Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe

Pulled Pork Sliders are a budget-friendly party food option that's tough to beat. Everybody loves them, they feed a crowd, and they're over-the-top easy to make. This recipe features pulled pork made easy in the slow cooker, it's full of flavor and always turns out perfectly fork-tender. You'll find them easy to assemble and simple to serve.

In addition to an easy party recipe, we'll cover all slider basics like how many per person, how to serve them (and prevent them from getting soggy), plus, make-ahead options and even what to serve with them.

Pulled Pork Sliders are essentially little, miniature pulled pork sandwiches and they are absolutely perfect for entertaining. They're inexpensive, they feed a crowd, and they're seriously easy to make. This Pulled Pork Slider Recipe, in particular, features BBQ-style sandwiches and probably the most popular way to serve up a slider.

PULLED PORK SLIDER INGREDIENTS

• Slider Buns
• Pork Butt
• BBQ Sauce
• Coleslaw
• Pickles
• BBQ Sauce

THE SLIDER BUN

Slider buns have become very popular and are readily available. They can be found at just about any major grocery store in a variety of selections.

HOW MANY SLIDERS PER PERSON

Sliders buns typically come in a pack of 12, and you can expect one package to feed 4-5 people. Estimate 2-3 per person, but if there is lots of other food at the party to graze on, you're most likely looking at  2 per person.

THE PULLED PORK

Sliders were meant for entertaining, and when it comes to entertaining, easiest is best. So, unless you've got a barbecue aficionado on your hands, the slow cooker is your best friend when it comes to pulled pork. Pulled pork comes from a cut of meat called a pork butt, which is actually the shoulder of the pig....not the butt. When cooked low and slow, pork butt breaks down and becomes fork-tender.

This pulled pork slider recipe was designed for minimum input and maximum output, and after about 5 minutes of prep work and a stint in the slow cooker, your pork butt will be loaded with flavor, totally juicy and fall-apart tender.

For another pork recipe that is not a slider, check out our Country-Style Pork Ribs!

PULLED PORK SLIDER TOPPINGS

The toppings for your BBQ-style Pulled Pork Sandwiches are simple and minimal. All you need is a package of coleslaw mix (often found near the lettuce in the produce aisle), a jar of hamburger sliced pickles, and some BBQ Sauce.

For the BBQ Sauce, you can use store-bought or homemade. If you like a sticky-sweet BBQ Sauce with just a hint of tang and smoky undertones, you might want to give this Easy Homemade BBQ Sauce a try!

HOW TO MAKE PULLED PORK SLIDERS

1. Remove excess fat from pork butt.
2. Stir together ingredients for braising sauce.
3. Add sauce and pork butt to slow cooker, cook, and shred.
4. Assemble sandwiches and serve.

1. REMOVING THE FAT CAP

When you cook BBQ pulled pork in the slow cooker, fat has a tendency just hang around. There’s plenty of fat within the pork shoulder, and you don't need any extra.  Use a sharp knife, and shave the fat cap (i.e. the layer of fat on top of a cut of meat) right off.

2. THE BRAISING SAUCE

This braising sauce is a highly concentrated BBQ-flavored sauce. When pork butt breaks down, it releases quite a bit of liquid, so you don't need very much liquid going in. The sauce consists mostly of ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, apple cider vinegar, and spices.

The consistency of this sauce might lend itself more to a rub, and the flavor will be intense, but remember -- we're flavoring up to 4 pounds of pork, and not just the outside of it. We want there to be flavor in every single bite, and with this recipe, there most definitely will be.

3. COOKING THE PORK BUTT

Now comes the really easy part. The pork butt, along with the sauce, goes into the slow cooker and cooks on low for 8 hours (or on high for 6 hours). When the time is up, the pork will fall apart and you'll be able to easily shred it with nothing but forks in hand.

4. ASSEMBLE THE SLIDERS

Sliders are easy to assemble: Add the pork to the slider bun, fix it up with toppings and you're set to serve.

HOW TO SERVE PULLED PORK SLIDERS

When it comes to serving these saucy, little sandwiches, you have options and one of those options is not to assemble the sliders at all. If I had my pick, this one is it...and not out of laziness. You see, pulled pork is extremely moist, which means it has a fair amount of liquid. Liquid + Bread = Soggy Bread. I, for one, am not a fan of soggy bread.

MAKE A SELF-SERVE ASSEMBLY STATION!

Rather than making a ton of pulled pork sandwiches yourself, consider allowing your guests to build their own sliders! Set up shop near the slow cooker. Wherever you intend for your set up to be, make sure people have room to set down their plates and move from one ingredient to the next.

