Applesauce Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Printable)

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

# What You'll 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

# Step-by-Step Guide:

01 - Pat the pork shoulder dry and season all sides with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and cinnamon.
02 - Place the sliced onion and minced garlic in the bottom of a slow cooker.
03 - In a medium bowl, whisk together applesauce, apple cider, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar until smooth.
04 - Place the pork on top of the onions in the slow cooker. Pour the applesauce mixture evenly over the pork.
05 - Cover and cook on low heat for 8 hours, or until the pork is very tender and easily shreds with a fork.
06 - Remove the pork from the slow cooker and shred with two forks, discarding any large pieces of fat.
07 - Skim excess fat from the cooking liquid, then return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and mix well with the sauce.
08 - Serve the pulled pork warm on sandwich buns. Top with coleslaw and extra applesauce or barbecue sauce, if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It practically cooks itself while you go about your day, filling the house with the coziest smell.
  • The applesauce makes the pork impossibly tender and adds a gentle sweetness that balances the savory spices.
  • Leftovers taste even better the next day, and they freeze beautifully for future easy dinners.
02 -
  • Do not use apple cider vinegar in place of apple cider, they are completely different and the vinegar will make the sauce too sharp.
  • Skimming the fat after cooking makes a huge difference, the sauce goes from greasy to silky in seconds.
  • If your pork isn't fork tender after 8 hours, give it another 30 minutes to an hour, every cut is a little different.
03 -
  • Use a 6 quart slow cooker so the pork has enough room to cook evenly without crowding.
  • Let the pork rest for 5 minutes after shredding before mixing it back into the sauce, it soaks up the liquid better that way.
  • If the sauce seems too thin at the end, simmer it uncovered on high for 15 minutes to thicken it up.
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