasted sub rolls and the pork was incredibly flavorful—a little too spicy for my kids' taste, but the Old Man and I loved it!