Lightly season the pork with salt and pepper.
Heat the oil in a large skillet (cast-iron works well) until it sizzles. Add the pork and quickly sear the meat to a light brown on all sides.
Place the meat in a 5-quart slow cooker.
Cut onions in half from root to stem, then slice into very thin wedges. Using your hands, separate the wedges into thin onion strings. This should yield about 3 cups of onions.
Peel the garlic cloves, then pound with the flat of the knife. The cloves should hold together, but have a little break to release the flavor in the slow cooker.
Add the onion strings, then the garlic cloves to the slow cooker. Pour in 1 cup of root beer.
Cook on the low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
For the sauce, combine the remaining 3 cups root beer with the chili sauce in a 3- or 4-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until reduced to about 2 cups of thickened sauce.
Add crushed red pepper flakes to taste in the last 15 minutes.
Remove the onions from the slow cooker to a serving dish. Discard the garlic cloves.
Take out the pork chunks and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Using two forks, pull the meat apart until you have a fine shred. Transfer to the serving dish.
Toss the shredded pork with the sauce and serve.
Salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp. cooking oil
2 large yellow onions
8 cloves garlic
4 cups root beer (not diet)
1 12-oz. bottle of chili sauce
Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
This article appears in Dec 1-31, 2008.