Pulled Pork Sandwich

When you’ve whipped up a massive batch of delicious Pulled Pork there’s nothing better than piling it sky high into a sandwich and devouring it. This is our recipe to show how to make the most amazing Pulled Pork Sandwich using leftovers from our delicious Slow Cooked Carnitas recipe. If you’ve got a hankering for a Pulled Pork Sandwich then fear not, we’ll share with you below exactly how to make this amazing Pulled Pork from scratch. You’ll have a mountain of Pulled Pork to enjoy in Sandwich form!

For the best Pulled Pork Sandwich, you’ll need some delicious slow cooked Pork!

It goes without saying that the key ingredient in this dish is, of course, the Pulled Pork. For our recipe we’re using a very traditional Carnitas style Pulled Pork recipe. The Pork is slowly braised in the slow cooker in an Orange and Cola based liquid which gives it so much flavor

For this recipe you will need a Slow Cooker. That is not to say, it can still be made if you don’t have one, it’ll just be a lot easier with one. The beauty of a Slow Cooker is how simple it is to use, and the sheer indulgent dishes it can produce

Once you’ve added all your ingredients to the slow cooker it is simply a matter of setting the time, putting on the lid, and walking away. In 6 hours’ time you’ll have the most beautiful, tender, pull-apart Pork to enjoy

Preparing the Pork for cooking

We add flavor to the dish in two ways. The first is the braising liquid, which is a combination of Onions (which are slightly charred), Cola, Orange Juice, and Lemon Juice. The second is applying a delicious dry rub to the Pork before it goes into the slow cooker

For our dry rub we use a combination of classic Mexican spices including Cumin Powder, Coriander Powder, Smoked Paprika, Garlic and Onion Powder, and a little bit of Cayenne Pepper for some spice. Add a load of Salt to the rub then massage it all over the Pork. You’ll want to set the Pork aside for about 20 minutes before adding it to the slow cooker, allowing the spices to really get into the Pork

While the Pork is doing its thing, you can set the Slow Cooker to sauté mode and give those Onions a nice caramelizing. This technique brings out the natural sweetness in the Onion, allowing that beautiful flavor to infuse into the Pork

Cooking the Pork

After about 20 minutes the Onions will be done, and the Pork is ready to be added. So, pour all your liquid ingredients into the Slow Cooker and then add the Pork. Ideally, the Pork should be completely submerged in the liquid. This will ensure an even cook and that all parts of the Pork will be pull-apart tender once it’s done

If you find that part of the Pork is not submerged, that’s ok. We recommend turning the Pork about 3 hours into the cook, allowing both sides to get a good soaking. Ideally, the whole Pork should be submerged throughout the whole cook, so you can always add a bit more liquid (just keep the ratio of liquid ingredients the same)

Coke or Pepsi, does it matter?

This isn’t the 1980’s and we’re not doing the Pepsi Challenge. For an authentic Pulled Pork using Cola it doesn’t matter what brand you use. The flavor is going to be the same. The purpose of the Cola is to extract that sweet sugariness and infuse it into the Pork

We used Pepsi for this dish, mainly because we had some leftover in the fridge after a Dominoes order. We’re not big soda drinkers anyway, so this was a great way to utilize the Pepsi which would otherwise likely go to waste. You’ll need about a cup of Soda, so a can will suffice if you’re shopping specifically for this recipe

Once the Pork is cooked, remove it from the liquid and set aside in a large bowl. Using two forks you can pull the Pork apart, following the natural stands it will create. To create a luscious sauce, taking the braising liquid and boil it in a saucepan over high heat to reduce and intensify its flavor

We have a full, detailed recipe for making this Pulled Pork here if you want to dive even deeper into the wonders of this amazing dish

How to make Pulled Pork without a slow cooker

The good news is you can make this recipe without a slow cooker. It will take a little bit more work, but not much. You can replicate the recipe (ingredient quantities and cook time) by simply using a large pot over the stovetop

Just set the heat to a low temperature and ensure you have a lid to completely cover the pot. The slow cooking process will be the exact same, producing amazing Pulled Pork after 6 hours. You will, however, need to check out the Pork every hour or so. Just give the Pork a quick stir and rotate it around the pot a little bit. This will help ensure an even cook, and prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan

Once the Pork is cooked it’s time to make the Pulled Pork Sandwich!

