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    Pineapple Pulled Pork Sandwich

    August 22, 2024

    Our favorite slow-cooker pulled pork recipe teams up with caramelized onion and squishy, pillowy rolls to make for an out-of-this-world pineapple pulled pork sandwich.

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    slow cooker pork sandwich with cilantro pineapples, onions and bbq sauce on a bun on a butting board.

    We Had You At Pineapple-y Pulled Pork, Right?

    We all need a secret stash of easy and delicious recipes to serve to company and this pineapple pulled pork recipe sits at the top of our list of easy recipes for a crowd. Because the pulled pork is cooked in a slow-cooker, you can prep it ahead and be relaxed and ready when your guests arrive, which is all-too-rare and oh-so-essential! The whole recipe is deceptively simple—for both the pineapple pulled pork and for the sandwiches you make with it—and it’s cost effective enough to make for a lot of people. And if this sounds delicious to you, but you don’t have a crowd to feed, no worries! Leftover pulled pork freezes really well. For another riff on pulled pork, try our classic pulled pork or honey chipotle pulled pork!

    pineapple pulled pork in a crockpot
    slow cooker pineapple pulled pork in a serving bowl

    We’re Going To Let You In On A Pulled Pork Seasoning Tip.

    And that tip is canned, crushed pineapple. Not only is it the glorious sweet-savory combination of rich pork and fragrant pineapple the defining flavor of this dish, the canned, crushed pineapple works a special tenderizing magic on the pulled pork as it simmers away in your Crock-Pot. Pineapple is quite acidic, and so—much like Dr. Pepper, another popular pulled pork seasoning—it works to break the pork down as it cooks, ensuring that your finished pork is absolutely falling apart and perfectly juicy. In addition to salt, pepper and pineapple, our pulled pork gets cooked with:

    • Tamari or soy sauce
    • Chili powder
    • Garlic powder
    • Fresh jalapeños
    • Garlic cloves
    • Limes
    • Onion
    a whole pineapple peeled on a cutting board with a knife
    a whole pineapple sliced in half

    What’s the Best Cut For Pulled Pork?

    Pork shoulder is the most classic cut of pork to use for making pulled pork and it’s our go-to. It’s also the preferred cut of most great BBQ joints, and who are we to question the greats!? If you can’t get your hands on a pork shoulder, pork butt, aka Boston butt (which is also, confusingly, cut from the shoulder of a pig) works great, too. Both pork shoulder and Boston butt are cuts of pork that are inherently fatty and tough—in other words, they really lend themselves to a good, long, low, and slow cook.

    How To Make This Easy Crock-Pot Pulled Pork

    Pulled pork and slow-cookers are a match made in culinary heaven. A rich, fatty, hearty slab of pork, plus a few, choice, flavorful ingredients and you’re golden. It’s literally as easy as:

    1. Combine your pork, pineapple, both kinds of garlic, chili, lime, jalapeños and onion in a slow-cooker.
    2. Cook on high for four hours. Walk away! Do something fun!
    3. When it’s done, use two forks to shred the pork in the Crock-Pot. Then, stir the shredded meat around to absorb all the fragrant, sweet-salty-spicy juices. Get really excited, because it’s time to.....
    pulled pork sandwiches with cilantro, pineapples and caramelized red onions on a cutting board.

    Make Pineapple Pulled Pork Sandwiches!

    OK, your pineapple pulled pork has been bubbling away in the slow-cooker for a few hours, and your house is starting to smell really, really, really good. Time to think about what it’ll take to help that pulled pork reach its ultimate purpose—to fill the best ever pulled pork sandwiches! Here’s what to do:

    1. Caramelize pineapple. Sounds fancy-schmancy, is actually quite simple. Basically just brown some slices of fresh pineapple in sugar in a skillet (but see below for the full step-by-step).
    2. Grab a jar of your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce, or make your own (like our homemade bbq sauce)! So many families have their own “famous” barbecue sauce, and if yours is one of them, this sandwich is a great place to use it!
    3. Get some really great, pillowy-squishy sandwich rolls and cut them in half. We really adore this sandwich with classic sweet Hawaiian buns, but it is also good on brioche rolls.
    4. Once the pulled pork is done, all that’s left to do is assemble and eat! If you’re serving it to company, it can be fun to let everyone DIY their pineapple pulled pork sandwiches so that they can adjust the balance of ingredients to suit their own preferences.
    pulled pork sandwiches with cilantro, pineapples and caramelized red onions on a cutting board.
    slow cooker pork sandwich with cilantro pineapples, onions and bbq sauce on a bun on a butting board.

