The meat is packed with flavor and served with coleslaw, caramelized onions, pickles, and the rich sauce from the cooking juices. Make the pulled pork in a slow cooker or braise it in the oven; both work well. Adjust the seasonings to taste and serve on brioche or classic burger buns.
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A flavor powerhouse!
This sandwich is simple: pile the juicy pulled pork, some coleslaw and pickles on a lightly toasted, buttered burger bun. Eat it right away, or give the bread time to sop up the salty juices.
The best part? It creates its own sauce as the meat cooks. So you don't need extra condiments.
If making pulled pork sounds like a lot, let me tell you it's extremely easy to make, as the oven or the slow cooker does all the work. Your job is to sear the meat first and chop some extra vegetables.
It doesn't get much better than this if you're a meat sandwich type of person. Well, for me, the steak sandwich with chimichurri is at the same level.
Testing Notes
Pork meat: I always use pork shoulder as it's the one that's readily available and I know how to work with. Pork butt is another popular choice but I don't think I ever used it. Look for cuts with some fat; lean meat is not recommended as it lacks flavor and will dry too soon before it's tender enough to pull apart.
Sear the pork chunks first: this is the way to get crisp strings of pork. If you skip this step, the meat will be sort of boiled and lack those browned pieces. If using the whole piece of pork, sear it always in a large skillet. To sear properly, don't touch the meat too much; let it brown well before turning over or stirring.
Pork juices are key for flavor! Don't ever discard them. Remove the pork, shred it and mix it with some of the remaining juices and sauce. Add them to the sandwich and let them moisten the bread! It's another step that makes this sandwich memorable.
What type of bread works? I like classic burger buns or brioche buns. They sop up the juices, and can hold the filling without falling apart quickly. But they're soft enough to bite into it, which is key, of course.
Balance the flavors of each component: it's important that the pork, the coleslaw, the pickles and a condiment you might use have flavors that complement each other and not clash. For example, if I use the Mexican-style coleslaw, I use carnitas for the pork part, as their flavors (cumin, chili powder, lime juice, etc.) pair better.
The pulled pork
I give two options for cooking the meat. Both work very well.
Cutting the pork: it's the way to go if you're braising the meat. The pieces should be no smaller than 1 inch in order to cook slowly but remain juicy.
Whole piece of pork: it takes longer, but it's more difficult to get dry meat. I recommend it if using a slow cooker.
You can also use a pressure cooker (Instant Pot), but I'm not familiar with it, so I can't give you tips from experience.
- You can oven-braise the pork pieces until juicy. You mustn't let them dry out. Use an ovenproof pot or Dutch oven.
- Using the slow cooker is another great way to get tender, juicy pork, especially if you cook the whole piece of pork shoulder.
Sandwich extras
Coleslaw: It's a very good topping for this sandwich. I don't like it dressed with mayo as I feel it distracts from the pork flavor. I generally dress the cabbage and carrots with salt, oil and apple cider vinegar. But you can use another type of dressing that matches the flavors of the pork.
Pickles: use your favorite store-bought gherkins, dill pickles or other type you like. I use these homemade pickled cucumbers when I have them around.
Assemble the pork sandwich
Toast the buns
But first, make seasoned butter and spread it before toasting them. It adds a lot of flavor!
This is an optional step. You can choose to use a condiment or just rely on the pork juices as a flavoring.
Pull the pork
Use two forks to tear the meat into opposite sides, creating strings of pork. The juices will be mixed with the shredded meat.
Start layering
Beneath the pork and pickles, spread some braised onions from the pot with the gorgeous sauce that is created as the meat cooks.
Coleslaw
Cover with the cabbage mixture, but don't overdo it; you'll have to bite into the sandwich, so proportions are essential.
You can sprinkle some poppy seeds for crunch over the slaw. I don't, but some people at my house do (weirdos).
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Pulled Pork Burger or Sandwich
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder, or pork butt
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon mustard
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup beer
- 3 onions, sliced
Herb garlic butter:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
- ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley or dill, loosely packed, optional
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Cabbage mix:
- 1 ½ cups coleslaw mix, dressed with oil and apple cider vinegar
- large pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, or to taste
To assemble the sandwich:
- 4 brioche or hamburger buns, store-bought or homemade burger buns
- pickled cucumbers or pickles
Instructions
Prepare the pulled pork:
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Heat a large skillet with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil.
- If the meat is not sliced, cut it into large pieces. Sear 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder in the hot skillet for about 8-10 minutes or until golden brown, turning a few times but letting it brown nicely. The inside will be raw.
- Meanwhile, place the onion on the bottom of an ovenproof pot if braising the meat. If using the slow cooker, add 3 onions, sliced thin, to the skillet and cook to soften while searing the pork. Or remove the pork and cook the onions for a few minutes over medium heat. Then transfer to the slow cooker pot.
- Remove the pork pieces from the skillet and place them in the designated pot. Add 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, ½ tablespoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper2 teaspoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 tablespoon mustard and 1 cup BBQ sauce, spreading the sauce well over the meat.
- Pour ¼ cup apple cider vinegar and ½ cup beer, cover with aluminum foil or the lid. Roast until the meat is tender and starting to fall apart, about 2 hours. If the pork is cut into chunks, check them at 1 and 1 ½ hours to make sure they're not drying out.
- Remove the aluminum foil for 10 minutes and roast the meat until golden.
- Remove the pork and shred it with two forks. Mix the pulled pork with the cooking juices.
Make the garlic butter:
- While the meat is cooking, mix 2 tablespoons salted butter in a small bowl with ¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley or dill and 2 garlic cloves, minced. Set aside.
Prepare the slaw:
- Toss 1 ½ cups coleslaw mix with some extra fresh parsley if you want to, a large pinch of salt, 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until the meat is cooked.
- Cut pickled cucumbers or pickles into slices. Set aside.
Toast the buns:
- Brush each half of 4 brioche or hamburger buns with some of the garlic butter.
- Lightly toast in the oven for a few minutes or until golden. Be careful they don't burn.
Assemble the sandwich:
- Put the open buns on a flat surface.
- Place some of the cooked onion and a tablespoon of the sauce from the meat.
- Add a generous mound of pulled pork on top, distributing so it's not all in the middle. Spoon some additional sauce. Add the pickles and coleslaw.
- Close with the top part of the bun and serve warm.
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