Applesauce Pulled Pork Sandwiches (Printable)

Slow-cooked pork shoulder with applesauce and apple cider creates tender, flavorful sandwiches with sweet-savory balance.

# 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

# How To Make:

01 - Pat the pork shoulder dry and season all sides with kosher salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and ground cinnamon.
02 - Place the sliced yellow onion and minced garlic in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker.
03 - In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together unsweetened applesauce, apple cider, brown sugar, Dijon mustard, and apple cider vinegar until the mixture is smooth.
04 - Place the seasoned pork on top of the onions in the slow cooker and 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, topped with coleslaw and additional applesauce or barbecue sauce if desired.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • The applesauce makes the pork incredibly tender and adds a natural sweetness that balances the savory spices without tasting like dessert.
  • It cooks itself while you go about your day, and the house fills with the kind of aroma that makes everyone ask whats for dinner.
  • Leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors have had time to settle in together.
02 -
  • Don't skip patting the pork dry before seasoning—it makes a real difference in how well the spices cling and develop flavor during the long cook.
  • If your slow cooker runs hot, check the pork after 6 or 7 hours to avoid overcooking it into mush instead of tender shreds.
  • Skim the fat from the liquid before mixing the pork back in, or the sauce will taste greasy instead of silky and rich.
03 -
  • If you want a thicker sauce, transfer the liquid to a saucepan after shredding the pork and simmer it down for 10 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
  • Add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes to the sauce if you like a little heat that cuts through the sweetness.
  • Toast your buns lightly with butter before piling on the pork—it adds texture and keeps them from getting soggy too fast.
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