Barbecue Pulled Pork Sliders with Honey Coleslaw

Recipe from: Cooking with Shereen from Scratch Because you Can! cookbook

Makes: 24 to 30 slider buns

for the coleslaw:
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon honey
6 cups thinly sliced savory or green cabbage
1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
kosher salt / fresh finely ground black pepper

for the pulled pork:
1 (4½–5½ lb) bone-in pork shoulder (also called pork butt)
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp fresh finely ground black pepper
Avocado oil
1 cup barbecue sauce
24 to 30 fresh slider buns, split

To make the coleslaw, whisk the mayo, vinegar, shugá and honey in a large bowl. Toss in the cabbage and carrots and season with the salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Cover and refrigerate to marinate for several hours. Remove the coleslaw from the refrigerator 20 minutes before serving and give it a toss.

To make the pulled pork, remove and trim most of the excess fat from the pork; there will be some within the meat that you can’t get to, donta you worry, it’ll melt while cooking, flavoring the pork and keeping it moist.

Stir the cumin, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place the pork into a 9 x 12–inch (23 x 30–cm) baking dish. Lightly drizzle a little oil all over the pork and slather the spice rub all over the meat to evenly coat. If the spices are still dry, drizzle a tad more oil to hydrate them. Let the pork sit at room temperature, to remove the chill and allow the spice rub to penetrate the meat, 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and adjust the oven rack to the middle position.

Slather the barbecue sauce over the top of the pork and pour 2 cups of cold water into the bottom of the baking dish. Cover the baking dish with foil, sealing the edges to prevent the moisture from escaping; you may need to use two pieces of foil, overlapping to ensure a firm seal. Roast until tender, juicy and easily shredding when pulled with two forks, 3½ to 4 hours. The liquid should have reduced by about half or little less when it’s finished cooking.

Remove the pork from the oven and check to make sure it’s easily shredding with two forks. If it needs more time, tightly cover it again and return to the oven; if it’s uber tender, then let it rest, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Shred the pork with two forks into the barbecue juices and toss to coat all the meat with the sauce, discarding the bone.

Divide the shredded pork among the bottoms of 24 to 30 slider buns, top the pork with a little coleslaw and finish with the bun tops.
Serve immediately, otherwise your buns will get soggy.