Make the best Pulled Pork Sandwich at home! This juicy shredded pork is so easy with just an oven and a slow cooker.
There’s no better BBQ than in the South, and I miss it every day. Pulled Pork Sandwiches are a Southern staple, and this recipe uses the oven for a totally accessible option!
Unless you’re from the South you wouldn’t understand just how important tailgating and game day are! No one wants to spend a lot of time in the kitchen once the game starts, that makes pulled pork sandwiches perfect! You can set the sandwich rolls, meat, and coleslaw out and let everyone build their own sandwich.
The best BBQ I ever had came from The Little Dooey in Starkville. If you wanted to cater something, that place was the first to come to mind.
Ingredients
This is a basic shopping list for the best pulled pork recipe. For the full list of measurements and instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below!
- Bone-in pork shoulder — you can use boneless in a pinch, but bone-in has so much more flavor
- Brown sugar
- Kosher salt
- Chili powder
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Ground black pepper
- Paprika
- Cayenne pepper
- Barbecue sauce — any sauce will do! Use your favorite or make your own.
- Hamburger buns
- Coleslaw
How to Make Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This recipe starts in the oven and is finished in a slow cooker. The Crockpot helps cook the BBQ flavor into the meat, and as a bonus, it keeps it warm, perfect for serving the SEC fans at my house!
- First, make sure there’s plenty of room in your oven for the pork shoulder!
- Then, mix all the spices together for your BBQ rub and cover the meat with it. You can do this in the baking dish for less mess.
- Now, cover the pork with foil and bake a few hours. Baste and keep baking until the bones are easily removed from the shoulder.
- Once it’s baked and cooled enough to handle, remove all the bones and any excess fat. Shred all the meat and toss it in your slow cooker with your favorite BBQ sauce. Let everything simmer on low for a couple hours. No Crockpot? No problem! Bake the meat in a covered baking dish for about an hour.
- To make the sandwiches, pile the pulled pork on the bottom bun and add more sauce, coleslaw, or any of your favorite BBQ sandwich toppings!
If the pork fits, you can do this entire pulled pork recipe in the Crockpot! Cook it on low for 9 to 10 hours or until the bones pull out easily. Shred and cover with sauce!
You can even make this overnight! Keep the oven at 225 degrees F and roast for up to 10 hours. Now, you’re ready for the big game in your sleep!
Do You Put Cheese on a Pulled Pork Sandwich?
When it comes to the perfect BBQ pork sandwich, anything goes. As long as you’ve got the perfectly tender and saucy meat, the toppings are up to you.
I love to keep my sandwich simple with a little coleslaw for a cold, crunchy topping. If you want to add some pulled pork toppings like cheese, pickles, more barbecue sauce, horseradish sauce, jalapeños, or even potato chips, go for it!
For the perfect tailgating spread, I like to let everyone make their own sandwiches with every topping I’ve got!
What Can I Add to Pulled Pork for Flavor?
The secret to the best pulled pork sandwich is in the rub.
Sauce can definitely make or break a BBQ sandwich, but the initial flavor comes from the sweet and spicy pork rub when you’re baking or smoking for hours.
You want every nook and cranny of your pork shoulder covered in salt, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, paprika, and cayenne pepper rub. You’d rather too much than not enough here!
What to Serve with Pulled Pork Sandwiches
Everyone’s after the meat at a perfect Southern barbecue, but I always want to know what side dishes I’m getting.
It’s not a cookout without baked beans! This recipe is made with brown sugar and bacon for the smokiest, sweetest baked beans ever.
I love coleslaw on my pulled pork sandwiches as much as on the side of a simple burger. The creamy, cold crunch is such a welcome addition to my barbecues.
Summer is made for corn! This Creamy Corn Salad is super easy and a great swap for anyone who doesn’t love coleslaw.
You always need something healthy to balance a barbecue, and this Tomato Cucumber Salad is a Southern barbecue staple! It’s got a sweet and tangy dressing that’s made in just a few minutes.
More Amazing Southern Recipes
- Chess Pie
- Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole
- Southern Chicken and Dumplings
- Split Pea Soup with Ham
- No Fail Fruit Cobbler
FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA AND SHARE THIS RECIPE
SIGN UP FOR NOTIFICATIONS AND NEVER MISS AN UPDATE
Pulled Pork Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 4 pound bone-in pork shoulder larger shoulders can be used
- 1 cup BBQ Sauce more can be used if you like your pulled pork super saucy
- 6 sandwich buns
- 1 1/2 cups coleslaw
Instructions
- Move the top oven rack to the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 300⁰F.
- Combine the sugar, salt, and spices in a bowl.
- Place the pork shoulder into a large baking dish. You want sides that are at least 2 inches high so the juice doesn’t run out when cooking.
- Coat the meat with the BBQ rub.
- Cover with aluminum foil and place into the preheated oven and bake for 3 hours.
- Baste the meat, leave uncovered and continue baking for another 4 to 5 hours or until the bones pull out easily and continue basting every 30 minutes or so.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle.
- Remove the bones and excess fat. Shred the remaining meat and place into a slow cooker along with the BBQ sauce and heat on low for 2 hours. Alternately, you can heat the meat and BBQ sauce in a covered dish for 1 hour at 300⁰F.
- Once the pork is finished it is time to build the sandwiches.
- Split open the buns, top the bottom half with about 4 ounces of BBQ pork then 1/4 cup of coleslaw.
- Serve immediately with plenty of napkins.
Notes
Pork shoulder can be cooked overnight, covered, for 8 to 10 hours at 225⁰F.
It can also be cooked in a slow cooker, if you have one large enough, for 9 to 10 hours on low.
Sugar, salt, and spices can be substituted with your favorite BBQ rub.
Leave a Reply