These pulled pork sliders are loaded with shredded BBQ pulled pork and Monterey jack cheese, all stuffed into Hawaiian rolls liberally brushed with butter and topped with flaky salt, and then baked to crispy, bubbly perfection. They’re a party appetizer, tailgate party, or weeknight dinner dream come true!
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These pulled pork sliders are ridiculously easy to make and insanely delicious. They’re absolutely perfect to serve appetizer-style at your next party (think: 4th of July outdoor BBQ, game day parties, tailgates) or just to make as a family-friendly dinner on any ole night of the week.
The pulled pork gets cooked to perfection in a bath of BBQ sauce until shreddable, stacked on top of a slab of Hawaiian sweet rolls, drizzled with more BBQ sauce, topped with shredded Monterey jack cheese, and then baked until the buttery tops of the rolls are nice and crispy. DREAMY, right?
If you’re looking for more party-worthy appetizers, we’ve got you. This buffalo chicken dip is a total crowd-pleaser, this air fryer blooming onion is a healthier, at-home spin on the classic (and beloved) restaurant appetizer, and this jalapeno popper dip is creamy, spicy, and uber cheesy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s easy – the shredded BBQ pork in this recipe is cooked in the Instant Pot, making for the easiest, most hands-off cooking experience.
- It’s delicious – the flavors of these pulled pork sliders are about as classic as it gets: BBQ pork, cheese, and delicious Hawaiian rolls. There isn’t anything fancy about this recipe, and that’s precisely why it’s such a crowd-pleasing recipe.
- It’s easy to multiply for a crowd – need more sandwiches? This recipe is super simple to double, triple, or even quadruple for a crowd.
Pulled Pork Sliders Recipe Ingredients
The ingredients needed for this recipe are about as simple as it gets. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Boneless pork shoulder – we called for a boneless pork shoulder here (3-5 pounds), but if all you can find is bone-in, that’ll totally work too. If you do go the bone-in route, you’ll need 5-7 pounds.
- Hawaiian sweet rolls – we used gluten-free Hawaiian sweet rolls for this recipe, but feel free to use any brand that you love.
- Monterey jack cheese – shredded Monterey jack cheese melts so well, but if you have a different shredded cheese on hand, feel free to use it.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
- Make it gluten free – this is a really easy recipe to make gluten free! Simply buy gluten free Hawaiian sweet rolls (these Canyon Bakehouse rolls are what we used).
- Make your own BBQ sauce – you’ll need about 24 fluid ounces (3 cups) of BBQ sauce for this recipe. We used 3 bottles of Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce for this recipe, but you can absolutely make your own BBQ sauce if you want. This homemade BBQ sauce recipe is excellent and very easy to throw together.
How to Make Pulled Pork Sliders
This recipe is super easy to make! Follow along below for the full how-to.
Step 1: Cut the pork into 3-4 even pieces, then season it with salt and pepper and place in the Instant Pot. Pour the 16 ounces of BBQ sauce over top of the pork. Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. When the time is up, quick release the Instant Pot.
Step 2: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Use two forks to shred the pork, then toss it back in the juices that it cooked in.
Step 3: Slice your Hawaiian rolls in half so that there is a set of 6 connected tops and a set of 6 connected bottoms.
Step 4: Place the bottoms of the rolls face-up on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and use tongs to transfer the meat to the bread, allowing the juices to drip off of the pork before layering.
Step 5: Drizzle 8 ounces of BBQ sauce over the pork, then top each set of sandwiches with the shredded Monterey jack cheese.
Step 6: Place the tops of the rolls on the sandwiches and use a basting brush to brush the melted butter all over each set of sandwiches (about 1 tablespoon per set of sandwich). Sprinkle the tops with the flaky salt.
Step 7: Cover the sheet pan with foil, pressing down lightly around the sandwiches. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.
