Using Coke, Dr Pepper & Root beer in crock pot ?

[RVcrazy]

Does it matter if you use diet? Thanks!

[magnusfide]

:R :S 😛

[Gdetrailer]

obgraham wrote:

Gdetrailer wrote:

Didn't mean to rain on anyone's "parade", just trying to be helpful.

You're discussing crockpot cooking in general. The topic here is one specific method, and it works very well, particularly for something like pulled pork, when you toss the cooking fluid and replace it with something else.

I'm all for pot roasts, marinades, and recipes that lead to tasty gravy makings. My favorite is apple juice/tomato sauce/onion/spices, then a cornstarch thickening at the end. But that's a whole different day's dinner!

Actually, for crock pot pulled pork, I wouldn't toss the leftover cooking liquid.

Instead I would pull the pork then mix back in some of the liquid..

The reason for this is it puts back moisture (don't care for dried out meat) AND it puts back in a lot of the roasted meat flavor.

Throwing out the liquid it was cooked in is like tossing out half the meat flavor.

That is why I myself would not use soda in the crock, but each to their own..

Personally I prefer pulled pork done on a smoker over a crock pot, just can't get that good smoke flavor from a crock.. I also use a aluminum pan in the smoker to catch all the good smoky pork flavored drippings. I add those drippings back into my pulled pork..

Have had a few friends that sampled my smoked pulled pork ask when am I going to do another PP smoke run every once and a while..

But that is a whole nuther thread :B

[magnusfide]

Super_Dave wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
Oh well

Whether it is needed or not, I agree that Coke provides an acid that breaks down meat tissue. The sugar is generally syrup which adds flavor to the meat.

Double ditto. My favorite is Dr. Pepper on a pork butt or beef roast. Salt added gives it that salt/sweet dimension too. Coke and Dr. Pepper both add to the depth of flavor and I've been known to dress the meat afterwards with HP Fruity Sauce.

Crock pots are handy if you go touring local sights during the day when RVing. You can come home to the RV and a fully cooked supper rather than eating out all the time. It helps to keep your dining costs down too.

[obgraham]

Gdetrailer wrote:

Didn't mean to rain on anyone's "parade", just trying to be helpful.

You're discussing crockpot cooking in general. The topic here is one specific method, and it works very well, particularly for something like pulled pork, when you toss the cooking fluid and replace it with something else.

I'm all for pot roasts, marinades, and recipes that lead to tasty gravy makings. My favorite is apple juice/tomato sauce/onion/spices, then a cornstarch thickening at the end. But that's a whole different day's dinner!

[Gdetrailer]

Super_Dave wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
Oh well

Whether it is needed or not, I agree that Coke provides an acid that breaks down meat tissue. The sugar is generally syrup which adds flavor to the meat.

Granted, Coke (and any soda) has an acid and acid can breakdown the meat tissue which could be helpful as a "marinade".

BUT, the acid concentration is pretty low in sodas since it is listed pretty low on the ingredient list (citric acid typically) and the top highest concentrations are water and sugar (ingredients are listed in order of most to least and most soft drinks contain water, then corn syrup, then citric acid as the top three with water as the most).

This unlike a lot of marinades which typically have a much higher concentration of acid in the form of vinegar and much less sugar.

Additionally most marinades are applied before cooking by soaking for an hr or two or even overnight in the fridge.

I could see the use of a soda might be helpful tenderizing if you are roasting in an oven at a higher temp for a shorter time AND have applied the soda marinade several hrs before cooking than a slow cooker.

Slow cooking in a crock pot seems to do a perfectly fine job of tenderizing pretty much anything I have put into it.. Even have done stuffed round steaks (full size round cut 1" thick with homemade stuffing and rolled together) and nothing is much tougher than a round steak but yet after 6-8 hrs on low it is fall apart tender..

So, once again, when slow cooking soda drinks really isn't added for tenderizing, it is more about adding an extra flavor..

If you have only slow cooked with soda drinks in a crock, try it without, doubt you will ever notice any difference in tenderness..

