Oven-Roasted Pulled Pork Sandwiches
This recipe guides you through creating flavorful oven-roasted pulled pork sandwiches. It begins with a spiced pork roast, slow-cooked until tender, then shredded and tossed in a tangy homemade barbecue sauce. Served on hamburger buns with a spicy coleslaw and pickle spears, it's a hearty and satisfying dish perfect for feeding a crowd.
Equipment
- 1 Roasting pan
- 1 Saucepan for barbecue sauce
- 2 Forks for shredding pork
- 1 Small Mixing Bowl for spice rub
- 1 Large Mixing Bowl for shredded pork and slaw
Ingredients
Main
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon dry mustard
- 3 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 5 to 7 pound pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt
- 1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup yellow or brown mustard
- 1/2 cup ketchup
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 garlic cloves smashed
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 hamburger buns
- 1 recipe Spicy Slaw recipe follows
- Pickle spears
- 1 head green cabbage shredded
- 2 carrots grated
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1 red chile sliced
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup Creole mustard
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 lemon juiced
- Pinch sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon celery seed
- Several dashes hot sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Mix the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, and salt together in a small bowl. Rub the spice blend all over the pork and marinate for as long as you have time for, as little as 1 hour or up to overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Put the pork in a roasting pan and bake for about 6 hours. Basically, roast the pork until it's falling apart and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 170 degrees F.
- To make the barbecue sauce: combine the vinegar, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, garlic, salt, cayenne, and black pepper in a saucepan over medium heat. Simmer gently, stirring, for 10 minutes until the sugar dissolves.
- Remove the pork roast from the oven and transfer to a large platter. Allow the meat to rest for about 10 minutes. While still warm, take 2 forks and "pull" the meat to form shreds. Using 2 forks, shred the pork by steadying the meat with 1 fork and pulling it away with the other. Put the shredded pork in a bowl. Pour 1/2 of the sauce on the shredded pork and mix well to coat.
- To serve, spoon the pulled pork mixture onto the bottom 1/2 of the hamburger bun, and top with the spicy slaw. Serve with pickle spears and the remaining sauce on the side.
Notes
1. For maximum flavor, prioritize the overnight marination for the pork roast; this allows the spice blend to deeply penetrate the meat, yielding a more profound taste. A good rule of thumb is 8-12 hours.2. Achieve perfect tenderness by slow-roasting the pork until it reaches an internal temperature of 190-205°F, not just 170°F, as this higher range ensures the collagen breaks down sufficiently for "fall-apart" shreddable texture.3. Always rest the pork after roasting before shredding. This allows the juices to redistribute, ensuring a moist and flavorful end product. Shred while still warm for ease.4. Adjust the sweetness and tang of the barbecue sauce to your preference. A splash of apple cider vinegar can brighten it, or a touch more brown sugar can mellow the tartness.