Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders

Be sure to check out some of our other favorite pork recipes like these creamy apricot pork chops, my Uncle Richard’s amazing brown sugar & honey smoked ribs, and Cafe Rio sweet pork barbacoa.

Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders

I don’t know about you, but I use my slow cooker year round. It makes life so much easier when I can dump things into the crock pot earlier in the day, then have dinner ready on busy weeknights! And while I love making my go-to chicken or beef recipes like Mississippi pot roast sandwiches or salsa verde ranch chicken nachos, I like to shake things up with the flavor of fresh pork, especially when planning for tailgating or entertaining. Slow cooked pork butts/shoulder roasts just shred so beautifully and are so flavorful and tender! And while I typically think of pulled pork as being a Southern BBQ staple, there are so many more possibilities like the wonderful flavors featured in these Asian pulled pork sliders. Flavors like garlic and ginger, with brown sugar and fish sauce (if you haven’t tried it, it doesn’t taste fishy – it just adds fantastic depth of flavor that you are going to love!) to balance things out. There’s no need to marinate the pork roast either, since it cooks low and slow all day with all the other ingredients – which has the added bonus of filling your house with the most delicious aroma. Yes, it takes a number of hours to slow roast, but the actual amount of time you have to put in to making these Slow Cooker Asian Pulled Pork Sliders is maybe around 20 minutes. Less, if you skip the step where I like to sear my roast before putting it in the slow cooker, which I think is a helpful, but not critical step to achieving the best pulled pork ever.

How to make Asian Pulled Pork Sliders

There really is no secret to making delicious pulled pork. The longer you cook it, the more tender and fall-apart it will be. While this recipe totally works as a dump-and-run approach to the slow cooker where you could literally turn the thing on, put everything in, and walk away, I DO like to sear the roast first if I have an extra 10 minutes of time. First, just rub the pork roast all over with a little olive oil, then season it with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Then heat up a large, heavy duty skillet and set the roast in it, searing it over medium-high heat just long enough to brown it on all sides (about 2-3 minutes per side). The idea is that this locks in the juices and develops more flavor in the meat. Honestly, it’s not 100% necessary, and you are going to get delicious, tender and juicy Asian pulled pork meat for your sliders even if you skip this step. But if I have time, I always do it because I feel like it gives it that something extra. Otherwise, just place the seared (or unseared) pork shoulder butt roast down into the slow cooker, then mix up all the rest of the ingredients in a medium bowl and pour it over the top, cover the slow cooker with the lid, turn it on low (don’t forget this!), and walk away! 6-8 hours later you can take the lid off and shred the meat with a couple of forks and you are ready for dinner! Just don’t forget the Asian slaw to go with it! The contrasting crunch of the cabbage, carrots, and peppers in the slaw with the succulent, tender meat is perfection. And the Asian flavor profile is brought into even greater focus with the addition of peanut butter and sesame oil in the homemade slaw. You could even make the pulled pork for these sliders in advance. I just recommend shredding the meat while it is still hot though, since it is so much easier than trying to do it once the meat has completely cooled down in the fridge. The shredded pork meat freezes well, too, and any leftovers can be reheated and used for nachos, tacos, burritos, in soups, or just served with rice.