Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prep the pork: Trim excess fat if desired. Pat dry and coat generously all over with Kinder's Hickory Brown Sugar Seasoning — get the rub into all crevices. Let sit at room temperature 30–60 minutes, or refrigerate overnight for deeper flavor.
- Preheat smoker: Set smoker to 225–250°F using hickory wood.
- Smoke: Place pork fat-cap up on the grates. Add broth or water to the drip pan. Smoke 5–7 hours until a dark bark has formed and internal temperature hits 195–203°F — the meat should shred easily with a fork. Spritz with apple juice or water every hour after the first two hours if the surface looks dry.
- Rest and shred: Remove pork, tent loosely with foil, and rest 30–60 minutes. Shred with two forks or meat claws, discarding the bone and excess fat. Toss shredded pork thoroughly with 1–1½ cups Kinder's Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce.
- Toast buns: Split slider buns and toast cut-side down in a skillet with a little butter until golden.
Nutrition
Notes
- Go by temp, not the clock. Pork shoulders vary in size and shape. Pull at 195–203°F internal and probe-tender — the probe should slide in like warm butter. Trust the thermometer over the timer.
- Don't wrap the pork. Kinder's Hickory Brown Sugar Seasoning builds a sweet-smoke crust that matters. Wrapping softens it. Leave it unwrapped for the full smoke and you'll get real bark.
- Slaw is the counterpoint. The pork and sauce run rich and sweet. A cold, tangy, crunchy slaw cuts through it. Keep the slaw simple — shredded cabbage and carrot, mayo, vinegar, a touch of sugar and salt. It should contrast, not compete.
- Toast the buns in butter. Split the sliders, cut-side down in a skillet with a little butter until golden. A toasted bun holds up to the saucy pork. A raw bun turns to mush.
- Spritz after the first two hours. Apple juice or water, every hour or so, once the bark has set. It keeps the surface tacky so smoke clings. Don't spritz early — you'll wash the rub off before it locks in.
- No smoker? Use the oven or slow cooker. Roast covered at 300°F for 5–6 hours, or slow cook on low for 8–10 hours. Add a teaspoon of liquid smoke to the rub to fake the hickory.
- Build a slider bar so guests can stack their own hickory brown sugar pulled pork sliders: shredded pork, extra Kinder's Hickory Brown Sugar BBQ Sauce, cold slaw, sliced dill pickles, hot sauce, pickled red onion. The acid from the pickles and onion hits the same note the slaw does — it keeps the sweetness from taking over. Pair the platter with smoked baked beans, grilled sweet corn on the cob, and a cold lager or a spicy margarita for a full cookout plate.
- For a full dinner build, run the pulled pork alongside smoked mac and cheese, a simple cucumber-dill salad, and watermelon. For game day, put out the sliders, a bowl of queso with chips, wings, and let people graze.
- Leftover pulled pork is almost better than day one. Pile it over mac and cheese. Stuff it into a baked potato with sour cream, shredded cheddar, and green onion. Fold it into breakfast tacos with scrambled eggs, crumbled cotija, and salsa verde. Or load it onto nachos with pickled jalapeños, melted Monterey Jack, and a drizzle of BBQ sauce.
- Storage: Refrigerate shredded pork (sauced or unsauced) in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Press a piece of parchment or plastic wrap directly onto the surface before you put the lid on — it keeps the top from drying out and forming a crust in the fridge. Freeze in meal-size portions for up to 3 months. Freeze unsauced for best texture and add sauce after reheating — sauced pork tends to get soft and one-note after freezing.
- Reheating: Reheat sauced pulled pork in a covered skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of chicken broth or water, stirring occasionally, until warmed through — about 8–10 minutes. Microwave works for single portions — 60-second intervals, covered, stirring between. Don't blast it on high or you'll dry it out. For a crowd, tip everything into a slow cooker on low with a half cup of broth and let it hold until you're ready to build sliders.