Applesauce Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Printable)

Slow-cooked pork with applesauce and apple cider, served on soft buns for a sweet-savory twist on a classic.

# What You Need:

→ Pork

01 - 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder or pork butt, trimmed
02 - 1½ teaspoons kosher salt
03 - 1 teaspoon black pepper
04 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
05 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Sauce

06 - 1½ cups unsweetened applesauce
07 - 1 cup apple cider
08 - ¼ cup brown sugar
09 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
10 - 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
11 - 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
12 - 3 cloves garlic, minced

→ To Serve

13 - 6 sandwich buns
14 - 1 cup coleslaw, optional
15 - Extra applesauce or barbecue sauce, optional

# How-To:

01 - Pat the pork shoulder dry and season all sides evenly with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and ground cinnamon.
02 - Place the thinly sliced onion and minced garlic in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker to create a flavor base.
03 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together unsweetened applesauce, apple cider, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
04 - Place the seasoned pork on top of the onions and garlic in the slow cooker. Pour the applesauce mixture evenly over the pork.
05 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 8 hours, or until the pork is very tender and shreds easily with a fork.
06 - Remove the pork from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces, discarding any large pieces of fat.
07 - Skim excess fat from the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and mix thoroughly with the sauce until evenly coated.
08 - Divide the warm pulled pork among toasted sandwich buns. Top with coleslaw and additional applesauce or barbecue sauce if desired.

# Expert Hacks:

01 -
  • The applesauce keeps the meat incredibly moist without making it overly sweet, just balanced and tender.
  • Your house will smell like a cozy autumn kitchen even in the middle of July.
  • It shreds so easily after eight hours that you barely need to touch it with a fork.
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day tucked into warmed tortillas or over rice.
02 -
  • Don't skip patting the pork dry before seasoning, wet meat won't hold the spices and you'll lose all that flavor.
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, check the pork around the 7-hour mark so it doesn't dry out.
  • Removing the fat from the cooking liquid before mixing the pork back in makes a huge difference in how the sauce feels in your mouth.
  • Let the pork rest on the cutting board for a few minutes before shredding, it's easier to handle and shreds more cleanly.
03 -
  • Sear the pork in a hot skillet for two minutes per side before adding it to the slow cooker if you want deeper color and flavor.
  • Use a fat separator if you have one, it makes skimming the cooking liquid so much faster and cleaner.
  • Toast your buns lightly before piling on the pork, it keeps them from getting soggy and adds a little texture.
  • If the sauce tastes too sweet at the end, stir in an extra tablespoon of apple cider vinegar to bring it back into balance.
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