Need an easy win for supper or snacks with friends? My Pulled Pork Sliders are a New England game day favorite that I also love making for weekend meals. Hawaiian buns filled with slow cooker pulled pork, cheese, and onions, then baked until golden.
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Based on a church supper-style pan of sandwiches, This Pulled Pork Sliders recipe is one that can feed a crowd. The sandwiches are full of flavorful shredded pork, onions, and spicy melted cheese.
The pork sliders are baked under a blanket of savory, seasoned butter sauce—the Hawaiian rolls soak up the sauce and all that flavor while the fillings heat through and get melty.
Make these sliders for Super Bowl parties, game nights, or to treat your family for supper.
In a nutshell... 🐿️
- What this is: Inspired by the community spirit of New England town suppers and potlucks, this warming pan of sliders feeds lots of hungry folks! The little sandwiches are loaded with zesty pulled pork, melty cheese, and sautéed onions, all nestled in little sweet rolls.
- You'll love this part: Make the pulled pork sliders in a Crock Pot, or use leftover pulled pork from a barbecue. The spiced butter sauce makes every bite extra flavorful.
- How it's made: Slow cook pork loin and spices, then pull into shreds. Layer the meat with cheese, onions, and sweet rolls, and baste in a butter sauce before baking.
Jump to:
Notes from fellow cooks:
"So good! Served with potato salad and made for a fabulous dinner." — Rongo W.
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Why you'll love these Pulled Pork Sliders
This Pulled Pork Sliders recipe is one that’s easy on the home cook. Seasoned pork loin cooks up in a slow cooker in just a couple of hours, leaving you free to get other stuff done. The sandwiches can also be made with store-bought or leftover pulled pork.
There's also a seasoned butter sauce that's a key part of this shredded pork sandwich recipe. The sauce adds so much flavor to the sliders as they bake, while also keeping them moist and tender.
The recipe makes twelve, little pulled pork sliders, perfect to put out as an appetizer, serve at a Super Bowl party, or to make as a fun and casual dinner for your family!
Try this, too!
Shredded Pork and Cornbread Pie
Tender seasoned pork baked up under a crust of cornbread. A wonderful family supper!
🔪 How to make Pulled Pork Sliders
Ingredients:
- Pork loin: Pick up a pre-seasoned pork loin filet, flavored with Southwest seasonings or or other spicy rub.
- Onion: Sautéed sliced onions go into these easy pulled pork sliders—choose yellow, Spanish, or sweet Vidalia onions.
- Hawaiian sweet rolls: The rolls for pulled pork that I use are King's Hawaiian sweet rolls. You can also try brioche or other varieties of dinner rolls or slider buns.
- Pepper Jack cheese: To give the sliders a little kick, grated pepper Jack cheese is tucked inside the sliders.
- Butter: The sliders are so flavorful, thanks in part to a buttery basting sauce! Use salted or unsalted butter.
- Oil: A little vegetable is all you need to sear the outside of the pork before slow-cooking it.
- Seasonings: To add flavor to the butter sauce, add salt, pepper, and ancho chili powder.
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Cook the pork
Sear the pieces of pork loin, then place them in the Crock Pot to cook for about 1-½ hours. To make pulled pork from the pork loin, when it's cool enough to handle use two forks or your fingers to pull it into shreds.
Prepare the onions and the rolls
Sauté the onions, and preheat the oven. Lay out the bottoms of the Hawaiian buns in a baking pan.
Assemble the sliders
Layer over the bottoms of the buns the shredded pork, sautéed onions, and the cheese. Add the tops of the buns. Pour a seasoned butter mixture over the whole thing.
Bake the sliders
Cover the pan in foil and bake the pulled pork sliders on Hawaiian rolls in the oven, until they are hot throughout and the cheese has melted. Serve the sliders while they are warm.
Pulled Pork Sliders FAQs
There are all kinds of sides you can serve with these savory little sandwiches. For parties, set out a batch of French fries or tater tots with the sandwiches. For Super Bowl parties, set these sliders out with a Crock Pot full of chili or a platter of meatballs, so guests can take a little of everything.
Turn the sliders into a small meal with a bowls of soup on the side. Making homemade sliders with Hawaiian rolls for dinner? Serve them with mashed potatoes, buttered noodles, or steamed veggies.
Yes, you can prepare the slow cooker Pulled Pork Sliders the day before, then baste and bake them up right before you plan to serve them. Follow the steps to cook the pork and onions, and assemble the sliders in the pan—do not add the butter sauce yet. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate the sliders overnight. The next day, prepare the butter sauce, pour it over the top of the sliders, and bake them according to the recipe.
When choosing a cheese for the Pulled Pork Sliders, look for varieties that melt well and have a good flavor to pair with the seasoned pork. I like Pepper Jack, which melts smoothly and has a light spicy kick. Other cheeses to try are Monterey Jack, sharp cheddar, habanero cheddar, smoked gouda, and Swiss.
If your Pulled Pork Sliders are all baked up, but you're not quite ready to serve them, cover the pan with foil and set them inside a warm oven. The temperature should be very low so that the meat doesn't dry out; 200°F or less.
Hold the pork sliders with cheese in the oven for no more than 30 minutes—if it's going to be hours until you can serve them, it's best to hold the sliders in the fridge and then reheat them just before you want to serve them.
I really like these Pulled Pork Sliders on Hawaiian rolls, such as King's Hawaiian brand. They're very soft and have a light sweetness. Other buns you can try are brioche slider buns, dinner rolls, slider rolls with poppy or sesame seeds, or even mini bagels.
