Its been a little while since my last post about Sweet Pork. So, I thought I’d give you a little update on my progress in that regard.

Not too long after the little tasting party we had, I got a comment on my blog that read:

“Your recipe is far off. I personally work in the kitchen and that recipe for pork is permantly scarred in my head. Just wondering which resturant you go to. I work in Maine. Email me back I might be able to give hints.”

My initial thoughts were “wow” and “is this for real?” But it didn’t take long for me to e-mail back. My new chef friend and I e-mailed back and forth several times, and over the course of the last month or so, I’ve tried the recipe 3 more times.

I learned that I should try adding carrots and serrano peppers. And white sugar instead of brown. And cook the meat in the coke mixture from the beginning instead of cooking it in water, shredding it, and then adding the coke mixture. I learned a lot. Here are a few of the hints I received:

“Try some coke, sugar, serrano peppers, and a blend of simple spices, cyanne. Also must have onions and carrots. Then simmer for several hours”

“One of the keys is to blend the sauce really well and then add that and some more sugar”

“In the crock at about 6:30am on low is what I found to work good”

My first attempt was pretty close. Except I added too much sugar, too many serranos, and I cooked it a bit too long. My second attempt was not sweet enough, but the peppers weren’t as strong. My third attempt was much better. But I still think I’ll need to try it a couple more times to get it right.

In any case, this is the recipe I’ve got so far:

4 pound Pork Loin (thawed, if frozen)
3 carrots, peeled and grated
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 serrano pepper, seeded and diced
3 cups coke
2 c. white sugar
2 T cyanne pepper
1 t. garlic

I blended everything together and added it to the uncooked pork roast. Cook for about 6-8 hours. Remove the roast and set aside. Pour the sauce mixture into a blender and add an additional 1/2 cup of sugar – blend and return to the crock pot. Add the pork back to the crock pot and pull apart slightly (don’t completely shred). Cook an additional 2-3 hours.

If any of you decide to try it this way, let me know. I’d love to hear how it turns out – and what variations of the recipe you use. It will be a couple of weeks before I try it again. Happy cooking to all of you!