There’s a reason Dr. Pepper is a favorite of so many people, and that’s the unmistakably unique flavor. And if there’s one thing that’s at the top of the list of ‘que fans it’s flavor. We’re always in search of ways to pull more flavor out of the meats we smoke, get the right balance of it in any rub we make, and put more of it into a sauce when we used it. So that makes Dr. Pepper a prime candidate for a sauce ingredient, and I think we’ve got a winner here.

This sauce is great for pork, but works well with chicken, too. It’s okay for beef, but may not have as much of a peppery or other spicy finish that you might be used to with beef. Of course, it goes perfectly with the Dr. Pepper Ribs I made, featured in another post. But you can’t go wrong with pulled pork, either.

There’s a commercially made, officially-licensed sauce available in stores, but I didn’t really care for it. So many sauce makers seem to think everyone wants “a little kick” in their barbecue sauce, even the ones that are supposed to be sweet and smoky. So while this one may have a little tangy flavor from the apple cider vinegar and the vinegar in the ketchup, as well as mild undertones of spice from the black pepper, onion powder and garlic powder, it’s definitely all about the sweet and smoky. If you want spicy, you can put it in your rub or add something to this recipe to make it your own.

• 2-1/2 cups Dr. Pepper (2 12-oz. cans or bottles, if you don’t want to measure)
• 2-1/2 cups ketchup
• 1-1/2 cups brown sugar
• 1 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine everything in a large pot on the stove, and whisk together over low heat until all the ketchup is dissolved into the rest of the mixture. Turn it up to medium and bring it to a rolling boil. Turn it back down to low and stir occasionally while it simmers, about 20 minutes. Let it sit and cool to thicken up.

It makes roughly a quart, so have a couple of pint-size Mason jars ready.

You may also want to check out my Dr. Pepper-Bourbon Brine.

It’s summertime again, and that means barbecue time! One of the primary, time-honored standards of ‘que is the rack of ribs, and the 3-2-1 method is a popular way to make them come out tender and full of flavor. It means you smoke the meat for three hours on low heat, cook it wrapped for two, and unwrapped for one with a generous coating of sauce for that signature, candy-like shell that ribs are known for. (There’s another post with my recipe for Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce.)

And everyone knows barbecue is made more enjoyable by Dr. Pepper, whether you’re drinking it, marinating the meat in it, using it in the sauce, or any combination thereof.

• 1 or more rack(s) of baby back ribs
• 1 2-liter bottle of Dr. Pepper
• 2 cups apple cider vinegar
• Spray bottle of apple cider vinegar
• a sweet & smoky brown sugar rub
• Sauce and a brush
• Heavy duty aluminum foil
• 1 foil pan, casserole dish or cake pan
• hickory wood chunks, chips or pellets for smoking

You may also wish to switch out the Dr. Pepper & apple cider vinegar mixture with my Dr. Pepper Bourbon Brine.

Baby back, or spare ribs, are smaller because they’re taken from the back where the ribs join the spine (i.e., not taken from piglets), as opposed to St. Louis style ribs, which are taken from the lower area around the side and under the belly, cut away from the breastbone. St. Louis style are, therefore, flatter and have more fat, being from the belly. Still, it’s not hard to keep baby backs juicy and flavorful.

Start out by using a table knife to get up under the edge of the silvery membrane on the back of the ribs and pull a little bit of it loose. Then carefully peel the rest of it off from end to end. Don’t worry if it tears here and there, just get it all. I started by placing it meat side-down in a foil pan. I could’ve fit two, but I wasn’t cooking for that many people this time. Pour in enough Dr. Pepper to cover the meat, followed by the apple cider vinegar. Let that sit for 30 minutes while you make the final preparations on your smoker.

After pouring the Dr. Pepper and vinegar mixture out, shake a generous amount of brown sugar rub on both sides of the ribs and place it on the smoker. Today I used my Traeger Jr. because I was only making a small amount of meat. So for the stick-burner purists who hate pellet grills, just ignore the photo.

3 Hours

Smoke on low heat, around 175 to 185, for three hours with hickory, spraying it every half hour or so with more apple cider vinegar, or a mixture of Dr. Pepper and vinegar. Some may prefer apple wood for pork, but you can’t beat hickory for a good, sweet smoke.

