These slow-cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw are a perfect weeknight meal for the entire family.

I know how to cook pork two different ways.

Way #1 – I can cook bacon in the oven for 20 minutes until it is perfectly crispy brown.

Way #2 – I can cook pork shoulder in my slow cooker for 6 hours until it is nice and tender and slathered in a homemade spiced bbq sauce.

After that, I am pretty much helpless in the pork department!

After taste-testing a ton of different versions of pulled pork, this recipe is my family’s all-time winner! Parker eats hers with no bun, and Ellie eats hers with the slaw on the side, but they both love this meal as much as I do.

It combines a version of a wet rub/BBQ sauce that is full of cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, honey, apple cider vinegar and a little Worcestershire sauce that is all whisked together and then poured over a big portion of pork shoulder that is resting on top of a couple of slices of onion in a slow-cooker. The onions are there just to help prevent the bottom of the pork from becoming overcooked and tough.

Because this step takes less then 10 minutes, you can prep it the night before or in the morning. I usually do it in the morning before school drop off.

Then you just let the slow cooker do its magic and cook the pork all day long.

And if your husband works from home like mine does, the smell of pulled pork cooking all day might make him go a little crazy. It smells so good!

Then, all that is left to do is make the apple slaw and shred the pork.

It’s time to get busy julienning a couple of apples, carrots, and cabbage. This recipe requires a lot of julienning and shredding, so I recommend you do this right before dinner is served so you can have a glass of wine while doing all of your kitchen work.

Toss all your julienned gorgeousness with a simple dressing made with Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, honey, and a ton of poppy seeds, and place it in the fridge to chill for as long as you can.

When the pork is done cooking, or when your significant other can’t take another minute of the amazing aroma coming from the kitchen, shred it into bite-size pieces using 2 forks. Mix the pulled pork with however much sauce you like from the slow cooker.

I like my pork sliders dripping with sauce, so I add all the pulled pork back into the slow cooker and mix until everything is happy and saucy.

Layer your favorite slider buns with a big serving of pulled pork and top with a heaping of apple slaw and dinner is served.

Get the recipe: Family-Favorite Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw

5 stars (21 ratings)
These slow-cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Apple Slaw are a perfect weeknight meal for the entire family.
Yield: 12 sliders
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 8 hours
Author: Michele Olivier
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
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Ingredients 

For Pulled Pork

  • 3 lb boneless pork shoulder
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper optional
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 cup honey
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 onion roughly sliced
  • 8 rolls or buns for serving

For Apple Slaw

  • 2 apples julienned
  • 2 cups cabbage shredded
  • 2 carrots julienned
  • 3 green onions chopped
  • 2 tbsp Greek yogurt
  • 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp honey
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 3 tbsp poppy seeds
  • 1/2 lemon juiced
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl, stir the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, honey, olive oil, tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce until well combined.
  • Place the onions at the bottom of a slow cooker, add the pork on top and pour the sauce over it, making sure to cover the entire piece of meat. Some of the sauce may drip to the bottom of the slow cooker.
  • Turn the slow cooker on and cook for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
  • In the meantime, make the apple slaw by stirring together in a small bowl the Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, poppy seeds, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper together.
  • In a large bowl toss the apples, cabbage, carrots and green onions together. Add the slaw dressing and toss until completed coated. Place in fridge and let chill until ready to serve. This slaw will keep for a couple of days and is perfect for leftovers.
  • When pork is cooked all the way through, take it out of the slow cooker and let cool slightly. Shred pork into small pieces using 2 forks. Discard onions.
  • Add some or all of the sauce back into the shredded pork. I like a saucy pork sandwich, so I just added all of the shredded pork back into the slow cooker, but feel free to adjust sauce to your family's preferences.
  • To serve, cut buns in half, spoon a huge serving of pork onto the bottom bun, top with a spoonful of the apple slaw and top with the remaining piece of bun.

Notes

Yield: Roughly 12 slider size or 8 regular sandwiches
Storage: store pork in air-tight container in fridge for a week, for slaw store in air-tight container for up to 3 days.

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