In my opinion the best Pulled Por Sandwich has very few ingredients. The Pork is the hero of the dish, and naturally should be piled as high as possible in between the buns. I like to add a bit of crunch, so you can do so either with a freshly made slaw (try this Apple Slaw recipe here), or a nice crunchy piece of Lettuce

We went for the Lettuce in this dish as it was available in the fridge and always goes down well in a sandwich. Soak the Pulled Pork in the braising liquid right before you add it to the sandwich. This way you’ll get that lovely, saucy flavor. We all know that it’s not a Pulled Pork Sandwich unless it drips all over the plate!

Finally, you can add a couple of sliced Pickles to complete the meal. The pickles are a great addition as they add that nice tartness to the Sandwich. It helps to cut through the richness of the Sandwich, and they taste great

If you like you can add some BBQ sauce to the dish. That’s how they enjoy their Pulled Pork Sandwiches down in the South, and I must admit it tastes great. If adding BBQ sauce, I’d recommend holding back on adding that braising sauce, as it’ll just be overloaded with sweetness

What’s the best bun for this Pulled Pork Sandwich?

There are loads of great options to choose from when picking buns for a Pulled Pork Sandwich. For the photos in this recipe we opted for a classic Brioche Burger Bun, and it came out great. I love the Sesame Seed buns because they just look like that classic Hamburger. Brioche contains the Pulled Pork well, and has a lovely, sweet flavor

Other great choices for buns are Milk Buns or Potato Buns. There’s no going past a classic Martin’s Potato Roll, so get your hands on a loaf of them and you’ll be very happy. They make for great Sliders too, so they are definitely a great choice

Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 lb. Pork Shoulder or Pork Butt
• 1 Yellow Onion, quartered
• ½ cup of Lemon Juice
• 1 cup of Fresh Orange Juice
• ½ cup of Lime Juice
• 1 cup of Cola
• 4 – 8 Brioche Burger Buns
• 20 slices of Pickles
  
  

Pork Dry Rub Ingredients

• 1 tsp. Cumin Powder
• 1 tsp. Coriander Powder
• 1 tsp. Smoked Paprika
• ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• 2 tsp. Salt
  
  

Equipment needed: Slow Cooker

Instructions

1. Mix the Dry Rub Ingredients together in a bowl and then rub generously all over the Pork. Set Pork aside for 20 minutes
2. Set your Slow Cooker to sauté and add the Onion pieces and caramelize on all sides. After 20 minutes, add the remaining ingredients into the pot along with the Pork
3. Cover and Slow Cook on low for 6 hours until the Pork is pull-apart tender
4. Remove the Pork and place in a large bowl and Tear apart using two forks
5. Pour the braising liquid into a saucepan and set over high heat for 30 seconds to reduce and intensify the flavor. Dip the Pulled Pork into the sauce before adding to your Sandwich
6. To serve, layer the Burger Buns with Lettuce, a generous amount of Pulled Pork and top with Pickles
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You can make this recipe without a slow cooker by using a large pot over low heat on the stovetop. Stir every hour
• Ensure that the Pork is fully submerged in the liquid while cooking. Otherwise, turn at the 3 hour mark to submerge the exposed part
  
  

The flavors in this amazing Pulled Pork Sandwich are truly phenomenal, and we’re just sure you will love this dish as much as we do. The yield for this recipe is massive, and honestly you could probably get at least 15 decent sized Pulled Pork Sandwiches out of it. So, plenty to go around!

Here are a few more recipes that you should check out if you are a fan of all things Sandwiches and Burgers:

• French Onion Burger
• Wendy’s Baconator Cheeseburger
• Authentic Juicy Lucy Burger
• Grilled Chipotle Chicken Sandwich
  
  

Happy Cooking!