4th of July Pulled Pork Sliders
If you want 4th of July appetizers that will knock it out of the park, check out these pulled pork sliders made in a slow cooker. They are so delicious and flavorful--a definite, patriotic crowd favorite!
Servings: 16 sliders
Calories: 268kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pulled Pork
- 3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast trimmed of fat--you can also use boneless pork loin or pork tenderloin
- 1 cup BBQ sauce
- ½ cup beer a pale ale beer or porter work well
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ cup brown sugar
- salt and pepper
For the Slider Sauce
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon sugar
To Serve
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 lemon squeezed
- iceberg lettuce
- 16 slider buns mini hamburger buns
Instructions
- Place the pork shoulder (or loin if using) in a slow cooker and season with some salt and pepper.
- Combine the BBQ sauce, beer, ketchup and brown sugar in a bowl and pour it over the pork in the slow cooker. Cover and cook for 4 to 6 hours on high, until tender.
- Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks on a cutting board. Return to slow cooker with all of the cooking juices and mix well.
- Meanwhile, mix all slider sauce ingredients together in a bowl. I like to funnel it into a squeeze bottle for serving. Reserve.
- Just before serving: marinate the onion slices with the lemon juice in a small bowl for 20 minutes.
- Drain the pulled pork from the cooking liquid (but save it to remoisten the leftovers). Serve the pulled pork on slider buns with the lettuce, slider sauce and onions.
Notes
- You can use boneless pork loin or pork tenderloin for a leaner option but pork shoulder and butt tends to have the best flavor.
- The pulled pork for these sliders reheats well, so the meat can be prepared a day or two in advance, but no longer than 3 to 4 days total.
- The slider sauce can be stored covered in the fridge for up to two weeks.
- Be sure to add some red, white and blue decorations to your finished sliders and/or on the appetizer table. If you can find some festive, red or blue plates and napkins, those would be great too!
- When you drain the liquid from the pulled pork, be sure to save it. You can add back as much or as little as you like to the shredded pork, but keep in mind that the more liquidy it is, the more soggy the buns will be. Toasting the buns helps too.
- If you're reheating the pulled pork later, you are going to want to use the reserved sauce to remoisten it.
Nutrition
Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 295mg | Potassium: 392mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 79IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