Step 8: Remove the foil from the sandwiches and put the sheet pan back in the oven to let the sandwiches brown for 5 minutes. Once finished, Pull (or cut) apart, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Tip
Make the pork up to 3 days in advance, and store it in an airtight container, shredded, in the juices it cooked in, in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to make the sandwiches, simply assemble, bake, and enjoy!
How to Serve
Serve your pulled pork sliders appetizer-style (grab-and-go) at your next party, or make them for dinner and serve them alongside an arugula salad and sweet potato fries!
How to Store and Reheat
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Keep in mind that if you made your pork ahead of time, you’ll want to eat it more quickly than if it was made on the day you assembled and baked the sandwiches.
These pulled pork sliders make for a really great freezer meal to keep stocked up on also! Simply assemble the sandwiches in an aluminum (freezer-friendly) baking dish, brush the tops with butter, sprinkle on the flaky salt, and then cover and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you’re ready to reheat, simply pop a sandwich or two in the microwave (if reheating from the fridge) for 1-2 minutes, or, if you’re reheating a whole pan from frozen, place in a 375°F oven for 45 minutes, then remove the lid and continue baking for about 15 minutes, until browned and warmed through.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe calls for the simple combination of BBQ pulled pork and Monterey jack cheese. If you want to dress the sandwiches up even more, top them with green apple slaw, bacon, pickled onions, pickles, caramelized onions, or jalapeños (pickled or fresh).
A 3-5 pound boneless pork shoulder will make enough meat for about 12 sliders. Of course, if you purchase a 3 pound pork shoulder, you’ll have *just* enough for the sandwiches, and if yours is closer to 5 pounds, you’ll have enough to really load the sliders up (and maybe have some extras).
Which BBQ sauce you use is entirely up to your specific taste preferences here. We used Primal Kitchen’s BBQ sauce (the ingredients are incredible), but if you prefer a different brand, use that. If you want to make your own BBQ sauce, we’ve got classic homemade BBQ sauce and a tangy mustard BBQ sauce recipes.
More Favorite BBQ Recipes
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Pulled Pork Sliders
Ingredients
- 3-5 pounds boneless pork shoulder (5-7 pounds bone-in)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 24 ounces BBQ sauce, store-bought or homemade BBQ sauce, divided
- 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls
- 12 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon flaky salt
Instructions
- Cut the pork into 3-4 even pieces, then season it with salt and pepper and place in the Instant Pot.
- Pour the 16 ounces of BBQ sauce over top of the pork. Set the Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. When the time is up, quick release the Instant Pot.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Use two forks to shred the pork, then toss it back in the juices that it cooked in.
- Slice your Hawaiian rolls in half so that there is a set of 6 connected tops and a set of 6 connected bottoms.
- Place the bottoms of the rolls face-up on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan and use tongs to transfer the meat to the bread, allowing the juices to drip off of the pork before layering.
- Drizzle 8 ounces of BBQ sauce over the pork, then top each set of sandwiches with the shredded Monterey jack cheese.
- Place the tops of the rolls on the sandwiches and use a basting brush to brush the melted butter all over each set of sandwiches (about 1 tablespoon per set of sandwich). Sprinkle the tops with the flaky salt.
- Cover the sheet pan with foil, pressing down lightly around the sandwiches. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.
- Remove the foil from the sandwiches and put the sheet pan back in the oven to let the sandwiches brown for 5 minutes. Once finished, Pull (or cut) apart, serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Make it gluten free – this is a really easy recipe to make gluten free! Simply buy gluten free Hawaiian sweet rolls (these Canyon Bakehouse rolls are what we used).
- Make your own BBQ sauce – you’ll need about 24 fluid ounces (3 cups) of BBQ sauce for this recipe. We used 3 bottles of Primal Kitchen BBQ sauce for this recipe, but you can absolutely make your own BBQ sauce if you want. This homemade BBQ sauce recipe is excellent and very easy to throw together.
- Make the pork up to 3 days in advance – store it in an airtight container, shredded, in the juices it cooked in, in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to make the sandwiches, simply assemble, bake, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Can this be made in a crockpot too?