Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Coleslaw

I have been meaning to make pulled pork for ages. It's one of those recipes that I pin and bookmark every time I see it, but have never gotten around to trying. Well, I was watching Chef Michael's Kitchen the other day (love that show!), and lo and behold, he was making pulled pork sandwiches. The recipe was simple enough, and he was using a slow cooker, so I adapted his recipe and finally made us some yummy pulled pork.

It was so convenient making this in the slow cooker, and it made a ton so we had lots of leftovers. I'm so glad I finally gave this a try! The pork was nice and tender, and the marinade was tasty - tangy with a bit of sweetness. This made enough pulled pork for 4 sandwiches, with about 3 cups left over which we used in a pasta sauce (stay tuned!).

I made the pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw, which added great texture and freshness. Even though I'm usually not a fan of coleslaw, I actually really liked this version and had seconds of just the coleslaw. It's not too heavy tasting, but just has a hint of creaminess from the mayonnaise, and a lot of good crunch from the cabbage and carrots. Yum!

You'll want to make the coleslaw well in advance of when you want to eat the sandwiches, because it tastes much better after it's had some time to marinate a bit in its dressing. This made enough coleslaw to fill a bowl with an 8-cup capacity - plenty to add to the sandwiches and to enjoy on its own.

Ingredients for pulled pork:

• 1 pork shoulder, bone in, skin removed
• Salt and pepper
• 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil for frying
• 1 cup of red wine vinegar
• 1 cup of yellow mustard
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 can (156 mL or 5.5 fl oz) of tomato paste
• 1/3 cup of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon of cumin
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 1 tablespoon of chipotle hot sauce
• 2 buns, halved

Ingredients for coleslaw:

• 1/3 of a head of cabbage
• 1 large carrot
• 1/3 of a red onion
• 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

We bought a pork shoulder that weighed 1.68 kg (3.7 lbs), though unfortunately I don't know exactly how much it weighed after I removed the skin. Make sure to season the pork shoulder well.

Heat the vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, begin searing the pork shoulder until it is well browned. Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker.

In a large bowl, add the red wine vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, oregano, and hot sauce. Whisk the ingredients together until the sauce is smooth. Pour the sauce over the pork shoulder, making sure it is fully covered. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, remove the pork shoulder from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks, being careful to remove the bone and any bone fragments. Put the pork back into the slow cooker, mix it well with the sauce remaining in the slow cooker, and allow it to cook for another half hour or so.

To prepare the coleslaw, shred the cabbage and red onion in a food processor (or slice very thinly by hand). Grate the carrot in the food processor or by hand. Mix the vegetables together in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar and brown sugar together until smooth. Pour over the vegetables and mix well. Salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate for several hours to allow the flavours to develop fully. Mix well before serving.

To make the sandwiches, toast the bun halves lightly, then spoon on the coleslaw and pulled pork. Enjoy!

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I shared this on:

Savvy Southern Style | Buns in My Oven | Craftberry Bush

Shaken Together | Six Sisters' Stuff | Barns and Noodles

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