Pulled Pork Sliders with Blue Cheese Slaw

Pulled pork Sliders with Blue Cheese Slaw

Ok, I am not gonna lie to you, to get the absolute best pulled pork you need a smoker, using charcoal and wood. Other than the obvious smoke flavor the wood imparts during the long process, there is science behind the charcoal being best suited for low and slow bbq cooking (things like dry heat and moisture in gas cooking, etc). BUT, all is not lost folks! We can definitely get close enough, and create some very tasty pork-goodness with the tools we have on hand.

The pork:

  • 3 tablespoon paprika (the smoked version would be great but not mandatory)tailgatejoepulledporkrecipe6
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dry mustard
  • 3 tablespoon kosher/coarse salt
  • 1 5-7 lb hunk-o-pork boston butt or shoulder
  • bbq sauce
  • some nice soft rolls, like the fresh baked wholesale club dinner rolls, sweet Hawaiian dinner rolls, or Martins potato rolls

The slaw:
see our coleslaw recipe and just add a bunch of blue cheese

  • The slaw can be made while the pork is in the oven
  • Mix the dry ingredients together to create the spice rub
  • Pull out your pork, and pat it dry
  • Sprinkle the spice and rub your pork. Wearing rubber gloves will help the rub stick to your pork and not your hands!
  • If you have any rub left, feel free to leave it to the side to sprinkle later.
  • Put the pork in a roasting pan, covered, and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
  • Put the pork, uncovered, into an oven set to 225 degrees
  • Don’t even bother to check it for a few hours, it will take between 1-1.5 hours per lb to get to the desired internal temp, 200-205 degrees
  • Once you get a thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat and hit 200-205 degrees, pull it out of the oven and cover with foil and rest for 30 minutes.
  • Grab 2 decent sized forks, one in each hand, and start ripping into the pork, it should pull apart with little effort. This is where you can optionally sprinkle in some leftover rub seasoning.
  • pour in the desired amount of bbq sauce and toss together, keeping in mind we aren’t making soup here!!!
  • Construct the sandwiches with the pork and slaw and dig in!!

Suggestions and tips:

  • oven temp is extremely important, I have oven thermometers in each of my ovens, you would be surprised how off your oven may be.
  • Invest in a nice instant read thermometer, I use the thermapen and can’t recommend it high enough.
  • Open Pit with its sweet tangy flavor is our store bought bbq sauce of choice. If you prefer a mustard based sauce (Carolina style), check out Cattlemen’s Master’s Reserve Carolina Tangy Gold BBQ Sauce.
  • Sometimes I sprinkle in some extra brown sugar when pulling the pork apart.

photos:

About 120lbs of boneless pork butts, just rubbed. Prep for a TailgateJoe Jets tailgate party

About 120lbs of boneless pork butts, just rubbed. Prep for a TailgateJoe Jets tailgate party

2 Nice hunks of pork butt, after chiiling in the oven at 225 for around 12 hours. Look at the "bark" on these beauties!

2 Nice hunks of pork butt, after chilling in the oven at 225 for around 12 hours. Look at the "bark" on these beauties!

Pullin' my pork like a madman!

Pullin' my pork like a madman!

Finished sandwich topped with our blue cheese slaw

Finished sandwich topped with our blue cheese slaw

Plating some up for a Jets Tailgatejoe tailgate party

Plating some up for a Jets Tailgatejoe tailgate party

What can I say, my pork is a hit with the ladies!

What can I say, my pork is a hit with the ladies!

Meet the Author

TailgateJoe

Joe "TailgateJoe" Maino is one of the country's foremost authorities on tailgating and NFL fandom, BBQ, grilling, and all forms of live fire cooking. Starting out over 20 years ago as the tailgate organizer for his group of friends on gameday where he quickly developed a passion. Joe formed TailgateJoe in 2009 to share his love of the Jets, NFL fandom, and live fire cooking with others, and now hosts thousands of guests each season as well as providing catering and event hosting for select corporations and high end events. Joe is always available to talk BBQ and live fire cooking gadgets and techniques, the Jets, and NFL fandom as an expert in the field.

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