These Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches are loaded with juicy flavour packed pulled pork smothered in a homemade BBQ Sauce, piled high onto buns and topped with coleslaw.
Give it to me! I’m a big fan of soft buns piled high with juicy fillings, from Sloppy Joes to big Pastrami sandwiches, and big juicy burgers!
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Steak Sandwich on Monday. Pulled pork today.
It seems like it’s sandwich week. No one told you? Don’t worry. No one told me either! 😂
Actually, I could have shuffled the posting schedule around. But I don’t want to. I’ve been busting to share this recipe for ages, and finally it’s here and I’m not holding it back any longer!!!
Get an eyeful of this….every meat lovers’ dream come true…juicy pulled pork smothered in homemade BBQ sauce.
Knees. Weak. Every. Single. Time.
This kind of food is all me. The “get stuck into it, get it all over your hands/mouth” type of food. The kind that’s all about gatherings, food that’s meant to be shared, food that’s meant to be eaten in informal settings.
And also food that tastes a million bucks and yet is so simple to make. This recipe is all about two things:
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That pork. That pork, that pork. Generously seasoned with a flavour packed rub, cooked until super tender but not mushy. It only needs an hour of marinating time because there’s so much flavour infusion during the slow cooking. Either in the slow cooker or oven. But if you’re pressed for time, you can absolutely use a pressure cooker – works a treat!
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The BBQ Sauce! Make it from scratch as I do, or use store bought and dress it up by mixing it with the pork juices. Either way, the addition of the pork juices really takes the sauce to the next level. My preference is to make the sauce separately using some, but not all, the pork juices. I’ve made a “self saucing” version before by putting all the BBQ Sauce ingredients in with the pork but found that the sauce tastes too porky.
A quick classic Coleslaw*, some golden buns, then lay it all out on the table and let everyone help themselves.
Party time! Australia Day, Super Bowl Sunday…or just any day!! – Nagi x
* In case you or your hips are anti-mayo, try this No Mayo Coleslaw (it’s very, very good!) or a creamy Yogurt Coleslaw dressing (also very, very good!)
More Burgers, Sliders and Sandwiches
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Big, juicy Hamburgers
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Steak Sandwich – super quick
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Chicken Burger – juicy seasoned chicken breast steak with the lot!
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Nando’s Peri Peri Chicken Burger – chicken marinated in a homemade flavour bomb Peri Peri sauce
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Cubanos – The famous Cuban roast pork sandwich from The Chef movie
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Pastrami Sandwiches – Rye bread piled high with homemade pastrami. EPIC!
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Veggie Burger – Meatless made amazing. Puts those doughy bricks at the shops to shame!
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Browse all Burgers and Sandwiches & Sliders recipes
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich recipe video!
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Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ingredients
Rub
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Pork
- 1.5 - 2.2 kg/ 3 - 4.5 lb pork shoulder or butt , skinless and boneless (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup apple cider or apple juice (Note 2)
- 1 quantity Coleslaw
- 6 - 8 bread rolls
BBQ Sauce (Note 5)
- 1 cup pork juices from slow cooker, once cooked
- 2 1/2 cups ketchup
- 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp each black pepper, onion (or garlic powder), mustard powder
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Mix together Rub then rub all over the pork. Optional: Marinate for 1 hour.
- Place in the slow cooker and pour over apple cider. Slow cook for 8 hours on low or pressure cook for 1 hr 30 minutes on high. (Note 3)
- Remove pork from liquid into a roasting pan. Reserve liquid.
- OPTIONAL: Roast pork for 20 - 30 minutes at 180C/350F until browned (Note 4). Meanwhile, make BBQ Sauce.
- Shred pork with forks - it should be fall apart tender (see video).
- Toss in BBQ sauce - use as much as you like, the recipe makes enough to coat the pork well but not dripping in sauce, plus a bit extra on the side.
