On PRETZEL BUNS — yes, please.
And with maple mustard. MAPLE mustard. If you love mustard as much as I do, you know the feeling — I will throw my heart and soul into a condiment any day.
But first: how have I lived so long without spiralizing apples? I’ve spiralized zucchini and sweet potato and other vegetables, but fruit? This is a revelation. I’m a fruit fanatic and these apple ribbons are irresistible — simple, beautiful, and you use almost the entire apple aside from the stem and seeds. It’s so satisfying.
Of course the apples aren’t the only star. I’ve been in a major pulled pork phase lately — roasting a pork shoulder or tossing one in the slow cooker to use across multiple meals. I like seasoning the pork so it’s smoky and versatile, giving me an excuse to pile pulled pork on everything.
For this sandwich I used a recipe similar to my kalua-style pulled pork so the meat would be really smoky (no coffee flavor, I promise). A smoky pork sandwich paired with briny-sweet maple mustard and a crisp, slightly sweet apple slaw is a real winner — layers of flavor and texture in every bite.
I was picky about the bun and couldn’t find anything satisfying at the store, so I made my own pretzel rolls and kept them small, slider-sized, since this is a rich, loaded sandwich. Bonus: homemade pretzel buns are perfect for snacking throughout the week. If you have a partner who snacks preemptively, you’ll understand the struggle of keeping the uniformly sized ones for the sandwiches.
So here’s the lineup: pretzel bun, smoky juicy pulled pork, maple Dijon mustard, and spiralized apple slaw. It’s a combination that takes a familiar sandwich to a whole new level.
Smoky Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Spiralized Apple Slaw
6
Ingredients
- 1 (4-pound) pork shoulder roast
- 2 teaspoons coarse salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon liquid smoke
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- pretzel buns or your favorite rolls (slider size recommended)
spiralized apple slaw
- 2 apples, spiralized
- 1 1/2 cups fresh arugula
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
maple mustard
- 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
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Place the pork shoulder in the slow cooker and rub with the coarse salt and liquid smoke, turning to coat. Add the minced garlic. Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the pork shreds easily with a fork. Shred the pork and stir it into the cooking juices. If it seems very liquidy, set the slow cooker to high and leave the lid off for about 15 minutes to let some liquid reduce.
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Assemble sandwiches by spreading maple mustard on the bottom bun, piling on the pulled pork, and topping with plenty of spiralized apple slaw.
spiralized apple slaw
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Toss the spiralized apples and arugula in a bowl. Whisk together the olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour the dressing over the apples and toss to combine.
maple mustard
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Whisk together the Dijon mustard and maple syrup until smooth and fully combined.
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I kind of wish I had one of these for breakfast.