Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Barbecue Pulled Pork Sliders

Dr. Pepper bbq pulled pork sliders on a white platter.

Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper Barbecue Pulled Pork Sliders

Looking for an easy and tasty way to feed your next party crowd? Consider these Slow Cooker Dr. Pepper BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders. Fuss free and popular doused with Dr. Pepper & Barbecue Sauce. A great shredded pulled pork slider recipe using pork roast.

Course Main Course Sandwiches

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 8

Total Time 9 15

Servings sliders

Calories 469kcal

Author Lea Ann Brown

Equipment

Large Slow Cooker
Large Heavy Skillet

Ingredients

8 pound Bone in pork shoulder Boston Butt roast
1 Tablespoon Neutral Oil Canola, peanut or avocado oil work well here
1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
1 Tablespoon Onion powder
1 Tablespoon Smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups Dr Pepper
3 cups BBQ Sauce Your favorite brand
24 slider buns
Sliced pickles for serving

Instructions

Place the pork roast on a cutting board and pat dry with paper towels. Add neutral oil to a large skillet. Once hot, brown the pork roast on two sides. This will take about 5 minutes per side.
Combine spices in a small bowl, mix well with a fork. Sprinkle the spice mix on top of the roast. You want to sprinkle the sauce on the meaty side, not the fat side.
Using your hands, rub spice mix into pork. Place the pork roast in the slow cooker. Mop up the seasoning mix that landed in the skillet using a silicone basting brush. Brush it over the pork roast, you don't want to lose any of that seasoning flavor.
Pour Dr. Pepper around pork. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, until pork is tender and pulls apart easily.
Remove pork to a large cutting board or an aluminum disposable pan. Discard the liquid in the slow cooker. Once pork is cool enough to handle use two forks to shred meat, discarding the bone and large chunks of fat.
Return shredded pork to slow cooker and add the barbecue sauce. Stir well and cook on high for one hour. Serve on slider buns with pickles.

Notes

Top Tip: Once the meat is cooked and the bone and fat discarded, an 8-pound bone-in Boston Shoulder Butt will yield about 4 pounds of shredded pork.

Tips For Success:

Pat the pork roast dry before searing. A dry piece of meat will sear quicker and with a crispier exterior.

Choose a soft squishy slider bun to serve these bbq pulled pork sliders. I like Pepperidge Farm and even Hawaiian rolls would work well here. I'm not a fan of Brioche buns for any burger type sandwich. Most of the time they simply fall apart when eating. I've also seen some really good looking slider buns that are very stiff. You'll be happier with a soft roll here.

Choose your favorite bbq sauce for this recipe. I would caution using a strong flavored sauce. Some simply come with too much "smokiness" or too much bourbon. Strong flavors will overwhelm this sandwich experience. Stick with the basics here. I've also made this recipe using my homemade bbq sauce.

Nutrition