A delicious pulled pork sandwich does not have to be cooked in a smoker or grill. My apple cider pulled pork sandwiches are perfect year round, topped with a creamy apple slaw! And I’m here to show you how to make the easiest crockpot bbq pulled pork recipe!
Crockpot bbq pulled pork is such a simple recipe. The pork can be used in a variety of ways, like tacos, nachos, or paired with skillet cornbread. The BEST way is in sandwich form, topped with slaw!
This is one of my favorite recipes so I highly encourage errrrryyyyyybody reading this to partake in this awesomeness of a sammich! This recipe is perfect year round for many reasons:
-pulled pork is great for the summer
-crockpot meals are bae AF
-the apple slaw is a great addition for fall
So yes, this can be made year round!
How to make pulled pork in a Crockpot
The key to this dish is really letting the flavors mellow. I seasoned the pork a couple of hours ahead of time, then cook it low and slow. If you’re short on time, marinating the pork can be skipped. But you better believe it’ll taste better when you add that extra step!
Once the pork is cooked, it’s shredded and mixed with your bbq sauce of choice. I also took a very basic recipe for cabbage slaw and added some thinly sliced apples. Finally, top the pulled pork on a toasted brioche roll with the slaw. Whew…… this is the one!
The melody of flavors was amaze-ballz! The cider made the pulled pork a little sweeter but not overpowering. Adding the apples to the slaw took it a whole ‘notha level. This recipe was 4-5 servings and I thought I was gonna get sick of it after the 3rd sammich. Hahahah, yeah right…. I enjoyed every bite of it!
What is the best cut of pork for pulled pork?
For my recipe, I used pork shoulder. It has the right amount of fat that it will not cause the meat to dry out while cooking, even thought it’s being made in the slow cooker. Yes, it’s possible to make a food taste dry in a crock pot.
If you can’t find any pork shoulder, you can use pork butt or loin. You definitely want to use a cut of pork that has a fair amount of fat, so the better substitute would be pork butt, but either option will get the job done!
Can I substitute chicken for pork in pulled pork?
If you aren’t a pork eater, this can most certainly be done with chicken. I’d recommend skinless chicken thighs because of it’s fat and flavor content compared to chicken breasts.
What kind of apples should I use for the apple slaw?
You can honestly use any apple that you love to eat raw!
My favorite type of apple, which I used for this recipe, is honeycrisp. Fuji is great for this as well. Both have the perfect crispness and juicy-ness needed for this slaw, which also paris perfectly with the pork. I’ve also used pink lady apples and the slaw tasted really damn good.
Type of apple cider to cook the crockpot bbq pulled pork
Luckily, there’s no particular brand you should use! Just be sure to use an apple cider that does NOT have any added sugar, since brown sugar will be used as one of the seasonings.
If you can’t find an apple cider without sugar, don’t worry your pretty little heart. Just cut the amount of apple cider in half!
Apple cider can sometimes be hard to find, but don’t worry! For this recipe, it can be substituted with 100% apple juice!
What kind of BBQ sauce should I use for pulled pork
Similar to the apple cider, there is no particular brand to be used. You can use whatever brand and flavor you’d like!
There will not be a lot of BBQ sauced used when putting this sandwiches together. Whichever flavor BBQ sauce you use will be mixed with some of the liquid the pork is cooked in.
For this recipe, I used Sweet Baby Ray’s honey BBQ sauce. I’m also a fan of hickory or mesquite BBQ sauce, which would pair great with this. But I wanted to stick to some of the “natural sweetness” them in this recipe, so Honey BBQ it is!
Remember…if you try this recipe out, be sure to leave me a comment below, and tag me on Instagram!!!
Apple Cider Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw
Equipment
- Slow cooker OR 6 quart oven safe dish
- Mixing bowls
- Cutting board
Ingredients
Braised Pork Ingredients
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 ½ lbs pork shoulder
- 1 ½ tbsp kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- ½ cup white onion sliced
- 1 ½ cup apple cider or 100% apple juice
- 1 tsp liquid smoke
- 1 cup water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 thyme sprigs
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- 4-6 sandwich rolls
Apple Slaw Ingredients
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 2 scallions sliced
- ½ apple thinly sliced
Instructions
Braised Pork Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix paprika, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. Set aside
- Pat pork shoulder dry on both sides, and put into a container or on a dish. Season both sides of the pork with the sugar mixture. Put pork into the fridge, uncovered, for 2-3 hours.
- Remove pork from the fridge, and season both sides of pork with salt.
- In a crockpot, or oven safe dish, add garlic, onion, cider, liquid smoke, water, bay leaf and thyme. Place pork into liquid.
- Crockpot – Cook on high for 2 hours, or on low for 4 hours. Oven – Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 2 hours.
- Once cooked, remove pork from the liquid into a large bowl and let cool for about 5 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup of the braising liquid. Shred the pork, removing any bone, gristle, and tendons. Fat can be removed to your liking.
- Optional: Remove the sliced onions and the garlic cloves from the braising liquid. Roughly chop and add with the shredded pork.
- Add bbq sauce to the pork, along with reserved braising liquid. Mix to combine.
Apple Slaw Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix mayonnaise, pepper, salt, and vinegar.
- Toss in cabbage, scallions, and apples. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Sandwich assembly
- Toast the sandwich rolls (optional)
- Top bottom half of brioche roll with pulled pork.
- Top the pulled pork with apple slaw, and the top half of the sandwich roll.
- Eat that thang!!!!
The pulled pork was incredibly tender. After loading these sandwiches I put some in the fridge for later and it still tasted fresh and delicious.
This is definitely a recipe that taste better the next day!
You have a winner right here! Since we don’t eat pork, I swapped it out for chuck roast and slow-cooked and shredded that! And I won’t even go in on this apple slaw…wow! I can’t wait to make this again for our next family BBQ.
That sounds AMAZING!!! Love that substitute!
This was so easy to make in my slow cooker and I used the extra pulled pork on nachos. Both were a hit!
Errrmagerrrd!!! You made nachos! I love it!
These pulled pork sandwiches were amazing! The seasoning for the pork was perfect, and super flavorful. What set them off though, was the apple slaw! We will be making these again soon!
This makes me so happy! Thank you!
This pork shoulder turned out so perfect!! I loveee the apple slaw with it too! Thank you for the recipe
You’re so very welcome!!!
This was SO GOOD! The apple slaw was the perfect topper for this pulled pork!
Yay!!! So glad you liked it!
This recipe was a true hit! That apple slaw was everything and the tenderness of the pulled pork literally made this dish out of this world. Can’t wait to make it again!
Yaaassss!!! The slaw sets it off. So glad you love it!
The pork was so tender and succulent everyone went back for more!
Ooooh, love the “succulent” word! Thank ya!
I love that I was able to load this up and it practically cooked itself. When it was ready, the kiddos served the family. Excellent meal!
I’m so glad to hear this, Marta! Thank ya!
This recipe was everything! The entire family love it! Even our one year old! Very easy to make. Thank you Skinni!!
I’m so happy to hear it was a crowd pleaser!! Thank you!
This recipe made one of the best flavored pulled pork sandwiches I have ever eaten.
Thank you sooooo much Michelle! I’m so glad you loved it!