My Ultimate Cheesy Pulled Pork Sliders (The Best Summer Party Food Ever!)

Pulled pork sliders are cheesy, pull-apart party sandwiches made by slow-cooking seasoned pork butt in orange and lime juice with aromatics for 7 to 8 hours, shredding it, tossing it in BBQ sauce, layering it onto sweet Hawaiian rolls with melted cheese, and finishing with a garlic-herb butter glaze baked until golden. A quick green apple coleslaw served on the side brings brightness and crunch to every bite.

I am going to tell you how to make an awesome dinner idea for your next party. My cheesy pulled pork sliders! They are absolutely delicious, incredibly easy, and guaranteed to be the star of your snack table.

Why You Will Love This Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe

You guys, these sliders are the definition of a crowd pleaser! What I love most is that you can do all the prepping for the pulled pork in the slow cooker in the morning, and by nighttime, the hard work is done. You get this incredibly tender and flavor-packed pork that we load up onto sweet Hawaiian rolls, smother in barbecue sauce, and blanket in ooey gooey cheese. Plus, I am sharing my quick fix green apple coleslaw that perfectly balances out the savory richness of the meat. It is sweet, it is savory, it is cheesy, and it screams summer!

If you love pull-apart slider recipes like this one, you are also going to want to check out our Easiest Pizza Sliders Ever, another Hawaiian roll pull-apart bake that is just as easy and just as addictive at a party.

What You Will Need

Special Equipment

• Slow cooker (crockpot)
• Large rimmed sheet tray (for shredding)
• Large mixing bowl
• Long serrated bread knife
• 9×13 inch baking dish
• Pastry brush (for the butter glaze)

For the Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

• 3 to 4 lbs pork butt (pork shoulder), trimmed of excess fat
• 1 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• half cup (120ml) orange juice
• quarter cup (60ml) lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 medium red onion, roughly chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 cup (240ml) of your favorite barbecue sauce
• 1 tbsp (15ml) Sriracha (optional, for heat)

For the Quick Fix Apple Coleslaw

• half cup (120g) mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp (30ml) rice vinegar
• 1 tbsp (12g) granulated sugar
• 1 pinch salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 to 2 tbsp water (to thin the dressing)
• 1 package (14 oz / 400g) store-bought shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
• half red onion, thinly sliced
• quarter cup (10g) fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 large green apple, cored and julienned (cut into matchsticks)

For the Sliders Assembly

• 1 package (12 count) Hawaiian sweet rolls, kept connected
• 8 to 12 slices cheese (Provolone, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar work best)
• 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, melted
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 tbsp (4g) fresh parsley, finely chopped

Let us Get Cooking

1. Let us Season This Bad Boy Up!

In my opinion, the best way to make delicious pulled pork is to cook it in a slow cooker. What your going to do first is just add some salt all over your pork. Now, this is actually pork butt You can get this at the grocery store easily. Season the pork butt generously on all sides with your salt, pepper, and ground cumin. Give it a nice rub. Make sure we season this bad boy up on all sides. I always think this is the fun part of cooking, just getting really nice and down and dirty. By the way, pulled pork is not only great for sliders! You can put it in pasta, you can make tacos with it, or you can make soup with it. It is very versatile.

Food safety note: Always wash hands thoroughly after handling raw pork. Pork should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C) before it is safe to eat. After 7 to 8 hours on LOW in a slow cooker, this temperature will be comfortably exceeded and the meat will be fall-apart tender.

2. Into the Slow Cooker We Go

This is my favorite part of the recipe. start dumping everything into slow cooker to build an amazing flavor base. Add the orange juice and lime juice right into the bottom of the pot. Next, we are adding chopped onions, some cilantro, and smashed garlic. I love garlic because it makes everything taste better! make sure to have a nice leveled bed of these aromatics because put the seasoned pork butt right on top. All the purple from the onions and the green from the cilantro look so good. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours, until the meat is incredibly tender and falling apart.

3. Time to Shred (And a Super Important Tip!)

Once the pork cooks nice and slow, it is time to start pulling it apart. Carefully remove the cooked pork. Here is a quick tip for. When you shred your pork, you want to make sure that you have a sheet tray. If you do not, juices are going to start running everywhere, and they will end up on your floor. We do not want that! Just start pulling the pork apart using two forks, tearing it into bite-sized pieces. It smells so incredibly good. The benefit of cooking this in a slow cooker is you will get meat that is really nice and tender.

4. Sauce the Pork

Discard the solid veggies from the slow cooker and remove most of the cooking liquid. Leave just a little bit in the pot so the meat does not dry out. I like to put my shredded pork back into the slow cooker just to keep it warm and ensure the pork holds onto all that great flavor. Stir in your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce. If you want a little bit of heat, you can add some Sriracha here too. Leave the slow cooker on the Warm setting just to heat the sauce through.