    4 More Easy Pork Recipes to Try

    It’s what’s for dinner. Or at least, we think it should be!

    A hand holding a slow cooker pork sandwich with cilantro pineapples, onions and bbq sauce on a bun.

    The Best Pulled Pork Sandwich Recipe, Period.

    If we do say so ourselves. We know that we love it, but we want to know if YOU love it! If you make these juicy, drippy, sweet-salty pineapple pulled pork sandwiches, we want to hear about it! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can see your incredible handiwork! Happy eating!

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    Pineapple Pulled Pork Sandwich

    Updated on August 22, 2024

    • Serves:  10
    • Prep Time:  25 min
    • Cook Time:  4 hrs
    • Calories:  426
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    Ingredients

    Pulled Pork

    • 4 pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 4-inch pieces
    • 1 (20-ounce) canned crushed pineapple
    • ¾ medium red or yellow onion,minced
    • 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • Juice of 2 limes
    • 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
    • 2 tablespoons chili powder
    • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
    • 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, plus more to taste
    • 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (optional)

    Caramelized Pineapple

    • 1 medium pineapple, cored and diced
    • ¼ medium yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
    • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

    For Serving

    • BBQ sauce
    • Fresh cilantro leaves
    • 10 brioche or Sweet Hawaiian buns

    Method

    Slow Cooker

    1. Make the pulled pork. In the slow cooker pot, combine the pork, crushed pineapple, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Using tongs or two forks, shred the pork in the pot, discarding any large pieces of fat. Stir the shredded pork into sauce to incorporate. Taste and add more salt as needed.

    2. Meanwhile, make the caramelized pineapple. In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the pineapple, onion, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring constantly, tir until the sugar is melted, about 5 minutes. Continue cooking, stirring often, until the pineapple is browned and the onion is softened, 8 to 10 more minutes. If the bottom of the pan is browning, add a splash of water.

    3. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the pulled pork onto each brioche bun. Top with BBQ sauce, caramelized pineapples, and cilantro before serving.


    Instant Pot:

    1. Season the pork all over with the salt. Using the saute function, heat the oil in the Instant Pot. Once the oil is glistening, add the meat and cook until browned, about 10 minutes total.

    2. Add the crushed pineapple, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Lock the lid in place, being sure to close the vent valve, and cook on high pressure for 1 hour. Allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then quick release if needed.

    3. Using tongs or two forks, shred the pork in the pot, discarding any large fat pieces of fat. Stir the shredded pork back into sauce to incorporate. Taste and add more salt as needed.

    4. Finish as directed for the slow cooker.


    Oven

    1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.

    2. Season the pork all over with the salt. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over high heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the meat and cook until browned, about 10 minutes total.

    3. Add the crushed pineapple, onion, jalapeno, garlic, lime juice, soy sauce, chili powder, garlic powder, and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to the oven. Roast for 3½ hours, or until the pork is very tender.

    4. Using tongs or two forks, shred the pork in the pot, discarding any large fat pieces of fat. Stir the shredded pork back into sauce to incorporate. Taste and add more salt as needed.

    5. Finish as directed for the slow cooker.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 426
    • Protein 44 g
    • Carbohydrates 50 g
    • Total Fat 10 g
    • Dietary Fiber 4 g
    • Cholesterol 117 mg
    • sodium 827 mg
    • Total Sugars 20 g

    Pineapple Pulled Pork Sandwich

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Candace

      Has anyone tried this with fresh pineapple? I forgot to pick some up so Im considering improvising. I suspect it wont be a strong pineapple taste with fresh pineapple.

