Recipes Using Root Beer Soda

QUICK AND EASY ROOT BEER

Steps:

• Mix the water and sugar together in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the root beer extract, and allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
• Pour the root beer mixture into a 1-gallon pitcher or bottle, and slowly pour in the carbonated water. Refrigerate until cold; serve over ice.

SLOW COOKER PULLED PORK WITH ROOT BEER

Steps:

• Pat pork shoulder dry and place in a slow cooker. Pour root beer over pork.
• Mix together brown sugar, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Sprinkle on top of pork and rub lightly until entire surface of pork is coated.
• Cook on Low for 5 hours. Switch to High and cook until meat is tender and can easily be pulled apart with a fork, about 3 hours more. Carefully remove pork and shred with 2 forks. Drizzle some liquid from the slow cooker over pork to moisten.

ROOT BEER PULLED PORK SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Place roast in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Add root beer; cook, covered, on low until meat is tender, 8-10 hours., Remove roast; cool slightly. Discard cooking juices. Shred pork with two forks; return to slow cooker. Stir in barbecue sauce. Cook, covered, until heated through, about 30 minutes. Serve on rolls. Freeze option: Freeze cooled meat mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little water if necessary.

HOMEMADE ROOT BEER SODA

Steps:

• Slice the ginger into thin sections and add them to two cups of boiling water.
• Simmer this on very low heat for 20 minutes.
• While this is simmering, boil the gallon of water and two cups of sugar for one minute and set aside.
• Pour the ginger and liquid into a blender and blend on high for about one minute.
• Pour this blend into the sugar water, through a strainer.
• With a soup ladle, pour a few cups of the hot brew through the remaining pulp to extract a bit more of the ginger flavor.
• Cool to room temperature. When cool, add vanilla, yeast and stir until dissolved.
• Let sit for about 30 minutes.
• Then bottle and age.
• The simplest, safest and least expensive method of bottling is to use one-liter plastic soft drink bottles with screw caps.
• These can be sterilized by rinsing in a mixture of household bleach and water and then rinsed with clean water.
• After filling, the bottles should be set aside at room temperature for about 48 hours, or until hard (check by squeezing).
• Then refrigerate to finish the aging process.
• Leaving the bottles at room temperature too long will cause over carbonation.
• Using glass rather than plastic bottles can cause shattered bottles.
• Another nice feature of the plastic bottles is that they can be re-carbonated if only partially consumed.
• Just let it sit out over night with the cap on and refrigerate it when hard.