The food: Pulled pork is a hit-or-miss meat. When it’s good, it’s moist, flavorful, and nearly impossible to stop eating. When it’s bad, however, it’s dry, tasteless, and not worth the calories. The good news is I have an easy recipe for getting it right every time, so you can dish it up with confidence at your Super Bowl® or Oscars® party. Best of all, it’s a slow-cooker recipe, so you can spend your time on other party prep while the meat cooks. In a few hours, serve up this juicy and spicy pork with creamy coleslaw for some tasty game-time sandwiches.
The music: BBQ and blues are a perfect pair (this isn’t a barbecue recipe, but pulled pork is often slow-cooked on a smoker). For this recipe, I’m serving up Willie Dixon’s “I Am The Blues” LP from 1970. The Chicago bluesman’s songs have been covered by Rush, The Rolling Stones, The Grateful Dead, and dozens more. He may be best known for his court battle with Led Zeppelin, who eventually paid a settlement for stealing lyrics for “Whole Lotta Love” from “You Need Love,” which Dixon wrote for Muddy Waters (listen to the similarities for yourself). While that famous ditty isn’t on “I Am The Blues,” you’ll likely recognize a few of the nine songs that are, including “Back Door Man” (made popular by The Doors) and “I Ain’t Superstitious” (from the Jeff Beck Group’s debut album in 1968). Notice all those rock legends I just mentioned? If you love music, you must have Willie Dixon in your library.
Back to the pulled pork. Whether you serve it on its own or as a sandwich, it isn’t complete without a heaping helping of chilled coleslaw on top. This recipe is a fine balance of sweet and peppery, creamy and crunchy.
Have leftovers? Use them up with my yummy recipe for Pulled Pork Nachos.
Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Creamy Coleslaw
Ingredients
- For the pork:
- 4 lb. pork butt/shoulder
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 small white onion, cut into large slices
- 3 tbsp. garlic
- 12-oz. bottle of good-quality beer (I used Schlafly Pale Ale)
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- For the cole slaw:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 small head cabbage, shredded
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Clean fat off pork; pat dry.
- Combine brown sugar, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, cumin, and black pepper. Rub all over meat.
- Line bottom of slow cooker with onions and garlic. Place spiced meat on top. Pour beer around the sides. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- While meat cooks, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, sugar, pepper, salt, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add cabbage and onion, combine to coat. Cover and refrigerate until meat is ready.
- When meat is cooked and tender, remove it from slow cooker. Place it on a cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat.
- Pour juices from slow cooker into a bowl, strain out onions.
- Return meat to cooker and top with about half of the juices. Serve immediately, on browned brioche buns topped with cole slaw. Save the extra juice to add to leftovers.
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Ingredients
- For the pork:
- 4 lb. pork butt/shoulder
- 1 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 tbsp. paprika
- 1/2 tbsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. cumin
- 1 tsp. black pepper
- 1 small white onion, cut into large slices
- 3 tbsp. garlic
- 12-oz. bottle of good-quality beer (I used Schlafly Pale Ale)
- For the cole slaw:
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tbsp. dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1/2 tbsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 tbsp. cider vinegar
- 1 small head cabbage, shredded
- 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Clean fat off pork; pat dry.
- Combine brown sugar, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, cumin, and black pepper. Rub all over meat.
- Line bottom of slow cooker with onions and garlic. Place spiced meat on top. Pour beer around the sides. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- While meat cooks, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, sugar, pepper, salt, and vinegar in a large bowl. Add cabbage and onion, combine to coat. Cover and refrigerate until meat is ready.
- When meat is cooked and tender, remove it from slow cooker. Place it on a cutting board and use two forks to shred the meat.
- Pour juices from slow cooker into a bowl, strain out onions.
- Return meat to cooker and top with about half of the juices. Serve immediately, on browned brioche buns topped with cole slaw. Save the extra juice to add to leftovers.
I love myself a pulled pork! This sandwich looks delectable and definitely worth the calories.
Thanks for reading and commenting. It’s juicy and spicy, just like I like it! I hope you’ll be back and hopefully we can connect on social sites. Becky
Yum, this looks so good! I love making pork on the slow cooker. Love your idea to use beer in the pulled pork, I need to give it a try!
I think it adds some flavor and helps with moistness. I’m glad you got an idea here. Come back soon! Becky
Every now and then I get a craving for BBQ (like right now as I read this post) and have no where I can think of to get it here in Pittsburgh. However, this recipe sounds super easy and doable so I am definitely going to give this a go sometime.
Mmm, I love me some pulled pork. And I love any excuse to use my slow cooker. This looks amazing!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m not sure what I’d do without my slow cooker 🙂
I wish I knew Pittsburgh so I could recommend good BBQ. If ever you are in STL, I can sure tell you some great spots! This recipe is definitely very easy — give it a shot! Thanks for stopping by.
Love Pulled Pork but I’m from Kansas City so we always have the sauce-based kind. This looks good!
I debated making a sauce, too, but when I use sauce I don’t like coleslaw. And I love coleslaw. Life is full of tough choices haha! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you try and like it! Becky
Love pulled pork. Thanks for joining The Gathering Spot this week! Have a great evening. 🙂
I’ll be back! Thanks for hosting and for stopping by my blog. Becky
This looks delicious! My family would love a dinner like this. Pinning!
Thank you for sharing! I appreciate you reading. I look forward to learning more from you!
That looks soooo yummy! I suppose if I try making this, I can substitute fruit juice or soft drinks for the beer ingredient, right? Hope it would taste good too. 🙂 Found your blog via Tip Me Tuesday. 🙂
I’d suggest Root Beer or Cola, which would add bit more sweetness — and that’s never a bad thing! Thanks for reading! Becky
Food and music are a perfect harmony. I grew up near Memphis where blues and bbq (and elvis) are pretty much the culture. The recipe looks really good too. Pinning.
I visited Memphis again last summer and had the best ribs I’ve ever tasted at a scary little hole-in-the-wall BBQ joint. Amazing stuff! Thanks for visiting and for the nice words! Becky
What a sandwich! I love this record. I just started it on my Spotify while I write to you. I LOVE blues and discovering new artists..awesome album. Thank you for sharing.
It’s been ages since I’ve had a pulled pork sandwich. You have my mouth watering. I love it with the crunchy coleslaw. Yum-o!
xo
Glad you like the album. It’s a fun one!
You always bring the cutest things to our party! Thank you. Pinned and tweeted. We feel honored that you take the time to stop by our party. I hope to see you on tonight at 7 pm. We love to party with you! Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
Thank you for the kind words and I’ll definitely join the party. Thanks! Becky
Love pulled pork and thanks for the music recommendations! Such a great idea! Thanks for linking up with the Creative Spark Link Party!
Thanks for stopping by, Candace! Off to visit your blog! Becky
I love it! I’ve had one hit, and one miss when making pulled pork – I can’t wait to try this recipe next time! And I’m going to make sure I’m playing some good blues jams when I do!
Jenny, I hope you like it. BBQ is definitely a really personal thing (vinegar, sweet, spicy…), but hopefully you’l enjoy this. Thanks for stopping by and commenting! Becky
Thanks so much for linking up at Your Turn To Shine! Your pork carnitas are one of my features this week! Looks delicious!!!
Thanks, Nicole. I did pork nachos…maybe that’s it? Either way, thanks for stopping by and reading! Becky
I would die to have 1 or 2! I’m hungry, very hungry, I’m moving at the moment and we keep on eating crisps, baguette with cheese or ham. I would order you one if you were my neighbor:)