      It will probably still turn out great Candace!

    • Christine

      I have a pork tenderloin- can I use this? Would I reduce the time?? Would love to know. Love you ladies.

      It might not turn out quite as tender. If you cut the tenderloin into 3-4 chunks it should cook on high in 4 hours.

    • Vanessa

      Can you use canned pineapple rings?

      Definitely! Hope you enjoy Vanessa!

    • Anna

      Do you think this would work on Low for 8 hours? Or is that too much time with not enough heat? I have to be at work all day so wondering if I can cook longer.....

      That should be fine. Enjoy!

    • Shanique

      Pineapple and pork are like a match made in heaven! I can't wait to try this recipe out!

      They are!

    • Eric

      This is crazy delicious. Tonight we had it with wild rice and veggies - and now I have leftovers frozen for 5 meals of sandwiches (two large portions each). I did have some issues though- so maybe this review will be helpful. I made this in the slow cooker and I think maybe the recipe wasn't optimized for this. It could be me of course but I don't think so-- so here's what I encountered and how I made it work:
      - I presume the juice from the crushed pineapples goes in-- the instructions don't say to drain and it certainly makes it yummy. But I ended up with a lot of liquid after cooking -- I know some liquid is good to make it moist but this was soup.
      - I had a large pork shoulder- over 6 lbs- so I trimmed off about a pound of fat before cooking. But the 5 lbs worked nice and I have lots of leftovers.
      - After slow cooking on high 4 hours, the pork was not very tender (someone else noted that in their review). So I left it cooking while I caramelized the pineapples.
      - The recipe says 1/4 onion for the caramelized pineapple. Of course everyone has their own taste- but 1/4 onion to a whole pineapple, divided into 10 servings? I used 1 1/4 onions and this seemed the right amount- maybe a typo?
      - I used a nice, fresh, sweet pineapple. And it put out a lot of juice into the pan. I cooked on medium (high BTU gas burner) in a large pan as directed. It took a full hour for the juice to evaporate and then caramelize. Not a problem- it was yummy and worth the effort. I could have turned up the heat and been more aggressive but I figured low & slow is usually better and I ended up with a nice caramel touch without scorching my stainless steel pan. This also gave the pork in the slow cooker more time to tenderize. I also added a generous pinch of salt, and some black pepper. The pineapple came out perfect.
      - The instructions say to shred the pork in the slow cooker, removing large chunks of fat. That would be a time saver, but with all the liquid in there, that wasn't going to be possible to see what you're doing. So I removed the pork to shred it.
      - I could see quite a bit of rendered fat left in the pot, and while I know that would have made the pork extra juicy and delicious, I guess I would rather save those calories. So, I put the shredded pork into the pan that I cooked the pineapple in, strained the solids out of the liquid and put those in the pan, then ran the liquid (about 5 cups) through a fat separator. I tossed out about 3/4 cup of rendered fat.
      - I poured this liquid into the pan and put it on high and boiled it for about 18 minutes to reduce the liquid down. I left it a bit dripping, but not soupy. The meat was now exquisitely tender and still had plenty of juices in there to make it succulent.

      So, five stars for taste & texture but you might need to be adaptive if you use the slow cooker or pressure cooker.

      Thanks for the very thorough review. I am sure your explanation will come in handy for anyone wanting to cook this in a slow cooker. I will have to test in again in a slow cooker soon!

    • Amanda

      I made this once and am back again it was so delicious! Can't wait to have it again, thanks for the great recipe!

      Love that it's worthy of your repetition, Amanda! Thanks for letting us know!

    • Shannon

      This is my fourth time making this and it makes my family HAPPY and EXCITED for dinner every time!!!

      Yay! That's the best news!

    • Kelli

      We LOVE this dish in our house! Seriously, so good! BUT twice now I’ve cooked the meat on high, and had trouble shredding it. Not sure if it dries out quicker that way or what. Highly recommend cooking on low for 6-8 hours for best results. 👌

      Good to know! I haven't made it in a while. I will retest and edit soon!