1. Place a pair of tongs near the pulled pork with something to catch the drippings beneath.
2. Find a large shallow bowl and line it with a decorative dishtowel or napkin (if you'd like) and place the buns inside. You could also use a serving platter for the slider, or just leave them in their original packaging.
3. Place the coleslaw in a bowl with small tongs or a serving spoon, and equip the pickles with small tongs or a fork. You can leave them in the jar, or transfer them to a bowl, if desired.
4. Make sure the BBQ sauce is easy to drizzle. If not, consider transferring it to a gravy boat or bowl, and equipping it with a small spoon or ladle.

For another crowd-pleasing slider recipe, try our Buffalo Chicken Sliders!

MAKE-AHEAD SLIDERS

While I don't recommend making Pulled pork Sliders too far in advance (read above) there are measures you can take to keep them tasting fresh. Before assembling the sliders as directed, smear the insides of each bun with either mayonnaise or room temperature, unsalted butter.

This only works for so long (as, again, the moisture content in pulled pork is very high) but you are essentially forming a temporary barrier between the slider bun and the juices from the pork.

HOW TO KEEP THEM WARM

Once you've assembled your sliders, secure them with a toothpick and transfer them to any large rimmed dish (i.e. a rimmed baking sheet, casserole dish, etc...), cover loosely with foil, and place them in the oven on warm or at 200°. Do not stack them or cover them tightly with foil. This will cause them to steam.

WHAT TO SERVE WITH PULLED PORK SLIDERS

Sliders are party food, meaning they can be accompanied by just about anything you'd like including dips, veggie trays, meat and cheese platters, etc...

7 HEARTY PARTY RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE!

• Pulled Pork Quesadillas are loaded with flavor, over-the-top easy, and require all of 20 minutes to make!
• Pulled Pork Nachos is where BBQ meets Mexican food and the results are everything you could want them to be…and then some more!
• 15-Minute Coney Sauce is easy to make and perfect for topping hot dogs at your party!
• Kielbasa Dogs are quick to make and come well-equipped with a hefty serving of sweet peppers and tangy mustard sauce.
• Homemade Bagel Bites are make-ahead, freezer-friendly, and a nostalgic favorite perfect for feeding a crowd!
• Mini Muffin Corn Dogs feature a quick and easy cornbread batter with sliced hot dogs inside! They're kid-friendly, but rest assured -- the grown-ups will love them too!
• Mexican Shrimp Cocktail is a gorgeous appetizer your guests will want to make a meal of! Loaded with shrimp, avocado, cucumber and more, it's light and filling all at the same time!

Print Recipe

4.53 from 17 votes

Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe

An easy recipe for Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Sliders that takes 10 minutes to prep and delivers the most flavorful, drool-worthy sliders ever!

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time6 hours hrs

Total Time6 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Pulled Pork Sliders

Servings: 10

Calories: 268kcal

Author: Kelly Anthony

Ingredients

For the Pulled Pork:

• 3 ½ pound boneless pork butt
• ⅓ cup ketchup
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 2 ½ tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mustard powder
• 1 tablespoon Kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoon onion powder

For the Sliders:

• 2 (12 count) packages of slider buns
• 1 (14 ounce) package classic coleslaw mix
• 1 (16-ounce) hamburger-sliced dill pickles
• About 2 ¼ cups BBQ sauce (store-bought or homemade)
• About 1 cup mayonnaise (optional)

Instructions

For the Pulled Pork:

• Trim away any excess fat from the pork butt. Pat the pork butt dry with a paper towel and make the rub.
• Add the ketchup, sugar, Worcestershire, apple cider vinegar, mustard powder, salt, chili powder, pepper, and onion powder to a medium-sized mixing bowl and stir to combine
• Add about half of the sauce to the bottom of the crock pot and set the pork butt inside. Pour the remaining sauce over the pork butt, and turn on the slow cooker.
• Cook for 6 hours on the high setting or 8 hours on the low setting. Shred with two forks and stir the pulled pork so that it is coated in the sauce.

For the Sliders:

• To assemble the sliders, spread the inside of each bun with a thin layer of mayonnaise (if using). Add a scant ½ cup of pulled pork to the bottom bun, top with a pinch of coleslaw, a couple of pickles, a drizzle of BBQ sauce. Finally, cap with the top bun. Repeat for the remaining sliders.

Nutrition

Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 930mg | Potassium: 642mg | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 280IU | Vitamin C: 1.1mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 2.6mg