Apple Butter Pulled Pork Pull-Apart Sliders

Delicious Apple Butter Pull Apart Sliders featuring Bourbon Barrel Foods Apple Butter Spread. This recipe can be made in a crock pot or instant pot and is great to serve at autumn gatherings and parties.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 70 minutes for Instapot / 4-5 hours for crockpot
Makes 2 dozen sweet roll slider sandwiches
Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:

• 4-5 pound, boneless Pork Shoulder, cut into 2-inch steaks
• 4 tablespoon Brown sugar ( packed )
• 3 tablespoon Bourbon Smoked Paprika
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon Smoked Pepper
• 2 tablespoon Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt
• 1/4 cup Tomato paste
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 cup Fresh Cranberries (optional)

Braising liquid:

• 1, 12 ounce can of Cranberry juice concentrate
• 2 cup Chopped white onion
• 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• water as needed

Final Touches:

• Bourbon Barrel Foods Apple Butter
• Sweet Rolls, 24 count bag

Method:

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, incorporate the following ingredients; brown sugar, Bourbon Smoked Paprika, Bourbon Smoked Pepper, Bourbon Smoked Sea Salt, tomato paste and Dijon mustard.
2. Gently combine aromatics with a rubber spatula until it becomes a thick paste.
3. Coat the pork shoulders with the thick paste and gently lay them inside the Instapot or crockpot.

Braising Liquid:

1. In the same mixing bowl used to season the pork, mix together the cranberry juice, white onion and apple cider vinegar.
2. Pour Braising liquid directly from the mixing bowl into the slow cooker. Make sure the pork is completely covered with liquid.

Instapot:

1. set cooking time for 70 minutes on High Pressure. When the cooking time ends, turn off the pressure cooker and allow the pressure to release naturally ( about 20-minutes ).
2. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
3. Remove the meat from the pressure cooker and shred with two forks.
4. Shred the pork.

Crockpot:

1. Cook pork on low heat for 4-5 hours or until tender.
2. Carefully remove pork from the braising liquid, and place it into a medium-sized bowl.
3. Shred with two forks.

Apple Butter Pulled Pork Pull-Apart Assembly:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Carefully cut the sweet rolls in half lengthwise into equal pieces creating a top and a bottom bun. Place the top bun portions to the side.
3. In an oven-safe dish or sheet tray, lined with parchment paper, mound the pulled pork evenly on the sweet rolls bottom bun slab.
4. Spread Bourbon Barrel Apple Butter on the top buns.
5. Place open-faced, bottom buns filled with pork and the Apple Buttered top buns side by side on the sheet tray.
6. Bake the two pieces for 10-15 minutes.
7. Place the top buns on the bottom buns and you’ve got an Apple Butter Pork Pull-A-Part crowd pleaser!
8. Repeat these steps for the second dozen.