I won’t lie, I don’t drink a lot of soda. I gave it up as a teenager when I was training to be a lifeguard – apparently you can’t hold your breath as long under water (I protest this fact now) – and since have just not added them back in. One major reason is the high calorie count included with the delicious fizz of flavor. I have tried the ‘Diet’ variety and, let’s be honest… they taste like artificial sweetener and that syrupy, yummy taste is overridden.  One of the things I miss most about soda is cooking with it. But I just don’t want all of those calories added to my food. In light of this fact, I pulled out my crock pot the other day and made up a huge batch of my Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites using a less sugar soda.

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites with A&W TEN #drinkTEN #CollectiveBias

Here is the thing. This recipe takes 3 12 ounce cans of root beer and it makes a TON! Plus, the flavor is there that infuses the meat over the 9 hours that it sits, cooking to perfection, in the crock pot!

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites with A&W TEN #drinkTEN #CollectiveBias

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Making Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites just got a lot healthier with A&W TEN!
Author:
Recipe type: dinner
Cuisine: Crock Pot
Ingredients
  • 7 lb pork shoulder roast (I used bone in)
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic salt
  • 3 cans (36 ounces) A&W TEN Root Beer
  • 2 cups or 2 small bottles sugar free, or gluten free, or low calorie BBQ sauce
  • Whole Wheat slider buns/ pretzel buns or whole grain mini bagels
Instructions
  1. Pull out your large crock pot. Spray with non stick cooking spray. Place roast in crock pot, fat side down. Sprinkle with paprika, onion powder, garlic salt. Pour 36 ounces of A&W TEN Root Beer in. It may go all the way to the top. Cook on LOW for 9 hours.
  2. Drain crock pot into a strainer and pull out the pork bone. I scraped the extra fat off as well. Place roast back in crock pot. Using two forks, pull apart the pork. Add BBQ sauce and use forks to blend into pork.
  3. Top whole grain bagels with pulled pork, add a fresh onion and a slice of pickle and enjoy!

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites with A&W TEN #drinkTEN #CollectiveBias

These bites are so easy to make and take sweet and savory to a whole new level. I made them for the neighborhood as we watched the Houston Texans win their football game. Then I froze the leftover portion for later.

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites with A&W TEN #drinkTEN #CollectiveBias

Crock Pot Root Beer Pulled Pork Bites with A&W TEN #drinkTEN #CollectiveBias