BBQ Pork Sandwich
intro
Tender, sauce-coated pulled pork piled on soft toasted buns with crisp coleslaw, the iconic smoky, tangy staple of Southern summer cookouts.
Ingredients
Steps
Mix the pork rub
In a small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons sweet paprika, 1 tablespoon light brown sugar, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1.5 teaspoons smoked sea salt, and 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper. Stir until fully evenly mixed, breaking up any clumps of brown sugar with a fork. Pat the 900g pork shoulder completely dry with paper towels before applying the rub.
Slow cook the pork
Rub the entire surface of the dried pork shoulder with all of the spice mix, pressing firmly to make sure the rub adheres to every side. Place the seasoned pork in a slow cooker, pour 60ml apple cider vinegar around the base of the pork (not directly on the rubbed surface to avoid washing off spices), cover, and cook on LOW heat for 3 hours, until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 90C (195F) and shreds easily with a fork.
Shred the tender pork
Once cooked, use tongs to transfer the hot pork to a large cutting board. Let it rest for 10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute, then use two forks to pull the pork apart into thin, bite-sized shreds, discarding any remaining chunks of hard fat or connective tissue. Reserve 60ml (1/4 cup) of the cooking liquid from the slow cooker to moisten the pork.
Toss with BBQ sauce
Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker (or a large mixing bowl), add 180ml (3/4 cup) of the hickory BBQ sauce and the reserved 60ml cooking liquid, and stir thoroughly until every shred of pork is evenly coated in sauce. Keep the pork warm on the slow cooker’s WARM setting while you prep the buns.
Toast the soft buns
Heat a large skillet over medium heat (175C/350F). Brush the cut inner sides of the 4 brioche buns with the 28g melted unsalted butter. Place the buns cut-side down on the hot skillet, and toast for 1 to 1.5 minutes until the cut surfaces are golden brown and slightly crisp, taking care not to burn them.
Assemble the sandwiches
Spread 1 tablespoon of the remaining BBQ sauce on the toasted inner side of each top bun. Pile 1/4 of the sauced pulled pork (approx 180g per serving) onto each bottom bun, top the pork with 37.5g (about 1/3 cup) of the creamy coleslaw for a crisp, cool contrast, then place the top bun on the sandwich. Press down gently to hold the fillings in place, and serve immediately.
Tips
2.For deeper, authentic pit-style smoke flavor, add 1 teaspoon of hickory liquid smoke to the sauce when tossing the pork, or smoke the seasoned pork over hickory chips at 110C (225F) for 1 hour before slow cooking.
3.Add coleslaw only right before serving, as the moisture from the cabbage will soak into the toasted buns and make them soggy if the sandwiches sit for longer than 10 minutes.
OMG this sandwich is an absolute game changer! I made this for my weekend cookout and every single person asked for the recipe. The smoky flavor is perfect, not too overpowering, and the pork was fall-apart tender after following the cook time exactly. 10/10 will be making this all summer long.
Really solid recipe! My only note is that I added a little extra brown sugar to the BBQ sauce because my family likes it sweeter. The cook time felt a little long for a weeknight but it was totally worth it for Sunday dinner. SO good.
I made this for my dorm floor potluck (used the shared kitchen’s slow cooker since I don’t have a smoker lol) and it was gone in 10 minutes. Even the guys who only eat fast food were raving about it. Total win for a broke college kid.
I prepped a big batch of this pulled pork ahead of a backpacking trip and it reheated perfectly over the camp stove. Piled high on a brioche bun with a little coleslaw? Chef’s kiss. Perfect hearty meal after a long day on the trail.
My kids loved it! My 7 year old is usually super picky about pork but he ate two full sandwiches and asked for seconds at dinner last night. I served it with baked beans and potato salad, just like my grandma used to make. Total comfort food.
Made this for the football watch party last Sunday and it was a huge hit. I will say I wish I’d added a little more paprika for extra smoke because my pellet grill runs a little mild, but that’s just personal preference. Will tweak next time!
Help! I followed the recipe exactly but my pork came out a little dry? I think my oven temp might have been running hot because my apartment oven is super old. Any tips for adjusting for that next time?
Game changer for my weekly meal prep! I portioned the pulled pork out into individual containers with a side of coleslaw and buns, and it lasted me all work week for quick lunches. Saved me so much money instead of grabbing takeout every day.
I’ve been making BBQ pork sandwiches for over 40 years and this recipe is right up there with my own. The rub blend is spot on, not too salty, just the right amount of smoky sweetness. My grandkids demolished a whole platter of these when they visited last weekend.
We made this for our date night in and it was delicious! We swapped the regular buns for garlic toast for a little extra crunch, which was such a good call. Only reason it’s not 5 stars is the 3+ hour cook time made us wait forever to eat, we were starving by the time it was done!
Ran this on my offset smoker for the full 3 hours and the smoke ring was chef’s kiss. Used hickory wood per the recipe note and it gave that perfect classic smoky flavor without being bitter. Served it up with dill pickles and spicy mustard, just how I like it.
I made this for my end-of-year teacher potluck and everyone was begging for the recipe! Even our school principal who swears he doesn’t eat pork came back for a second sandwich. Total crowd pleaser, I’m never using another pulled pork recipe again.
Really great base recipe! I added a couple diced jalapeños and a splash of hot sauce to the BBQ sauce to give it a little kick, and it was perfect for my taste. If you love heat, I definitely recommend that little tweak.
This was way too much work for a sandwich for me. 3+ hours of cooking? I don’t have time for that on a weeknight. Tasted good but I think I’ll just grab pre-made pulled pork from the grocery store next time.
OMG I was so nervous to make BBQ pork from scratch because I’ve only ever used the pre-made stuff, but this recipe was so easy to follow even for a medium-difficulty dish! The step-by-step instructions made it impossible to mess up. I served mine with homemade coleslaw on top and it was *chef’s kiss*.
Solid recipe, great flavor profile. I did a 4 hour smoke on mine at 225 instead of the recipe temp to get a little deeper smoke flavor, and it turned out fantastic. My only critique is that the rub ratio felt a little heavy on the garlic powder for my taste, so I’ll cut that back next time.
This recipe is so easy to make gluten free! I just used my favorite gluten free brioche buns and double checked that my BBQ sauce was GF, and it turned out perfect. I’ve been missing a good BBQ pork sandwich since going GF and this totally hit the spot. My non-GF husband didn’t even notice a difference!
This is officially our new go-to Sunday family dinner recipe! Three generations of my family sat around the table eating these last weekend and everyone loved it, even my 92 year old grandpa who says ‘no BBQ is as good as the stuff he had in the 50s.’ That’s the highest possible compliment if you ask me.
Y’all, the leftovers from this are INCREDIBLE. I had leftover pork after my cookout and I used it to make breakfast hash the next morning with eggs and potatoes, put it on top of nachos for game night, and even stuffed it in a baked potato for lunch. So versatile, way better than just eating sandwiches every day.