Easy Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe

This bbq pulled pork sliders recipe is the perfect easy southern appetizer! They're made with tender dr pepper pulled pork, tangy slaw, southern sweet bbq sauce, pickled red onions, and hawaiian sweet rolls.

Why You'll love this pulled pork slider recipe

Anytime I have leftover pulled pork from my Dr Pepper pork butt slow cooker recipe, I ALWAYS make these incredible bbq pork sliders.

These little sandwiches are a great option for family dinners, backyard cookouts, or even a lazy weekend lunch. They're also a great appetizer for when you throw a game day party or need to make a big batch of bbq pork sliders for a birthday party. 

So what makes these the best pulled pork sliders recipe? 

Well it's all about the combination of flavors and using your favorite toppings. 

The sweet pulled pork, paired with my tangy homemade coleslaw, southern homemade bbq sauce recipe, and a generous helping of my pink pickled onions make these the pork sandwiches one of the most delicious recipes in my lineup. 

You'll love this easy recipe so much! Let's make 'em!

Ingredients & Substitutions

• Soft Hawaiian Rolls: These are my favorite type of slider rolls but you could absolutely use their savory butter flavor if you aren't a fan of sweet hawaiian rolls. You could also use mini brioche buns, yeast rolls, mini potato buns or your favorite slider buns that you typically gravitate towards. 
• Salty Butter: To really make these buns taste like the garlic bread from your typical BBQ restaurant, we're going to brush them with salted butter and sprinkle with garlic salt. When broiled, the melted butter will help crisp up the bread to help keep everything nice and sturdy.
• Garlic Salt: If you don't have garlic salt, no worries. You could use garlic powder or swap the whole thing for premade garlic butter.
• Leftover Pulled Pork: My favorite pork recipe to use to make these little pulled pork sandwiches is definitely my crock pot dr pepper pulled pork (You could also use root beer!). I use a boneless pork shoulder and slow cook it with seasonings and soda to get the most tender pork imaginable. 
• Southern Homemade BBQ Sauce: To make my shredded pork even more delicious, I always make a batch of my sweet brown sugar barbecue sauce because it is my absolute favorite. Feel free to use your own bbq sauce or grab your favorite bbq sauce from your local grocery stores. 
• Tangy Coleslaw: My go-to tangy slaw recipe for pulled pork uses apple cider vinegar as the base and it's so crunchy and good! If you prefer a creamy coleslaw mix, you do you! You can make my recipe as written, but add a spoonful of mayo. 
• Pickled Red Onion: I love adding pickles to bbq. It helps cut through the fat and the richness. My pink pickled red onions also add a beautiful pop of color! You could leave them out if you aren't a fan of onions or swap for a few dill pickles or even candied jalapenos. 
• Additional Toppings: Another great way to serve bbq pork sliders is to give them a tropical spin. Add a teriyaki & soy sauce based bbq sauce to a small bowl and toss the meat. Then crisp it up and top with grilled pineapple rings and Candied Jalapenos to turn them into tropical hawaiian pulled pork sliders. Or for an even heartier sandwich, you can add crumbled bacon, cheddar cheese (or whatever slice of cheese you prefer). Then top them with melted butter and poppy seeds or sesame seeds. 

How to make it

Prep Ingredients: The first thing you'll want to do is prep the ingredients.  If you don't have any leftover coleslaw, pickled onions or homemade bbq sauce, you'll want to start there. To me, this is mainly a leftover-based recipe but obviously that's not always the case! If you're making it all from scratch, start by making the coleslaw. As it's sitting, start the pickled red onions and the homemade southern bbq sauce recipe. You could also use your favorite store bought versions of these items to save time.

Heat the Meat: The next step is warming up the the pork recipe. Since we're using leftover pulled pork, there's two ways to reheat it. You can either heat it up in a pan with barbecue sauce over medium heat. Or throw it in the oven with your favorite bbq sauce then crisp it up using your broiler. 

Toast the Bread: Since we want these to taste like they came from a bbq restaurant, it's important to make the hawaiian buns have a garlic bread crust. To do this, split your hawaiian roll sliders in half and butter the interior of the bread. Hit it with garlic salt and pop it under the broiler for a minute or two until they're golden brown. 

Assemble the Slider Rolls: Lay the toasted bottom buns on your cutting board or serving platter. Then top with the hot shredded pork. Next, add a drizzle of barbecue sauce on top of the pork followed by the coleslaw and pickled red onions.  Sprinkle everything with flaky salt. Before you close up the sandwich, add a smear of bbq sauce to the top bun. I recommend using a toothpick to keep everything in place if you're serving them as appetizers. 

Serve or Save: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.

What goes with them?

If you're serving these this good pulled pork sandwich for a lazy lunch, pop some french fries in the air fryer and heat up some baked beans and call it a day!

If you wanted to make a full Southern spread, try some of these tasty side dishes with your little sandwiches:

• Smoked Mac and Cheese
• Southern Candied Yams with Crunchy Ritz Cracker Topping
• Southern Crockpot Collard Greens
• Southern Black Eyed Pea Dip
• Southern Cornbread Salad Recipe with Herby Buttermilk Lime Dressing
• Viral Tiktok Cornbread

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