Tasting Tuesday: Pork Sliders with Tropical Slaw

Hi, friends! Husband and I have been keeping pretty busy at the Bungalow with summer school, family reunions, hosting friends, weekend trips, AND cooking pork for the very first time!! My family didn’t eat pork when I was growing up, so I never got in the habit of tasting or cooking it. Since Husband and I have both been branching out with new flavors this summer, I thought my church Hawaiian BBQ would be a perfect time to crank out some slow cooker pork. Yes, it took a bit of work to find out the difference between pork shoulder, brisket, and tenderloin and to figure out how many servings per pound of meat, but I think I finally got it! And I’m now sharing this delightful recipe with you which I definitely plan to repeat before the summer is over.

I found this recipe from Spicy Southern Kitchen and made a few modifications to customize it to my tastes. The tropical slaw brought up the “yum” factor by a few notches and also added a touch of class to the otherwise pretty typical crock-pot sandwich. I made plenty to share and we had leftovers for days. Enjoy!

Here’s what you need:

• 2 pork tenderloins
• 3/4 cup Sweet Pineapple or Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise 
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 (10-ounce) package coleslaw vegetable mix
• 1 carrot, shredded
• 4 slices canned pineapple, finely chopped
• 3 green onions, sliced
• 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted Macadamia nuts
• 1 package Hawaiian style hamburger buns

And here’s what you do:

1. To make pork for sliders, lightly grease a crock pot insert and place pork tenderloins in crock pot. Mix together BBQ Sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes in a bowl and pour into crock-pot. Cover and cook on low 7 hours. Shred pork with 2 forks and continue to cook in sauce for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. To make slaw, mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, soy sauce, and sugar in a large bowl. Add coleslaw mix, shredded carrot, pineapple, and green onions and stir to mix well. Sprinkle macadamia nuts on top and refrigerate until ready to use.
3. When ready to eat, cut rolls open and fill half with pork filling. Drizzle with an additional BBQ sauce, to taste, and top with coleslaw.

What has everyone else been cooking up this summer?