BBQ Cupcake
intro
Savory handheld BBQ treats with tender cornbread base, tangy sauced pulled pork, and creamy coleslaw, perfect for casual summer outdoor gatherings.
Ingredients
Steps
Preheat Oven and Prep Tin
Preheat your oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a 12-cup standard metal muffin tin with paper baking liners, lightly coating each liner with nonstick cooking spray to prevent the cornbread from sticking as it bakes.
Mix Cornbread Batter
In a medium glass mixing bowl, whisk together 1 cup (120g) yellow cornmeal, ½ cup (60g) all-purpose flour, 1 tsp (4g) baking powder, and ½ tsp (3g) fine sea salt until evenly combined. Stir in ¾ cup (180ml) whole milk, 1 beaten large egg (50g), and 2 tbsp (28g) melted unsalted butter, mixing just until no dry lumps remain; do not overmix, as this creates tough cornbread.
Scoop and Bake Cornbread Bases
Scoop 1 tablespoon of cornbread batter into the bottom of each lined muffin cup, spreading it in an even thin layer to cover the base. Bake for 8 minutes at 400°F (200°C) until the batter is just set and pale golden around the edges; it will not be fully cooked, as it will finish baking with the pork filling.
Toss and Add BBQ Pork
While the cornbread bases bake, toss 2 cups (300g) pre-cooked smoked pulled pork with ½ cup (120ml) tangy BBQ sauce until every piece is evenly coated. Remove the partially baked cornbread tin from the oven, top each base with 2 heaping tablespoons of sauced pulled pork, pressing gently to adhere. Return the tin to the oven and bake for 12 more minutes at 400°F (200°C), until the cornbread is fully cooked and the pork reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C).
Make Coleslaw Topping
While the cupcakes bake, prepare the coleslaw topping: in a small ceramic bowl, mix 1 cup (70g) pre-shredded green cabbage coleslaw mix, 2 tbsp (30g) mayonnaise, 1 tbsp (15ml) apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp (4g) granulated sugar, and ¼ tsp (1g) smoked paprika until the cabbage is evenly coated in creamy dressing. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Cool Cupcakes and Add Coleslaw
Once baked, remove the cupcake tin from the oven and let the cupcakes cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then lift them out by the paper liners. Top each warm cupcake with 1 tablespoon of chilled coleslaw, drizzle with the remaining ¼ cup (60ml) BBQ sauce, and add a light pinch of the remaining smoked paprika for garnish before serving.
Tips
2.Cut prep time with store-bought shortcuts: pre-smoked pulled pork, pre-shredded coleslaw mix, and your favorite bottled BBQ sauce work perfectly for this recipe with no loss of flavor.
3.Add coleslaw topping immediately before serving: warm cupcakes will wilt cabbage and make dressing runny if slaw sits on top for longer than 15 minutes.
OMG these were such a game changer for our weeknight family dinner! I used leftover pulled pork from the weekend, tossed it with extra hickory BBQ sauce, and my kids literally asked for seconds before they finished their first one. The cornbread base is *chef’s kiss* perfect with the tangy pork. 10/10 will make again for our next potluck!
Made these for my football watch party yesterday and they were gone in 10 minutes flat! I topped a few with a tiny dollop of coleslaw right before serving and people were raving the whole game. Only note is I wish I made a double batch, SO good.
Obsessed with how easy these are for meal prep! I baked a batch on Sunday, stored them in airtight containers in the fridge, and grabbed one for a quick lunch all week. They reheat perfectly in the microwave in 45 seconds, no sogginess at all. Total weekday win.
I was skeptical about savory cupcakes at first, but my teen daughter begged me to try these after seeing the recipe on TikTok. Wow, was I wrong! The little crispy cheese edge on the cornbread cups? Unreal. Even my picky son ate three of them. Will be adding these to our regular rotation.
These were good, but I ran into a little issue — my cornbread cups shrank away from the muffin tin edges after baking, so all the pulled pork fell out when I tried to fill them. Did I do something wrong? Flavor was great even if they were a little messy!
As a college student with basically zero cooking skills, I was shocked how easy these were to make! No fancy equipment, only a handful of ingredients, cook time was exactly 35 minutes like the recipe said. My roommates are convinced I’m a gourmet chef now lmao
I made these for my grandson’s birthday cookout and everyone from the 3 year olds to the 80 year old great uncle loved them! I added a little pinch of smoked paprika to the cornbread batter for an extra kick, and it paired so nicely with the sweet BBQ sauce. Wonderful recipe, thank you for sharing!
Wait, savory cupcakes??? I thought this was a joke at first but decided to give it a shot for April Fools' dinner with my partner, and we are both hooked. We did a little drizzle of hot honey on top of ours and it was the perfect sweet-spicy combo. 10/10, no joke.
Ugh, these saved my last minute potluck stress! I had 40 minutes to get something together before my kid’s soccer team banquet, threw these together with a cornbread mix, a bag of pre-made pulled pork from the grocery store, and a bottle of our favorite BBQ sauce. Everyone was asking for the recipe, I felt like a rockstar.
These are solid! I tossed my pulled pork with a spicy bourbon BBQ sauce instead of the regular sweet kind, and added a pickled jalapeno slice on top of each one for a little heat. So much flavor, perfect for people who don’t love super sweet BBQ.
Finally got around to making these for my work potluck after seeing Jess recommend them a couple days ago, and let me tell you — I won the office potluck prize for best dish! Used a boxed cornbread mix like Chef Admin suggested, topped a few with coleslaw like Tyler mentioned, and people were going back for thirds. So easy, so tasty.
I made a vegetarian version of these for my wife who doesn’t eat pork, swapped the pulled pork for BBQ jackfruit, and it worked SO well! The texture was almost identical, the BBQ flavor soaked into the jackfruit perfectly, even my meat-loving brother-in-law didn’t notice the difference. Great base recipe that’s super easy to adapt.
Made these for date night in with my boyfriend last night and we both agreed they’re way more fun than regular pulled pork sandwiches. We paired them with a side of baked beans and a cold beer, it was the perfect low-fuss cozy night meal. We even had a few leftovers for breakfast this morning, weirdly good with a fried egg on top?