Your favorite pulled pork sandwiches complete with tart cherry juicy and an Asian twist – you will love these sweet, salty, tart and tangy sliders topped with a crunchy broccoli slaw.
I am fully aware that thousands of kids are heading back to school soon (if they haven’t already!) but when you live in Michigan, it is still very much summer right now!! The summer weather is ideal for tart cherry-picking in the Cherry Capital of the world. As the harvest season comes to an end, make sure you stock up on these tasty ruby red fruits to make some of my favorite tart cherry dishes: Tart Cherry Chinese BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders and Tart Cherry Dark Chocolate Granola Bars.
As you can imagine, we do not take a single moment of the warm weather season for granted which is why I couldn’t resist creating these Tart Cherry Chinese BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders with Broccoli Slaw when my friends at the Cherry Marketing Institute challenged me to create a trendy savory tart cherry recipe. Montmorency tart cherries have a unique sour-sweet taste that pairs perfectly with savory flavors. They’re available in dried, frozen and juice forms, which makes it easy to enjoy these superfruits year-round.
Whether I’m entertaining or simply trying to get dinner on the table before the meltdown train leaves the station, I am a huge fan of make-ahead dishes. Not only does slow cooking guarantee a tender, flavorful pulled pork but it allows me to get on with my day while dinner practically cooks itself.
One reason I keep going back to Asian flavor profiles in my kitchen is that the cuisine has mastered the marriage of salty, sour, sweet, and spicy flavors, not to mention Asian flavoring pairs perfectly with on-trend tart cherries. This magical formula, aka “The Four S’s”, is the secret to delicious, balanced food.
For my pulled pork marinade, I used tart cherry juice for sourness, soy sauce for saltiness, hoisin for sweetness and sambal oelek for spiciness. To give the dish a subtle nutty flavor in the background, I added a little toasted sesame oil. The nuttiness of the oil plays off the sweet-tart flavor of the cherry juice which sends these sliders over the edge.
Of course, I couldn’t serve an Asian inspired pulled pork dish without inviting my family’s favorite Asian Broccoli Slaw to the party. The crunchy broccoli and toasted almond slices add texture and tanginess to every single bite.
What are your favorite foods to eat outside? I would love to hear from you.
No forks required.
Tart Cherry Chinese BBQ Pulled Pork Sliders
Ingredients
- 3 pounds pork shoulder (boneless)
- ½ cup tart cherry juice
- ¼ cup soy sauce (low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 cloves garlic – grated
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon chili paste (optional)
- 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 medium onion (thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup prepared Asian Broccoli Slaw
- slider buns (to serve)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together tart cherry juice, soy sauce, hoisin, garlic, mustard, sesame oil and Place pork shoulder in a large resealable plastic bag and add cherry soy marinade. Seal bag and refrigerate for 2 hours or up to overnight.
- To prepare, place pork shoulder and all of the liquid marinade in the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with diced tomatoes, sliced onions and sprinkle with salt.
- Cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
- Meanwhile, prepare the Asian Broccoli Slaw and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.
- When pork is done cooking, remove from the slow cooker and place in a glass dish to cool slightly. Once pork is cool enough to handle, carefully shred the pork removing any excess fat. Place shredded lean pork back in to the slow cooker and use two forks to combine with the cooking juices, tomatoes and onions.
- To serve, split open slider buns and top with a little pulled pork and about a 1/4 cup of the Asian Broccoli Slaw.
This is marinating tonight and will go in the slow cooker tomorrow! I love getting the week off to a good start with a clean kitchen, dinner finished when I arrive home from teaching and leftovers for a few days!! Again, you’ve nailed it Liz!!
Thank you so much Katie!! ENJOY!
Ohmyheck. I don’t know how you do it, but I want to eat EVERY single thing you post. This has my name all over it, Liz!
That’s funny – the feeling is mutual!
I am loving everything about this, especially the sweet cherries in a savory dish. YUM!
Thanks Fabiola!! So good!!
I can’t really eat BBQ sauce, but love pulled pork, so I love this recipe and the addition of the slaw is perfect, it feels like the addition of slaw on sandwiches has only appeared in the last decade or so, but I can’t imagine some sandwiches without. Cherries are my favorite fruit (along with blackberries) I think I like them because they are one of the few fruits that you really can only get seasonally – a lot of other fruits that used to be seasonal are now available all year round…but not cherries! Thanks for sharing this great recipe!
I am the same way – I can’t imagine pork without slaw now!! Thanks so much!
So fresh! I just want to sink my teeth in!
Please do sista!
I rely on the 4 S’s – salty, sour, sweet and spicy! They can take any meal up a notch and your sliders sounds so good! Love the tart cherries!
Yes I love the 4 S’s!!! Thank you so much!
What on earth was I thinking coming to look at your blog at dinner time?! Now all I will be satisfied with is this recipe! So delicious and beautiful! Love a colorful recipe.
You’re so sweet Toni – Thank you!