5. My Quick Fix Green Apple Coleslaw

Coleslaw is like peanut butter and jelly. You cannot have pulled pork sliders without some really nice coleslaw! Because put Sriracha into the pork, serving this crisp slaw will cool everything down on a hot summer day. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add a small splash of water (about 1 to 2 tablespoons) to thin the dressing out so it drips off the whisk easily and coats perfectly without getting clumpy. To save time, I use store-bought cabbage mix. Toss in your cabbage mix, thinly sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, and julienned green apple for a beautiful sweetness. Toss well starting from the bottom to coat everything. Throw it in the fridge until you are ready to serve!

6. Prep the Buns

Now on to the fun part! Assembling the sliders. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). I use sweet Hawaiian rolls because they are soft, sweet, and stay connected so you can pull them apart later! Keeping the rolls connected, use a long serrated knife to slice the entire slab in half horizontally. Place the bottom slab into a 9×13 baking dish.

7. It is Raining Cheese!

Spread a nice and generous layer of that saucy pulled pork over the bottom buns. Make sure to take it all the way to the edges. Layer your cheese slices evenly over the hot pork make sure to put cheese all the way to the edges because when you pull this apart, you want to see some serious ooey gooey cheese pulls. Place the top slab of buns over the cheese.

8. Glaze and Bake

It does not stop there, people! I brush the top with a garlic herbed butter. In a small bowl, mix the melted butter, minced garlic, and fresh parsley. Brush this generously over the tops of the buns. Throw the whole tray into the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes. You want to bake until the cheese is beautifully melted and the tops of the buns are golden and toasted.

Pro Tip: If the buns are browning too fast, loosely cover them with foil for the first 10 minutes.

9. Serve!

When you pull these out of the oven, slice along the roll lines and pull them apart! Serve warm alongside that cold green apple slaw.

Hosting a party? Pair these sliders on your table with our Best Buffalo Chicken Dip for a complete cheesy party spread that will have guests coming back for more all night long.

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Cheesy Pulled Pork Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls (BBQ Slow Cooker Recipe!)

Recipe by Sana ReiCourse: Appetizers, Main CourseCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

8

hours 

20

minutes

Calories

350

kcal

Total time

8

hours 

40

minutes

Ooey gooey, sweet, and savory pulled pork sliders made on Hawaiian rolls, topped with garlic herb butter, and served alongside a crisp green apple coleslaw. The ultimate summer party crowd-pleaser!

Ingredients

• Equipment Needed:

• Slow cooker

• Rimmed baking sheet

• 9×13 baking dish

• Serrated knife

• Pastry brush

• Ingredients:

• Pork and Sauce:

• 3 to 4 lbs (1360g to 1815g) pork butt

• 1 tbsp (18g) kosher salt

• 1 tsp (3g) black pepper

• 1 tbsp (7g) ground cumin

• 1/2 cup (120ml) orange juice

• 1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice

• 1 red onion, chopped

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, smashed

• 1 cup (240ml) barbecue sauce

• 1 tbsp (15ml) Sriracha, optional

• Apple Coleslaw:

• 1/2 cup (120g) mayonnaise

• 2 tbsp (30ml) rice vinegar

• 1 tbsp (12g) sugar

• Salt and pepper to taste

• 1 to 2 tbsp water

• 14 oz (400g) shredded cabbage mix

• 1/2 red onion, sliced

• 1/4 cup (10g) fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 green apple, julienned

• Sliders:

• 12-count package Hawaiian sweet rolls

• 8 to 12 slices Provolone or Pepper Jack cheese

• 4 tbsp (56g) unsalted butter, melted

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tbsp (4g) fresh parsley, chopped

Directions

• Season the pork butt all over with salt, pepper, and cumin.
• In a slow cooker, add the orange juice, lime juice, chopped onion, cilantro, and smashed garlic. Place the seasoned pork on top. Cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours or HIGH for 4 to 5 hours until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F and shreds easily.
• Transfer the cooked pork to a rimmed baking sheet and shred it with two forks.
• Drain most of the liquid from the slow cooker. Return the shredded pork to the pot and mix in the BBQ sauce and Sriracha until warmed through.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, rice vinegar, sugar, salt, pepper, and a splash of water. Toss in the cabbage, sliced onion, cilantro, and green apple. Refrigerate.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slice the slab of Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally. Place the bottom half in a baking dish.
• Spread the BBQ pulled pork evenly over the bottom buns. Top evenly with the cheese slices. Place the top buns on.
• Mix the melted butter, minced garlic, and parsley. Brush the mixture over the tops of the rolls.
• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and buns are toasted. Slice, pull apart, and serve with the slaw!

Notes

• The Sogginess Barrier Hack: Lay down half of your cheese slices directly on the bottom bun before adding the pork. The melted cheese creates a waterproof seal that keeps the buns from getting soggy.
• Make Ahead: You can assemble the sandwich layers up to 24 hours in advance and store them in the fridge. Wait to brush the garlic herb butter on top until right before baking.
• Serving Tip: Do not bake the coleslaw inside the sliders. The heat will wilt the cabbage and make your buns watery. Serve it on the side, or let guests stuff the cold slaw inside right before eating.
• Food Safety: Pork should reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). After 7 to 8 hours on LOW in a slow cooker, this will be comfortably exceeded and the meat will pull apart easily.