Tips:
- You can make Pulled Pork Sliders with pork shoulder in place of the pork loin—this cut will require about 8 hours of cooking time in the slow cooker, so plan for the extra time. See the option section in the recipe below for instructions.
- Another option is to use leftover pulled pork or store-bought pulled porkin these sliders. It's best of the meat has a savory, and/or spicy flavor to contrast with the sweet rolls and sautéed onions.
- I use sweet King’s Hawaiian rolls in this recipe. Other slider rolls work just as well if you prefer a less sweet bread.
Don't just take my word for it...
"Made these for football Sunday and they were a huge hit with all. Delicious!" — Brian
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You will love the sweet-savory flavor combination of seasoned pork, sautéed onions, and spicy Pepper Jack cheese on soft Hawaiian rolls.
The recipe for these Pulled Pork Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls is below! And here are a few more savory recipes for you:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Pulled Pork Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
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Ingredients
For the Pulled Pork:
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ pounds seasoned pork loin filet (If using an unseasoned filet rub it with a Southwest spice blend. See below for an option to use pork shoulder instead of the loin.)
For the Sliders:
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 large yellow onion, sliced into ½-inch thick rings (about 10 ounces)
- 12 King's Hawaiian sweet rolls (Or use regular slider rolls or small brioche slider rolls.)
- 8 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese
- ½ cup butter
- 2 teaspoons dried ancho chili pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Cook the pork:
- Have a slow cooker switched onto low and waiting.
- Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Slice the 1½ pounds seasoned pork loin filet into 4 or 5 large chunks. When the oil is hot add in the pork and sear it all over, using tongs to turn the pieces. Once seared remove the pork pieces to the slow cooker.
- Add ½ cup of water to the skillet to deglaze the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Pour this liquid into the slow cooker over the pork.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook the pork for about 1¼ to 1½ hours, until it reaches an internal temperature of 140° F.
- Remove the pork from the crock pot. Allow it to cool to room temperature.
Shred the pork:
- When it's cool enough to handle, shred the pork—you can use two forks like many recipes suggest, but I find it's easiest just to use your fingers.
- (Note: you can also use leftover pulled pork instead of cooking the pork loin. Use about 4 cups of shredded, cooked pork.)
Cook the onions:
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil over medium heat in a small nonstick pan. Add in the 1 large yellow onion, sliced into ½-inch thick rings and stir to coat the onions in oil.
- Cook them over medium heat, stirring the onions occasionally while cooking, for about 10 minutes. The onions will be softened and browned in places. Remove the pan from the heat.
Assemble the sliders:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Lay out the bottoms of the 12 King's Hawaiian sweet rolls in a 13x9-inch baking dish.
- Arrange the pulled pork in an even layer over the rolls. Top the pork with the sautéed onions, spreading them evenly over all the sliders.
- (Hold aside the pan used to cook the onions.)
- Sprinkle the 8 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese evenly over the sliders, and the put the tops of the rolls in place.
Make the butter sauce:
- Melt the ½ cup butter over medium heat in the pan you used to cook the onions. Whisk in the 2 teaspoons dried ancho chili pepper powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and ½ teaspoon salt.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter mixture over the sliders. Spread it evenly so that the butter coats the tops of every slider. Sometimes the spices will settle towards the bottom so try to scoop these up with every basting. Use the entire butter mixture.
Bake:
- Cover the pan in foil and place it in the oven. Bake the sliders for 20 to 30 minutes—remove them from the oven before the tops and spices on top get too browned. They should be hot all the way through and the cheese melted.
- Use a spatula to remove and serve the sliders while they're hot.
- Leftover sliders can be stored wrapped in the fridge. Warm up cold sliders covered with foil in a 350° F oven for about 20 minutes.
OPTION: PORK SHOULDER
- Pork shoulder can used in place of the pork loin—it will take 8 hours to cook in a slow cooker, so plan for this extra time.
- Use a boneless pork shoulder, approximately 4 pounds. Cut the shoulder into 2 or 3 pieces. Rub the pieces all over with a Southwest spice blend or other spicy blend of your choosing.
- Place the pieces in a slow cooker with about 1 cup of stock or water. Cook the shoulder on low for 8 hours until it's fall-apart tender.
- Shred the pork, removing any pieces of fat.
Notes
- You can make Pulled Pork Sliders with pork shoulder in place of the pork loin—this cut will require about 8 hours of cooking time in the slow cooker, so plan for the extra time. See the option section in the recipe below for instructions.
- Another option is to use leftover pulled pork or store-bought pulled porkin these sliders. It's best of the meat has a savory, and/or spicy flavor to contrast with the sweet rolls and sautéed onions.
- I use sweet King’s Hawaiian rolls in this recipe. Other slider rolls work just as well if you prefer a less sweet bread.
Nutrition
Lana says
What do you recommend seasoning the left over pork with?
Nancy Mock says
Hi Lana! If you’re using leftover pork for these sliders, I recommend using a spicy seasoning since the rolls and onion are on the sweet side. Some good choices are a Southwest seasoning blend, taco sauce, or a spicy barbecue sauce. You can get creative here, and how spicy the blend or sauce you use is, of course, up to you. I hope this helps!
Brian says
Made these for football Sunday and they were a huge hit with all!! Delicious!
Nancy Mock says
Brian, I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks for giving these sliders a try!
Rongo Waerea says
So good!!! Served with potato salad and made for a fabulous dinner
Thanks
Nancy Mock says
Rongo, thank you for this amazing feedback, this is one of my family’s favorites as well. Great call on pairing the sliders with potato salad!