The Ultimate Crowd-Pleasing Sandwich For Cookouts
There’s something wildly satisfying about perfectly tender pulled pork piled high onto soft, buttery slider buns—especially when it’s juicy, smoky, and just a little sticky from a rich, tangy sauce. These pulled pork sliders are the kind of recipe you make once and immediately add to your permanent rotation. They’re deeply flavorful, irresistibly messy (in the best way), and ideal for everything from game day spreads to casual summer gatherings.
Even better? The pork cooks low and slow until it practically shreds itself, meaning minimal effort with maximum payoff.
Pair these with something bright and crunchy like a crunchy, classic coleslaw for contrast or go all in with a vinegar-based potato salad with cornichons.
The Best Cut of Pork To Use
Boneless pork shoulder (or pork butt) is ideal due to its fat content and connective tissue.
You can easily scale the recipe up or down based on how many people you’re feeding. A 4-5 lb roast will easily yield ~3 dozen sliders. 🙌🏻
If You Have A Smoker, Use It
The secret is truly the low-and-slow approach. Smoking the pork at 225°F for 8–12 hours gives the fat time to fully render, the bark time to set, and the interior time to become melt-in-your-mouth tender. The mop sauce — equal parts apple cider vinegar and beer — adds a subtle tang that cuts right through the richness of the pork. Don’t skip it!
Push Through The Stall!
Around 160–165°F internal temperature, the pork will hit a stall — meaning the temperature stops climbing for what feels like forever. This is completely normal. The moisture evaporating from the surface of the meat is what’s keeping it cool. Keep mopping, stay patient, and push through. The target is 190–205°F, and that’s where the magic happens.
No Smoker? No Problem.
Oven: Place the dry-rubbed pork in a covered Dutch oven with the mop sauce. Roast at 300°F for 4–5 hours, until the internal temp reaches 190–205°F. Uncover and crank to 425°F for the last 30 minutes to develop a crust.
Slow cooker: Add the dry-rubbed pork and mop sauce to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours. To compensate for the lack of smoke, add 1 tsp smoked paprika to the rub and a few drops of liquid smoke to the mop sauce.
Either way, rest the meat for 30 minutes before pulling, and save the cooking juices to mix back in!
Ideas For Serving
The only truly non-negotiable side is a good coleslaw — the crunch and acidity cut right through the richness of the pork, and it makes the slider. Beyond that, keep it classic: fresh watermelon, grilled corn, potato salad, baked beans, or cast iron skillet cornbread are all excellent here.
→ For a gluten-free version, use GF beer in the mop sauce and serve on gluten-free buns.
Prep In Advance, Then Freeze Any Leftovers
It’s make-ahead friendly. The pulled pork is just as good — honestly, better — the next day. Make it ahead, refrigerate, and reheat when you’re ready to serve.
It’s also freezer-friendly. Freeze leftovers in airtight containers or gallon zip-lock bags for up to 6 months.
A serious crowd-pleaser that is not only delicious, but fun for guests to assemble for themselves. Can’t wait to hear what you think!
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Juicy, Slow-Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders with Crispy Bits!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pork
- 4-5 lb boneless pork shoulder, also called Boston butt
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dry mustard
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- ½ tsp white pepper
For the Mop Sauce
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup beer, I recommend using something light
Serving Suggestions
- 3 packs slider buns
- Carolina gold BBQ sauce or other BBQ sauce
- Pickles
- Coleslaw
For Classic Coleslaw
- 14 oz bagged coleslaw mix
- ½ medium red onion. very thinly sliced
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Make the rub blend: Combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 Tbsp paprika, 2 tsp Kosher salt, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp dry mustard, ½ tsp cayenne pepper, and ½ tsp black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Apply dry rub. Pat the pork shoulder dry with a paper towel. Using gloved hands, apply and rub the blend all over the pork, being sure to work it into all crevices. Cover with plastic wrap, the refrigerate for 8-12 hours.
- Bring to room temperature. Allow the pork to come to sit out at room temperature for 1-2 hours before smoking.
- Preheat the smoker. Set the smoker to 225°F/107°C and preheat for 15 minutes.
- Make the mop sauce. Before you begin smoking the meat, combine 1 cup apple cider vinegar and 1 cup of a light colored beer in a bowl, then whisk to combine.
- Smoke the pork butt (other cooking methods below). Place the rubbed pork butt directly on the grates of the smoker. Insert a temperature probe into the roast, then set the probe to 190°F/88°C. This will take about 8-12 hours total (for ~4½ lb boneless pork shoulder—see note below about the 'stall'). Lightly baste the pork shoulder with the mop sauce every 30-45 minutes.
- To make in an oven: Place the dry-rubbed pork in a covered Dutch oven with the mop sauce. Roast at 300°F for 4–5 hours, until the internal temp reaches 190–205°F. Uncover and crank to 425°F for the last 30 minutes to develop a crust.
- To make in a slow cooker: Add the dry-rubbed pork and mop sauce to your slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8–10 hours or HIGH for 5–6 hours. To compensate for the lack of smoke, add 1 tsp smoked paprika to the rub and a few drops of liquid smoke to the mop sauce.
- Make the coleslaw. Place bagged coleslaw mix in a large bowl, then add ½ a thinly sliced red onion, ¾ cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, ½ tsp Kosher salt, and a couple pinches of black pepper. Use tongs to thoroughly toss. Refrigerate until needed, at least 1 hour.
- Rest the meat. Once the internal temperature of the pork has reached 190-205°F/88-96°C, remove from the smoker and transfer to a cutting board. Loosely tent the pork butt with aluminum foil, then allow the meat to rest for 30-60 minutes. (Trust us, it's way too hot to handle, and the juices need to redistribute).
- Pull the pork. About 30 minutes before you're set to eat, pull the meat. You can do this with 2 forks, 2 claws, or with gloved hands, but make sure to pull the meat in a large mixing bowl or over a large pan with rimmed sides to help catch the natural juices. Again, the meat is way too hot to handle with bare hands, so be careful. If you want, you can discard big chunks of fat, but most people just finely shred them and toss with remaining pulled pork.
- Serve immediately! The pulled pork can be served immediately or tossed with Carolina gold sauce. Serve on slider buns with our classic coleslaw recipe!
Notes
- Nutrition note: Nutrition facts include pulled pork, slider buns, and coleslaw; BBQ sauce is not included.
- Seasoning: Dry-rub the pork the night before. If skipping the rub, pat dry and season generously with kosher salt. Refrigerate 8–12 hours.
- Before cooking: Let the pork sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Cooking tip: If the meat stalls around 160°F / 70°C, be patient—the target internal temperature is 190–205°F / 88–96°C.
- Juices: When pulling, save and mix the natural pork juices back into the meat to keep it moist and flavorful.
Greetings, I’m looking forward to making your recipe this weekend. I did notice that you have this listed as GF and DF. You may need to specify that for it to, indeed be, GF, GF beer would need to be used in your mop sauce. Just a note from a celiac family. 🙂
Brianna, you are such a gem for pointing this out, THANK YOU! I’m sure this info would be hugely helpful to a ton of people. I went in and made note of that in the post and the intro paragraph. Thank you so much or taking the time, much appreciated! xo, Ari
Hello! I just found your recipe and I am really excited to try it. We don’t have a smoker so would I be able to make this in a crock pot instead?
Hi Sidney! I don’t use a slow cooker for this recipe, but I’m sure you can. If you want to use my rub, I’d look up a recipe with a method for cooking pork butt in a slow cooker and follow their cook times. Enjoy! xo, Ari