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Close up of an assemble pulled pork sandwich with apple slaw
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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.