- To make Pulled Pork Sandwiches, pile pork on warmed rolls and top with Coleslaw. I like to lay everything out for people to make their own.
BBQ Sauce
- Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk. Bring to simmer, then turn down the heat so it simmers gently. Cook for 1 hour. Remove from stove and use per recipe.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
You can just imagine what’s going through his head as he gazes at a mammoth pile of pulled pork….
This recipe was absolutely amazing 🤤🤤🤤🤤 the bbq sauce slapped ass! But I did use only 1/3 cup brown sugar and I used apple juice
Made this for a crowd of 16. Used a 2.8kg boneless pork shoulder in the slow cooker overnight ( misread apple cider as apple cider vinegar so didn’t get any .. used veg stock instead) ..shredded and chilled next morning. Reheated in oven 160 degs for about 40 mins with sauce, served with Nagis coleslaw in rolls and it was a perfect, a hit with everyone! Plenty to go round
Made this for a crowd of 16. Used a 2.8kg boneless pork shoulder in the slow cooker overnight ( misread apple cider as apple cider vinegar so didn’t get any .. used veg stock instead) ..shredded and chilled next morning. Reheated in oven 160 degs for about 40 mins with sauce, served with Nagis coleslaw in rolls and it was a perfect, a hit with everyone! Plenty to go round
Another hit! Served it plain and had cowyboy cabbage as a side dish. Didn’t stray from the recipe at all, and it was delicious.
THIS. WAS. AWESOME !!!!!!!!! Absolutely delicious !!!!!!!! Tender, tasty and flavoursome pork – I couldn’t stop eating it! The only part of the recipe I changed was using 1/3 cup brown sugar in the BBQ sauce instead of 2/3 cup after reading other comments about the sweetness levels being quite high – this was perfect for me!
I served mine on bao buns instead of traditional sandwich/burger buns, which was also fabulous.
Mine cooked in six hours in the slow cooker. Made Nagi’s coleslaw and no knead dinner rolls to go with it. Winner winner pulled pork dinner.
Worked well. Mine only took 6 hours. Really liked this recipe. Versatile! Sauce is delicious.
how would i adapt this recipe for skin-on/bone-in pork shoulder?
If making ahead how best to reheat in the oven?
Would you cover it and how long would you reheat and at what temp. Many thanks in advance!
Pork melted, sauce is amazing!
Delicious recipe, but if you don’t like sweet bbq sauce don’t use all the sugar.
When cooking in the oven does it need to be a ton with a lid or could you use alfoil as a cover?
If i cooked this in a cast iron french oven dish in the oven would you still do for 3 hours?
Yes Leah – just follow the oven directions in the notes! N x
Hi Nagi,
Just noticing that your Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce recipe has molasses in the sauce mix.
Could you add molasses to this recipe and if so what quantity please?
You can use that bbq sauce recipe instead of this one if you prefer, Annie! N x
I just bought everything to make the recipe, and I see you specify “boneless”. Mine is bone in “Boston butt pork”. Will that work? Can i just cook it and take out the bone when it’s finished? Thanks!
Yes Louise a bone in piece will work fine and might even cook a bit faster. N x
Hi Nagi. How big slow cooker are you using for this recipe?
Hi Tina – mine is a large one – it holds 5.5 litres. N x
LOVED!!!! will definitely make again
Oh my goodness, my hubby and I absolutely loved this!! It was so delicious
Could you use a tomato based pasta sauce in place of the ketchup? Even without the sugar added this sauce is too sweet and most of the sugar seems to come from the ketchup/tomato sauce.
Hi Jo, sorry you found it too sweet, BBQ sauce is generally on the sweeter side but you can always reduce the brown sugar to make it less sweet here. N x
My family loved the pulled pork! Great recipe…
Omg this recipe is awesome and all my family really enjoyed it, the pork is melted in my mouth, the Cole slow was amazing too, thank you Nagi, am always used your recipes and is always turned out really good.❤️