By Last week of December. Christmas Eve was Mama’s table with Cody. Christmas Day was Dustin’s parents’ in Owasso. The two of us spent Saturday at home in the apartment for the first quiet Saturday since the wedding. Sunday I made maple pulled pork buns because Mama had asked at Christmas Eve dinner whether I had a maple-pulled-pork recipe she could send to Roy Calloway, who has been wanting one but has not had a cook in his life since his wife died in 2018.
I had not had the recipe. I developed it Sunday afternoon and texted Mama the working version Sunday night. The dish: a slow-cooked pork shoulder with maple syrup, mustard, vinegar, and brown sugar in the sauce, served on buttered toasted potato buns with quick pickles. The maple is the differentiator: most pulled pork is barbecue-sauce-style with smoky-tomato-and-vinegar; the maple variant runs sweeter, deeper, more Vermont-leaning than southern.
The procedure: a four-pound pork shoulder rubbed with kosher salt and brown sugar overnight. Into a slow cooker with a sauce of half a cup of pure maple syrup, a quarter cup of stone-ground mustard, two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, two tablespoons of dark brown sugar, two tablespoons of Worcestershire, a teaspoon of smoked paprika, a teaspoon of garlic powder, salt and pepper. Low for eight hours. Shred with two forks. Serve on potato buns with quick pickles. Dustin had three buns. I had two. The pork stretched across two more dinners and a Wednesday lunch.
Maple Pulled Pork Buns
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 8 hours | Total Time: 8 hours 15 minutes | Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb pork shoulder (bone-in or boneless)
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 soft brioche or potato buns
- Coleslaw, for topping (optional)
- Sliced pickles, for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Season the pork. Pat the pork shoulder dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, black pepper, and salt. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork shoulder.
- Make the maple sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and Dijon mustard until combined.
- Slow cook. Place the seasoned pork shoulder in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour the maple sauce over the top. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the pork is fall-apart tender.
- Shred the pork. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and place on a large cutting board. Use two forks to shred the meat, discarding any large pieces of fat or bone. Return the shredded pork to the slow cooker and stir to coat it in the cooking juices.
- Reduce the sauce (optional). For a thicker, more concentrated sauce, transfer the cooking liquid to a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 10–15 minutes until slightly reduced. Pour over the shredded pork before serving.
- Assemble the buns. Toast the brioche or potato buns lightly if desired. Pile the maple pulled pork generously onto each bun. Top with coleslaw and pickles if using. Serve immediately.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 480 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 620mg