# Pot-Roast with Coca-Cola recipe questions



## blucrnwmn (Jan 4, 2007)

Does the caffeine in Coke go away when you cook with it, as in a Pot Roast liquid? Regular Coke and chili sauce make a great base for pot roast liquid, but I was wanting to know about the caffeine...Anyone?

Thanks, 
Lea in Washington State, USA


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## stinemates (Jan 4, 2007)

Wow! I have never heard of coke being used before. Can you point me in the direction of a recipe??


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## Aurora (Jan 4, 2007)

Ask yourself the question, does caffeine in coffee go away when it is heated?  The hottest scalding coffee served by McDonalds has the same amount of caffeine as iced coffee.  I would assume that soft drinks which include caffeine contain the same amount of caffeine hot or cold.


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## blucrnwmn (Jan 4, 2007)

That is what I am thinking, but I was wondering about the source of caffeine in Coke, and if that made any difference...


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## Andy M. (Jan 4, 2007)

The caffeine remains, just as it does in coffee. Sorry.


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## blucrnwmn (Jan 4, 2007)

It's super easy....Season and brown a standard pot roast on the stove, then put it in the pot roast pan.  Add 1 can Coke, 1 jar Chili sauce--it is over by the Ketchup in the little round jar, or the other chili sauces are by it--don't use the Chili sauce or sweet chili sauce from the oriental/asian section. Add one packet of Onion soup mix, and a cup of water or 2--you want to make a braising liquid, but not drown the roast.  Roast covered in the oven at 350 for 2-3 hours, periodically checking the liquid level.  This is a fun recipe because the base is so easy, and you can feel free to experiment with adding herbs, using garlic or garlic powder, etc.  It also does nice things to the vegetables if you add the carrots, potatoes, and other favorites during the last hour of the cooking!


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## blucrnwmn (Jan 4, 2007)

*UPDATE to Recipe...*

I posted this question earlier today because I was planning on cooking the dish tonight.  I had not made this recipe in a while and misjudged some ingredient amounts...the CORRECT liquid is 1 can coke, 1/2 bottle to 1 bottle heinz or farmans chili sauce (not asian-style), and 1/2 packet of onion soup mix....enjoy!


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## Barb L. (Jan 4, 2007)

Welcome to DC,  your recipe sounds very good.


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## Caine (Jan 4, 2007)

blucrnwmn said:
			
		

> Does the caffeine in Coke go away when you cook with it, as in a Pot Roast liquid?


 
Are you afraid it will keep your roast awake?


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## auntdot (Jan 4, 2007)

Generally make my red eye gravy with good old regular Coke (no low cal allowed here) instead of coffee and we love it.


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## blucrnwmn (Jan 4, 2007)

Thanks for the funny!  No, just trying to take cut back on my caffeine intake...


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## expatgirl (Jan 4, 2007)

Ok, this is a bit off the beaten path but cooking with coke brought up this terrific way to hide the taste of scorched tomato based sauces.  If you are making spaghetti, lasagna, etc., anything with a tomato based sauce and you have overcooked it, burned, etc, if you add some coke to the sauce it will nearly resurrect your sauce to its mostly edible state once again.  Hint:   Just avoid stirring up the cooked on charcoal layer at the bottom of your pot as much as you can while adding the coke.  This really is a good last ditch effort to save your sauce if you don't want to start over.


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## Michael in FtW (Jan 4, 2007)

Never fear - an 8oz can of Coke (Classic) only has 23mg of caffeine. An 8oz cup of coffee (depending on brewing method and variety of the beans) will have anywhere from 90mg to 200mg. If you consume 1/4 of the liquid in your pot roast then you have only consumed about as much caffeine as in an 8oz cup of decaf coffee - and far less than the amount of caffeine found in some over-the-counter pain relievers like asprin or Tylenol (not all contain caffeine - you have to read the labels).

FWIW: The use of Coke, Dr. Pepper, Root Beer, Ginger Ale, etc. in recipes appears to have it's roots in WWI and WWII when sugar was one of the first things to rationed - but soft drinks were not. My grandmother used to make a Coke Cake, a Ginger Ale Cake, she used Dr. Pepper for pork roasts and Root Beer (reduced to a syrup) as a glaze for baked hams.


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## jandmarnold (Feb 9, 2007)

I have a question to blucrnwmn, would cooking this recipe in the crock pot change the density of the roast vs. the oven?


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## SizzlininIN (Feb 9, 2007)

I made a ham for Christmas and coke was one of the ingredients for the basting liquid.  I was the best ham I've ever had and I plan a repeat at Easter.


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## Caine (Feb 9, 2007)

I always make _*Brandied Rabbit in Mustard Sauce*_ for Easter dinner.


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## jkath (Feb 9, 2007)

Another FWIW - 
Caffeine free Coke is really good. 
NOT the diet kind! Just regular coke without caffeine.


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## blucrnwmn (Feb 9, 2007)

jandmarnold said:
			
		

> I have a question to blucrnwmn, would cooking this recipe in the crock pot change the density of the roast vs. the oven?


 
I don't believe so--my crock pot is pretty old, so I pretty much use it for warming soup--I do my few slow cooks in the oven...Thanks for writing!


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## Robo410 (Feb 9, 2007)

can always use caffine free coke

the lime and the cola extracts meld with the taste of beef very well.


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## Midas Wellby (Feb 23, 2007)

jkath said:
			
		

> Another FWIW -
> Caffeine free Coke is really good.
> NOT the diet kind! Just regular coke without caffeine.


 
First non-introduction post. Sorry to bump a falling thread, but I had two comments:

1: Caffeine free coke is DEFINATELY the answer to your question here. People seem to confuse it with 'diet coke', But its NOT. Its regular coke, regular full flavor, all the calories and sugars etc.....just no caffeine. 

2: I did a recipe a couple years ago (that I have since lost and would love to find) that was a chili-like recipe with beans and such....but one of the ingredients was 'black cherry soda'. It actually took me a little work to find it, But finally found 4 packs of Black Cherry made by 'Stewarts' (who makes great fountain type drinks, like orange cream and strawberries n cream).

Anyway, It might be something to consider in your roast recipe instead of Coke.


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