Author: Crystal

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Apple Cider Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork with Apple Slaw

Close up of pulled pork sandwich topped with an apple slaw

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!

Pulled pork sandwich with apple slaw being picked up off a platter

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!

Three pulled pork sandwiches topped with slaw on a platter

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!

Close up of an assemble pulled pork sandwich with apple slaw

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!

Overhead shot of Three pulled pork sandwiches topped with slaw on a platter

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!

Close up of pulled pork in a bowl with a pulled pork sandwich in the background

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.

Side view of Three pulled pork sandwiches topped with slaw on a platter

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!

Overhead of Three pulled pork sandwiches topped with slaw on a platter and one sandwich being picked up

Remember…if you try this recipe out, be sure to leave me a comment below, and tag me on Instagram!!!

Close up of an assemble pulled pork sandwich with apple slaw
Print Recipe
5 from 10 votes

Apple Cider Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw

Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Marinating Time2 hours
Total Time4 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bbq, pork, sandwich, sandwiches
Author: Crystal

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!!!!

Notes

Honeycrisp  and gala apples will work best for this recipe. But any apple you have on hand will do.
If you can not find apple cider, replace with equal amounts of 100% apple juice. 
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Fluffy Homemade Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries on a platter

If you’re looking for a super easy breakfast dish with a slight twist, my fluffy lemon ricotta pancakes will have you covered!

Lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries on a platter

Why should I use ricotta cheese for my lemon ricotta pancakes?

The ricotta for this recipe adds a different type of moisture to these that’s hard to explain, but is still good. Of course the lemon gives these a nice fresh taste and brightness the flavor. 

Besides the flavor, the ricotta cheese makes the pancakes fluffier! Food science is crazyyyy!

Fool-proof techniques to cooking the perfect pancake

For the record, I used to be pretty bad at cooking pancakes. If you are also me, you can handle these. I eventually realized that I was rushing the cooking process.

Not only do you need to give your pan enough time to heat up. The pan also doesn’t need to be super hot. You definitely want a hot enough pan to cook the pancakes properly, so heated my cast iron over medium heat for about 10 minutes before cooking.

Another error I always made was cooking gummy pancakes. What I’ve learned is that the first side of the pancake will cook for a longer time that it does once flipped. Cook the first side of the pancakes until bubbles have formed and are set. Once it gets to that point, you can flip the pancake to cook the rest of the way.

Lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries on a platter

I don’t have ricotta cheese for my pancakes. What should I do?

*psst* Homemade ricotta cheese is sooooooooooooo easy to make!!!! Check out my recipe for homemade ricotta, which takes an hour from start to finish! Most of this is hands-off, and is also a full proof recipe.

Toppings to serve with lemon ricotta pancakes

I was nervous tasting these the first time, since I felt it needed sugar. But, eat these with warm maple syrup and you’re good to go! Please, get real maple syrup, not that pancake syrup. No offense to Aunt Jemima and them. But these pancakes deserve dat sap from da tree!

These also taste so good with a dollop of whipped cream and a light dusting of powdered sugar.

Fresh berries are also PERFECT with lemon ricotta pancakes. PERFECT!!!! If you want, you can toss a hand full into the batter and gently mix in right before cooking. Or the berries can be sliced and diced to garnish the cooked pancakes.

Now, you don’t have to do what I did with using fresh homemade ricotta. But pleeeessssase do what I did by using maple syrup. Thanks in advance. 

Lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries on a platter
Lemon ricotta pancakes with strawberries on a plaatter
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Lemon Ricotta Pancakes

Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon, pancakes, ricotta, ricotta cheese
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Crystal

Equipment

  • Griddle or cast iron
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Zester
  • Spatula/Pancake flipper

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ tsp baking soda
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • ½ cup ricotta cheese
  • t tbsp melted butter plus extra kept separate for cooking the pancakes
  • whipped cream, maple syrup and berries for garnish

Instructions

  • Preheat a griddle or cast iron pan on a stove to the setting above it’s lowest setting.
  • While the griddle is heating, In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
  • In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, milk, and lemon juice.
  • Pour the milk mixture in with the flour mixture. Gently whisk for about a minute to combine.
  • Add the lemon zest, ricotta cheese, and melted butter to the mixture. Stir to incorporate. Batter should be slightly lumpy and thick with the ricotta chunks.
  • Melt a small amount of butter in the griddle, just enough to coat the surface.
  • Pour a quarter cup of the pancake mixture onto the griddle. Spread out the mixture to make pancakes a little thinner and rounder. If cooking multiple pancakes at a time, be sure to keep them at least an inch apart.
  • Cook pancakes for 4-5 minutes on it’s first side. The uncooked side will create little holes and look a little dry. Once it’s at that point, flip and cook for 1 more minute.
  • Serve pancakes with whipped cream, fresh berries, and warm maple syrup.

If you’re looking for another easy breakfast option, give my Blueberry Lemon Poppyseed Corn Muffins a try. I promise you’ll love em!

Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram if you test out any of my recipes! I thoroughly enjoy seeing it!

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Blueberry Biscuit Bake with Lemon Glaze

Oh, you want a blueberry biscuit recipe? Well, here you go!

Blueberry Biscuits with Lemon Glaze On A Plate With A Spoon

I specifically executed this recipe for the folks that are NOT bakers, and don’t have some of the regular pastry tools like a rolling pin or biscuit cutter. Now, if you have those things, go ahead and use em! But it’s not necessary for this one so save yourself 2 less dishes to wash.

What are the tricks to making good biscuits?

The key to making biscuits properly is that all the ingredients must be kept cold! From the milk to the butter, keep it in the fridge until it’s needed for the current step you’re on.

If you’re able to, freeze the butter for 30 minutes before using it in the recipe. Makes it easier to grate compared to refrigerated butter. It’s also best to grate the butter so you can get it into small enough pieces to be distributed through the dough.

Again, I get that everyone may not have a grater available, so this can still be done without it. If you go the non-grated route, cut the butter into small pieces and put it back in the fridge for 30 minutes before using.

The butter will still need to be broken down into even smaller pieces in the flour with your fingertips, into pieces smaller than the size of a pea. Just make sure you keep the butter cold until it’s time to add it to the flour. This helps so that your body heat isn’t making the butter too soft.

Not a fan of lemons or glazes?

Making the lemon glaze is optional, but is also definitely worth it. It can be whipped up in a couple of minutes, and the lemon can also be omitted or replaced with a different citrus if you prefer.

Blueberry Biscuit Bake With Lemon Glaze
Print Recipe

Blueberry Biscuit Bake with Lemon Glaze

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Rest time5 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Keyword: biscuits, blueberries
Servings: 9 servings
Author: Crystal

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 small bowl
  • sifter
  • Whisk
  • box grater
  • wooden spoon
  • parchment paper
  • sheet pan
  • spoon
  • butter knife

Ingredients

Biscuit Ingredients

  • 2 ¾ cup all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 pint blueberries
  • ½ cup unsalted butter kept cold
  • 1 cup milk kept cold

Lemon Glaze Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 ½ tbsp milk
  • 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
  • zest of a lemon

Instructions

Biscuit Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a small sheet pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with pan spray and set aside.
  • In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, and sugar. Whisk in the salt.
  • Toss in the blueberries and coat with the flour mixture.
  • Grate the butter into the flour mixture and lightly mix with a wooden spoon to combine.
  • Pour in the milk. Mix with a wooden spoon to incorporate. Then use your hands to thoroughly mix.
  • Dump the dough onto the parchment lined sheet pan. Flatten the dough to the size of the pan. With a butter knife or dough cutter, slice the dough into 9 even pieces.
  • Bake for 20 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.
  • Let cool for 5 minutes before adding lemon glaze.

Ingredient Glaze Ingredients

  • In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk until smooth.
  • Drizzle over the blueberry biscuits once baked.

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