The only thing you might notice is the lack of sweetness which would kind of hide some of the natural meat flavor..

I am not a big fan of sweet rubs or marinades, I like to let the meat flavor shine on it's own.

[Super_Dave]

GordonThree wrote:
Oh well

Whether it is needed or not, I agree that Coke provides an acid that breaks down meat tissue. The sugar is generally syrup which adds flavor to the meat.

[RVcrazy]

Thanks to all for your advice .

[Gdetrailer]

GordonThree wrote:
Oh well

:@

Didn't mean to rain on anyone's "parade", just trying to be helpful.

[GordonThree]

Oh well

[Gdetrailer]

GordonThree wrote:
I've done ribs with coke, and another batch with root beer. Never tried the Doctor. Not a huge taste gain from either soda, it's mostly using the sugar and acid to work it's tenderizing magic.

The sugar and acid, are not needed for "tenderizing" when slow cooking.

It is TIME AND LOW TEMPERATURE that does the "tenderizing".

Sodas or even Beer is more about adding a layer of flavor.

I would rather not add sugary sweet or fermented flavors to my meats and slow cooking really brings out the natural flavor (sort of amplifies the roasted meat flavor) of the meat AND tenderizes it at the same time.

Additionally, folks are talking about "throwing away" the BEST gravy starter you can ever get, the broth..

We only add perhaps a cup of water or a bit less in the crock depending on size of crock pot and size of meat, 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt (depends on the size of roast or the amount of meat to cook), dash to pinch of black pepper, pinch of Garlic powder (measurements are mainly eyeballed).

Set crock to High for 4 hrs or use low setting for 6-8 hrs, the result will be fall apart tender that a knife is not needed.

Drain most of the liquid into a sauce pan then add a Roux (pronounced "roo") See HERE for Roux info..

Depending on strength of the broth and how much gravy you want, we add extra water to the broth when making the gravy, you can usually thin out the broth without affecting the finished gravy flavor, once again we just eyeball it.

Add salt to taste, pepper, Garlic powder and allow to simmer until is starts to thicken.

Alternate way to make gravy is to make a slurry, often flour (or corn starch and perhaps other starches) which is what my Mom did (Flour).

Generally frowned on by chiefs since it does affect the taste and you have to cook it for a while to cook off some of the raw flour taste..

I kind of like the flour slurry flavor so that is what I use to thicken.. Basically take 1/4 cup of flour, mix in 1/2 cup of COLD water (important to use cold not hot at this point of time) and mix well until lumps are gone (Tupperware container with good sealing lids works great)..

Heat the broth until boiling then slowly pour slurry into the broth, mix with a wisk well until no lumps are left.. This is kind of a eyeball thing, don't want to add too much slurry, just enough the broth stiffens slightly. Sometimes depending on the amount of broth you may need to make a little more slurry.

Allow the gravy to simmer until it starts thickening then remove from heat and allow to rest for 10 minutes or so(it WILL continue to thicken as it cools down!).

If over thickened, add a little bit of water or broth.

Have made many different beef roasts, stuffed pork chops, stuffed chicken breasts this way with great results.

[Flapper]

As noted, heat breaks down the sugar substitutes used diet sodas, making them taste bad. Even having some outside on a very hot summer day can start the process. Back in my foodservice days, we had to be careful to make sure our stock was fresh, while the full sugar varietes lasted a really, really long time.

[magnusfide]

GordonThree wrote:
I've done ribs with coke, and another batch with root beer. Never tried the Doctor. Not a huge taste gain from either soda, it's mostly using the sugar and acid to work it's tenderizing magic.

We've used Dr. Pepper and like you said, it's the acid and sugar that make a difference. Works well on chuck roast too. Just pour off the marinade.

[GordonThree]

I've done ribs with coke, and another batch with root beer. Never tried the Doctor. Not a huge taste gain from either soda, it's mostly using the sugar and acid to work it's tenderizing magic.

[obgraham]

root beer on pork, I would have to taste it first.

I don't like root beer either. But in this case, you dump it out after cooking, then add the BBQ sauce.