BBQ Baby Shower Pulled Pork (Printable Version)

Tender pork slow-cooked in tangy barbecue sauce, served on soft slider buns with creamy coleslaw.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pork

01 - 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
02 - 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
03 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
05 - ½ teaspoon garlic powder
06 - ½ teaspoon onion powder

→ Sauce

07 - 1½ cups barbecue sauce
08 - ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
09 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
10 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

→ Sliders

11 - 16 slider buns
12 - 2 cups coleslaw mix
13 - ½ cup mayonnaise
14 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
15 - 1 teaspoon sugar
16 - ½ teaspoon salt
17 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper

# How To Make It:

01 - Pat pork dry with paper towels and rub evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, ensuring all surfaces are coated.
02 - Place seasoned pork in slow cooker. In a separate bowl, whisk together barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce until combined. Pour sauce mixture over pork.
03 - Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 6 hours until pork is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
04 - While pork cooks, combine coleslaw mix, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Toss until evenly coated and refrigerate until serving time.
05 - Transfer cooked pork to a large bowl and shred using two forks, separating meat into bite-sized pieces. Return shredded pork to slow cooker and toss with cooking liquid.
06 - Slice slider buns horizontally. Layer pulled pork on bottom half of each bun, add a spoonful of coleslaw on top of pork, and cover with top bun. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The slow cooker does all the heavy lifting while you focus on everything else.
  • Tender, fall-apart pork that tastes like you've been cooking all day when you really haven't.
  • Easy to serve buffet-style, so guests can build their own sliders exactly how they like them.
  • Makes enough to feed a crowd without requiring complicated techniques or constant attention.
02 -
  • Don't skip patting the pork dry before seasoning—moisture on the surface prevents the rub from adhering properly, and you'll lose crucial flavor.
  • The pork is done when it shreds with almost no resistance, not when the meat reaches a certain temperature—overcooked pork here means tender and perfect, not dry.
  • Make the slaw ahead if you can, because it actually improves after sitting for a few hours as the flavors meld and the vegetables soften slightly.
03 -
  • If your barbecue sauce is on the sweeter side, add a splash more apple cider vinegar to the cooking liquid to balance it out and prevent the final dish from tasting one-dimensional.
  • Buy the best slider buns you can find—they're the vehicle for all your delicious pork, and a flimsy bun will let you down just when things were going so well.
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