The pulled pork recipe will make enough for several batches of sliders or use the extras in tacos, on rice or pasta, or to top a salad. It is easy to make ahead of time and re-warm when you are ready to use in the sliders.If you're cooking with a smaller pork butt ( about 3.5 pounds) and don't like too much sauce, then make half the sauce. If you're making the full batch of sauce on a smaller pork butt, you'll have plenty of sauce left over for your sliders, tacos, pasta, noodles or rice. Cooking the pork longer will make the sauce caramelize and becomes dark, charred and sticky sweet brown sauce and the pork will be more tender and melt-in-your-mouth. We prefer to use a bone-in pork shoulder, but it works great with a de-boned pork too.
12slicesAmerican cheese, or other good melting cheese (or 2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese or other good melting cheese)
Instructions
Make the Pulled Pork
Pre-heat oven to 350°F.
Add oil evenly to outside of pork shoulder and season all sides with salt and pepper. Heat large cast iron pan or deep oven proof skillet on medium-high heat. Sear each side of the pork shoulder on the hot pan until the pork is brown. About 3 minutes per side. Remove the pork from the skillet and set aside.
In the same oven proof skillet, heat to medium heat. Add oil, onion and garlic. Cook onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add tomatoes, ginger, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, mustard, brown sugar and black pepper. Stir together until well combined. Add the seared pork back into the skillet.
Coat the seared pork with the sauce, ladling the tomato sauce mixture over to coat completely. Cover the pork with aluminum foil.
Bake the pork for about 4 hours, or until the pork is tender and easily shreds with a fork. Skim off any excess fat, then shred the pork in the sauce.
If making ahead of time (it tastes even better the next day!), cover and keep in fridge until ready to make sliders. Re-warm slightly before making sliders.
Make the Sliders
Preheat oven to 350°F (if you made the pork ahead of time). Coat a 9×13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Make Garlic Parsley Butter: Melt the butter with the garlic and minced parsley (can be done in the microwave or in a pan). Set aside.
Cut the slider buns in half lengthwise. Place the bottom halves of the slider buns in the baking dish. Layer half of the cheese on the bottom buns.
Top with the pulled pork, then layer with the remainder of the cheese. Place the top halves of the buns on top.
Brush the tops of the buns with the melted garlic parsley butter.
Bake until the cheese melts and everything is warmed through, 10-15 minutes. Serve warm.