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Air Fryer BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders

Pork shoulder braised until it shreds, then blasted in the air fryer for crisp bark, piled onto buttered slider buns with slaw and pickles.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings: 12 sliders
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pork
  • 3-4 lb boneless pork shoulder
  • 2 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne optional
  • 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1-1.5 cups BBQ sauce
To serve
  • 12 slider buns Hawaiian-style
  • butter for brushing
  • coleslaw and pickles

Equipment

  • Air fryer
  • Dutch oven or slow cooker
  • Two forks

Method
 

  1. Rub the pork with the brown sugar and spices. Braise it covered with the vinegar and broth in a low oven (300°F) or slow cooker until it shreds easily, about 4 hours (oven) or 8 hours (slow cooker low).
  2. Shred the pork, discarding large fat pockets, and toss with about a cup of the BBQ sauce and some of the cooking juices.
  3. Spread the pork in a shallow layer in the air fryer and cook at 400°F for 5 to 7 minutes, until the edges crisp into bark.
  4. Butter and toast the buns in the air fryer 1 to 2 minutes. Pile on the pork, more BBQ sauce, slaw, and pickles.

Notes

The air fryer blast is what adds the crisp bark a slow cooker can't.
Butter the buns so they don't go soggy under the saucy pork.
Contrast textures: a crunchy vinegar slaw against the rich pork.