Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwich with Chipotle Slaw
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches are tender, juicy, and slow-cooked to perfection. Topped with a homemade zesty chipotle slaw, all served on soft buns. They're simple to make, great for feeding a crowd, and affordable too.
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These Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches are the kind of recipe that makes your whole house smell amazing and your family rush to the dinner table. Pile the juicy meat onto a bun with a generous scoop of smoky chipotle slaw, and you’ve got a sandwich that’s perfect for cookouts, weeknight dinners, or serving on game days. Serve with some Five Cheese Mac and Cheese and your favorite Baked Beans for the perfect plate.
Why You Should Make This BBQ Pork
This easy Slow Cooker recipe delivers big flavor with minimal effort. The slow cooker does all the hard work, turning an inexpensive cut of pork into mouthwatering, shredded, juicy pork to make some overflowing sandwiches with. It’s easy to prep ahead, makes enough to feed a crowd, and is freezer-friendly, too, like my slow cooker bbq chicken sandwich!
Let's Gather The Ingredients
- Pork butt roast: Pork shoulder also works
- Onion: white onion or yellow onion
- Barbecue sauce: Use a jar of your favorite or make use of some of that homemade bbq sauce. If you want a little kick to this recipe, use some spicy BBQ sauce.
- Dijon mustard: any kind of mustard will work, giving it that delicious tang and helping the spices adhere to the roast while it's cooking
- Hamburger buns: Rolls or tortillas will also work.
- Dry Rub: brown sugar, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and dried oregano
- Chipotle slaw ingredients: mayonnaise, diced chipotle chile, freshly squeezed lime juice, bag of Cole slaw, sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, salt, and black pepper.
How To Make These Pork Sandwiches
- Step 1: Pat the pork roast with paper towels..
- Step 2: Use a pastry brush to rub Dijon mustard all over the pork.
- Step 3: Add dry rub spices to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Step 4: Spoon the spice mixture and rub it into the Dijon-coated pork until well coated. Place spice-coated pork on a baking sheet, cover, and refrigerate.
- Step 5: Add sliced onions to the Slow Cooker.
- Step 6: Remove pork from the fridge and place it on top of the onions. Add water to the Crockpot.
- Step 7: Add lid to the Crockpot and cook pork roast.
- Step 8: Use a fork to shred pork in the juice. Broil meat if desired.
- Step 9: In a small bowl, whisk mayo, chipotle chiles, and lime juice together.
- Step 10: In a separate bowl, add shredded cabbage, green onions, and cilantro. Mix to combine.
- Step 11: Pour the mayo mixture over the cabbage.
- Step 12: Toss the cabbage in the wet mixture using a fork.
Recipe Tips
- While broiling isn't a requirement for this easy dinner idea, it gives the pork crispy edges like traditional barbecue bark, which adds texture and smoky flavor. If you’re in a rush, serve the pork straight from the slow cooker. It’ll still be delicious.
- You can use regular burger buns or swap them out for brioche buns or pretzel buns.
- When serving the pork on sandwiches, feel free to throw some extra bbq sauce on top.
- Tired of sandwiches? Make it a platter instead. Serve the pulled pork and slaw alongside cornbread, mac and cheese, or baked beans. Or serve meat as shredded pork tacos, pork quesadillas, pork nachos, etc.
Recipe Faq's
Yes, pork shoulder is the best substitute for pork butt if needed. If you need other options than a pork butt or pork shoulder roast, you want something with some fat in it. It doesn't matter if it's a bone-in pork shoulder or boneless, you can also try a picnic roast, a shoulder butt roast, or a Boston Butt. Just avoid lean cuts like pork loin, which can dry out easily.
It has a mild kick. Adjust the heat by adding more or less chipotle chile to suit your taste.
Yes, it freezes beautifully. Place leftover pulled pork in a ziplock freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat in the microwave or oven until warmed through. I use this recipe for my Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese or to pile on my Pulled Pork Baked Potato!
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Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwich with Chipotle Slaw
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 pound pork butt
- 1 medium white or yellow onion cut into slices
- 1 jar barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 8 hamburger buns
Dry Rub
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
Chipotle Slaw
- 3/4 cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon diced chipotle chile from 1 can of chipotles in adobo
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 bag of Cole slaw
- 5-6 green onions sliced
- 1/8 cup chopped cilantro
- Salt pepper
Instructions
- In a bowl mix all the dry rub spices and set aside
- Rinse pork and pat dry with paper towels.
- Rub the Dijon mustard all over the pork. Then rub the spice mixture over the pork until well coated. Place into a baking pan fat side up. Cover and let stand in the refrigerator overnight.
- Place the sliced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the pork roast on top and add a 1/2 cup water and cook on low 8-10 hours.
- Shred the pork using two forks in the juice. With tongs remove from slow cooker and place into a pan.
- Leave the extra juice in the slow cooker to moisten the pork later. Toss with a little barbecue sauce. Place under broiler for 3-5 minutes to get some crispy bark goodness.
For the Chipotle slaw
- In a large bowl add the shredded cabbage, green onions, and cilantro
- In a separate bowl whisk the mayo, chipotle chiles, and lime juice and pour over the cabbage. Toss to combine.
- Pile the pulled pork on buns with the coleslaw and enjoy!
I’m going to make this coleslaw to go with a pork shoulder that’s coming off my smoker
Just reading your recipe gives me so many idea’s.., thank you for sharing 😊 it is totally what I’m craving, especially a sandwich with everything 💕
I've never made it in an instant pot but I'm sure it will work fine.
Can you make this in an instapot?
Step 6