Description
Tender, fall-apart smoked pulled pork served on buttery Hawaiian rolls with BBQ sauce and cheese. This recipe offers deep smoky flavor in just 4 hours of smoking time, making it perfect for holiday gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 5 lbs pork shoulder (Boston Butt)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 cup apple juice
- 1.5 cups BBQ sauce (Kansas City style)
- 24 Hawaiian rolls
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- Pinch of garlic powder (for butter)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels. Mix brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Rub this mixture all over the pork.
- Preheat smoker to 225°F (107°C) using apple wood chips. Place pork fat-side up in the smoker basket.
- Smoke the pork for about 3 hours until internal temperature reaches 160°F (71°C).
- Remove pork and place on heavy-duty foil. Pour apple juice over the meat and wrap tightly. Return to smoker for 1.5 to 2 hours until internal temperature hits 203°F (95°C).
- Rest the pork in the foil for at least 30 minutes. Unwrap, discard excess liquid, and shred the meat using pulling forks.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place Hawaiian rolls in a 9×13 baking dish. Brush tops with melted butter mixed with a pinch of garlic powder.
- Pile shredded pork onto the bottom halves of the rolls. Drizzle half the BBQ sauce over the meat.
- Top with the other halves of the rolls. Pour remaining BBQ sauce over the tops and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and rolls are golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
The pork can be smoked the day before and reheated with sauce and cheese on the day of serving. Do not skip the resting step to ensure juicy meat. For a spicy variation, swap BBQ sauce for buffalo sauce. Leftover pulled pork freezes well for up to 3 months.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 sliders per servin
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 12
- Sodium: 900
- Fat: 24
- Saturated Fat: 8
- Carbohydrates: 35
- Fiber: 1
- Protein: 22
Keywords: smoked pulled pork, labor day recipes, bbq sliders, hawaiian roll sliders, smoker recipes, easy pulled pork, holiday dinner