Cola is acid enough that it might work and it certainly has sugar. Pickle juice is one of the best fixes for meat emergencies but cola, ok.
I’d mix some cola into a half cup of ketchup and a tablespoon of mustard and cook it down. Then shred the rib meat into the sauce you’ve created – add pepper and mrs dash (not more salt at this point – it’‘s done enough damage already) and heat it all up together for at least ten minutes. It should be a thick, gooey, dark red/brown sauce before you add the shredded meat. Taste the sauce – it should be slightly sweet but also have a little bite from the mustard and pepper. You can add a little bit of salt just as you’re ready to eat it.
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Definitely do NOT put meat into a crockpot with water unless you are planning to make soup. Don’t cook it so long if you want it to be edible meat. Don’t put salt in too early – it’ll dissolve the meat – especially when cooked for such a long time.