Rum & Coke Roasted Pork

~Yes, I am a Rum & Coke girl. However, once the husband and kids came along, I had to find some way of using up all this alcohol around my house. I like adding cola into these types of marinades because the cola helps to break down and tenderize the meat. It also adds a sugary element which will help the meat caramelize as it cooks. 

*photo credit goes to Ms. T, who not only helps run my unofficial test kitchen, but has an awesome blog devoted to make-up and good eats. Don't know how I managed to do without her for so long. 

Ingredients (in addition to marinade):

3lbs boneless Country-style pork ribs

½ cup BBQ sauce

½ can cola

½ cup rum (I prefer Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum)

cayenne

fresh ground pepper

salt

baking soda

Marinade:

½ can cola

2 tbsp liquid smoke

1 cup BBQ sauce

Prep 1 day ahead:

1. in a medium bowl, douse pork liberally with baking soda, making sure all surfaces are covered. set aside for 30min.
2. rinse pork off thoroughly in cold water.
3. in a clean bowl, liberally salt all sides of pork
4. spread cayenne & pepper over surface of pork evenly
5. pour marinade over pork and make sure it is immersed.
6. cover and marinate overnight.

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 400.
2. place pork on aluminum foil covered pan, pour marinade over pork
3. roast for 30min
4. slice open the thickest part of meat of all sections of pork. If it is still fairly pink, slide it back into the oven for a few more minutes. If white or just a little pink, flip the pork over and cover surface of pork with ½ cup of BBQ sauce.
5. pour ½ can of cola and rum over the blackened parts of foil surrounding pork (this will make an au jus of sorts)
6. set oven on broil for 5min
7. remove from oven and serve.