BBQ Baby Shower Pulled Pork (Print Version)

Tender pork cooked in tangy barbecue sauce, served on soft buns with refreshing slaw for sharing.

# What You Need:

→ Pork

01 - 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder or pork butt
02 - 1.5 teaspoons kosher salt
03 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
04 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
05 - 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
06 - 0.5 teaspoon onion powder

→ Sauce

07 - 1.5 cups barbecue sauce
08 - 0.33 cup apple cider vinegar
09 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar
10 - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

→ Sliders

11 - 16 slider buns
12 - 2 cups coleslaw mix
13 - 0.5 cup mayonnaise
14 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
15 - 1 teaspoon sugar
16 - 0.5 teaspoon salt
17 - 0.25 teaspoon black pepper

# How To Make It:

01 - Pat the pork dry with paper towels and rub evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder, ensuring all surfaces are well coated.
02 - Place seasoned pork in a slow cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Pour the sauce mixture over the pork.
03 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on low setting for 6 hours until the pork is tender and shreds easily with a fork.
04 - While the pork cooks, combine coleslaw mix, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and black pepper in a bowl. Toss thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to assemble.
05 - Transfer cooked pork to a large bowl and shred using two forks, breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Return shredded pork to the slow cooker and toss with the accumulated juices.
06 - Slice each slider bun in half. Place pulled pork on the bottom half of each bun, top with a spoonful of coleslaw, and cover with the top bun half. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • You can prep everything ahead and let your slow cooker do the heavy lifting while you focus on hosting, not cooking.
  • Slider buns make these feel elegant enough for celebrations but casual enough that guests feel comfortable grabbing a few without judgment.
  • The tang from apple cider vinegar cuts through the richness of the pork in a way that makes people want another bite.
02 -
  • Do not skip the slaw—it's the counterbalance that prevents these from feeling heavy and one-dimensional, and the acidity prevents the pork from sitting in your stomach like a brick.
  • If your pork isn't shredding easily after 6 hours, give it another 30 minutes on low instead of forcing it, because tough pork is a texture disaster that no amount of sauce can salvage.
03 -
  • Brown the pork in a hot skillet before slow cooking if you have 10 minutes—it creates a flavorful crust that adds complexity to the final dish.
  • Use a meat thermometer to check doneness at 180°F internal temperature, which guarantees the connective tissue has broken down into pure tenderness.
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