Delicious sweet and smoky coca cola pulled pork with a BBQ rub inspired by Flame Tree Barbecue in WDW’s Animal Kingdom. A must-try for any Flame Tree fan!
Pulled Pork – Flame Tree Style
On our last visit to WDW in 2019, my husband and I ate at Flame Tree Barbecue in Animal Kingdom 3 different times, we loved it so much.
When we had to cancel our 2020 trip, truthfully one of the things I was most gutted about was missing out on another plate of that delicious Mac n Cheese with Pulled Pork.
So what else could I do except try and recreate it at home? It’s not exactly the same, of course, but I think it’s a pretty good imitation.
Coca-Cola Pulled Pork
I cooked this pork in coca-cola (because what’s more Disney than Coke, right?) which gives it a delicious caramely hint of sweetness. You could swap the coke out for Dr. Pepper or Root Beer if you prefer, or even some fresh orange or pineapple juice for a more fruity flavour.
Flame Tree BBQ Rub
The original recipe for this Flame Tree BBQ Rub was published on Allears.net. I’ve scaled it down and adjusted it slightly to suit my own tastes. This is a great rub not only for this particular pulled pork recipe but really for any grilled meat.
Serving Suggestions
My favourite way to serve this Pulled Pork is with Baked Mac & Cheese, just like at Flame Tree. It’s also delicious as a topping for loaded fries or nachos. My husband prefers it served simply on a burger bun with lashings of mustard and ketchup. How ever you choose to serve it, make sure you’ve got plenty Flame Tree Style BBQ Sauce on the side!
For this recipe I have used a boneless Pork Shoulder, also known as Pork Butt or Boston Butt.
Yes – if you don’t have a slow cooker you can oven cook the pork in a heavy lidded casserole dish or Dutch oven. Cook at 150C/130C fan/300f/gas 2 for about 4 hours, or until the pork falls apart. You may need to check it regularly to make sure it doesn’t dry out.
Keep it covered in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a covered oven dish until piping hot. Only reheat once.
I hope this recipe helps you bring a little Disney Magic home with you! Please leave me a comment if you try it, or tag me on Instagram @magicaleats_ – I would love to see your photos!
Got a favourite Disney Dish you’d love to see me recreate? Please get in touch!
Other Flame Tree Inspired Recipes:
- Baked Mac and Cheese with Pulled Pork
- Flame Tree Style BBQ Sauce
- Pulled Pork Loaded Fries – Flame Tree Style
Coca Cola Pulled Pork with Flame Tree BBQ Rub
Equipment
- Slow cooker or Crock Pot
Ingredients
- 1.5 kg Pork shoulder or butt 3.3lbs
- 1 litre Coca Cola
- 120 ml BBQ Sauce* ½ cup
Flame Tree BBQ Rub
- 4 tbsp Dark Brown Sugar ¼ cup packed
- 1 tbsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Smoked Paprika
- 2 tsp Cayenne or Chilli Pepper
- 2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin
Instructions
- Mix all the BBQ Rub ingredients together in a small bowl.
- Remove the pork shoulder from it's packaging and cut and discard the strings if it has been tied.
- Use a sharp knife to score a criss cross pattern across the skin then rub the spice mix all over the prok – makesure you get into all the crevices.
- Wrap the pork tightly in plastci wrap or foil and return to the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours, up to overnight.
- When ready to cook, unwrap the pork and place it skin-side up in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Pour over the coke – i like to pour it down the side of the pot rather than over the top of the meat, to avoid 'washing' off all the BBQ Rub spices.
- Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 8-10 hours, until the pork is falling apart.
- Remove the meat from the slow cooker and discard the skin and fatty bits.
- Shred the meat with 2 forks then pour over ½cup/120ml of the liquid from the slow cooker and the BBQ sauce and mix well.
- Serve on fresh bread rolls with slaw and more BBQ sauce, or check out my recipes for BBQ Pulled Pork Fries or Baked Mac N Cheese with Pulled Pork!
Notes