2 Hours

Come back after the smoke and pull out a sheet of foil long enough to wrap over the ends of the rack and lay it in the foil pan to form a sort of trough. Set it on a table or other surface next to the smoker and put the ribs in it, meat side down. Pour in a little bit of the vinegar or vinegar/Dr. Pepper mixture and wrap it shut with another layer of foil over the top. Put the wrapped ribs back in the smoker and cook them on a medium heat, around 275, for two hours.

1 Hour

When that’s done, carefully remove the foil and lay rack meat-side down, pour on the sauce and brush it all over. Turn it over and repeat, then continue cooking another hour. Bring it inside and let it rest 10 to 15 minutes before slicing into portion sizes.

As awesome as good ‘que is, it’s important not to forget the sides. Today I made skillet potatoes along with the obligatory brown sugar baked beans. But the cold glass definitely called for Dr. Pepper!

I wanted some variety for dinner, so I decided to do some drumsticks and country style pork ribs. Why don’t I ever seem to do actual ribs? Well, I have, I just haven’t documented it yet.

Anyway, there was no rub involved this time, but I did put both meats in foil pans with some Head Country marinade that I found on clearance at Walmart. It has similarities to Worcestershire, so it would probably work well with beef, too. Just be sure to shake it well before pouring, as it has spices in it that settle at the bottom of the bottle otherwise.

I also deviated from my normal routine this time by using my gas grill and smoker boxes instead of the barrel smoker.

I turned the meat over in their pans about half an hour in so they would cook evenly. Another half hour later I took them out of the pans and let indirect heat cook them. Of course, the drumsticks finished a lot sooner than the ribs, but that was okay because it gave us something to eat while we waited for the rest to be done. I kept the ribs on the top rack, dripping down into their pan to minimize the mess and keep some moisture in the air inside the grill.

Of course, the last half hour I mopped the ribs with my homemade sauce. I know, you really only have to do the last ten minutes or so, but I really like a good glaze of sauce soaking in at the end.

When it hit the plate, I served it up with baked beans and loaded potato salad.

For a family campout at the lake, I decided to take the portable charcoal smoker and this time, chicken was on the menu. Once again, I turned to Kingsford’s Hickory briquettes in addition to actual hickory chunks to give the meat that irreplaceable smoky flavor.

Using four filleted chicken breast halves, I added the BBQ rub from Bud’s Custom Meats and let the flavor soak in while I started the charcoal and let the briquettes burn down to coals. Once they were ready and the water bowl in place, all I had to do was moved the pan to the upper grilling surface. It makes it so much easier when it comes to cleanup, and the heat and smoke still swirl all around the meat and get into it. Since it’s going to be finished in sauce, it doesn’t have to have the cosmetic touch of grill marks.

I let the meat sit on the smoke for two and a half hours, turning it over in the pan halfway through. After that it was time for the sauce. This time I chose to give the Sam’s Choice Sweet Rich BBQ Sauce a try. It’s a molasses sauce (I have yet to meet a molasses sauce I didn’t like) with, according to the label, “a hint of black pepper and a touch of heat.” And since there were some in our group who had never had the pleasure of experiencing the sweet southern pleasure of molasses sauce, it was a no-brainer.

Since we had six people, I cut the meat into large chunks and then smaller chunks before criss-crossing them with sauce and then slathering it all over with the baster. Another half hour with higher heat, to thicken the sauce (and wait for the baked beans to heat up), stirring occasionally, it was finished. I’ve never been much of a fan of fighting to get to the meat with bones, fat and skin on BBQ chicken, so this is the perfect alternative.

I had a bite of the smoked meat itself before applying the sauce, and offered the same to everyone else at camp. Most accepted, all of whom loved it, as did I. It was juicy, smoky and perfectly seasoned. Bud’s BBQ rub has a sweet, smoky flavor without being too salty that’s as great for smoking chicken as it is on pork.

The Sam’s choice sauce was exactly as described: sweet and smoky with just a little bit of bite. I’d recommend it right along with any of my other favorites.