Pulled Pork Sandwich

For Pulled Pork:

• Pork – Pork butt or pork shoulder will both work. A 4-4.5 lb of pork will yield 10-12 sandwiches, or double the amount of sliders.
• Avocado Oil – Can be substituted with olive or vegetable oil.
• Chicken Stock – preferably, use chicken stock for deeper flavor.

• Brown Sugar – this will give you a more aromatic, molasses flavor than regular sugar. If you want, use dark brown sugar for deeper flavor.
• Seasoning – salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cumin and paprika (for an extra smoky flavor, use smoked paprika).

For Homemade BBQ Sauce:

• Juices from Cooked Pork – make sure to save all the juices just in case and measure what you need when you’re ready to make the sauce
• Brown Sugar – Use light or dark brown sugar.
• Seasoning – salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and paprika (for an extra smoky flavor, use smoked paprika).

Ingredients for Coleslaw:

• Cabbage – This is the base to your coleslaw! Make sure it’s nice and fresh for best results. You can use a combination of purple cabbage and regular cabbage if you want.
• Mayonnaise – Plain mayo works best, but you can substitute with low-fat mayo if needed.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – you can also use white wine or sherry vinegar.
• Lemon Juice – Juice from a fresh lemon will always give better results than the bottled, store-bought version.
• Dijon Mustard – For best results, do not substitute this with plain yellow mustard.
• White Granulated Sugar – a the perfect balance for the tangy and sour flavors.

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.

Need To Use Bone-In Pork?

You absolutely can! Just give it a little more time to cook.

If you cook the bone-in pork in an Instant Pot, add another 10-13 minutes. In a slow cooker, add another hour.

Also, remember that a bone will account for some of the weight, so be sure to get a larger piece of pork or you will get less pulled pork.

Make The Coleslaw:

I always start off by making the fresh, homemade coleslaw. It holds up well in the refrigerator, so I like to make it first to get it out of the way.

Start by discarding the damaged outer leaves of the cabbage. Then, wash the cabbage before cutting it in half lengthwise. Cut it in half a second time. Be sure to cut the core off each cabbage quarter.

Slice the cabbage thinly, then wash, peel, and shred the carrots. Combine all coleslaw dressing ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Mix the vegetables and coleslaw dressing thoroughly, until evenly coated. Refrigerate the coleslaw, covered, until ready to use!

How to Make Pulled Pork in a Slow Cooker

Combine all of the seasoning ingredients, then season the uncooked pork on all sides.

Sear the pork on your stovetop before adding it to the slow cooker. Combine the apple juice, apple sauce, and chicken stock, then pour it all over the pork.

Cover with a lid and cook on low for at least 8 hours, preferably 10.

Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it. Discard of any excess fat as you go.

PRO TIP: Be sure to reserve enough of the cooking liquid from the pork to make the BBQ sauce!

How to Make Pulled Pork in an Instant Pot?

This recipe can be easily converted to an Instant Pot recipe! Both the slow cooker and Instant Pot method yield delicious results. It really just depends on how much time you have on your hands!

You would start the pork the same way and slow cooker, with seasoning and then searing the pork right in the Instant Pot. Then, add the mixture of liquids to the pot, close the lid, and make sure to turn the valve to “seal.” Cook pork on high pressure for 70 minutes and do a natural release for 10 minutes.

Check out my foolproof Instant Pot Pulled Pork recipe for more details.

How to Make the BBQ Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a small sauce pot. Bring it to a simmer.

Allow the sauce to simmer for approximately 10 minutes and make sure to stir often.

PRO TIP: If you’re making the pork in the Instant Pot, you can make the sauce right in the instant pot after the pork. Just use the “sauté” setting.

Sides to Serve with Pulled Pork Sandwiches

When I think of pulled pork sandwiches, my mind immediately jumps to all of my favorite backyard barbecue side dishes! Here are just a few that I love seeing alongside these sandwiches:

• Macaroni Salad
• Family Favorite Pasta Salad
• Easy Stovetop Mac and Cheese
• Loaded Baked Potato Salad
• Creamy Cucumber Tomato Salad
• Cucumber Salad

Storing Instructions

The best advice I can give you is to not assemble the sandwiches until you’re ready to serve them! The coleslaw, barbecue sauce, and even the pork will seep into the bun and make them soggy if made too far in advance.

So if preparing these sandwiches ahead of time, make and store everything separately and then warm up the pork and assemble the sandwiches when needed!

To store the pulled pork in the refrigerator, keep it in an airtight container, and it’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days. If you want to keep it fresh even longer, keep it in the freezer, where it will stay fresh for up to 3 months.

Store coleslaw in the refrigerator in a separate air-tight container. It should be good for 3-5 days.

For homemade BBQ sauce, store it in the refrigerator, in a glass jar with an air-tight lid. It should be good for up to 10 days.