These Cuban Pulled Pork Sliders are a mini version of Cuban sandwiches that make a perfect appetizer for your next BBQ party. They are also filling enough to serve as a meal with a side of fries or a salad.
Cuban pork is traditionally a dish served in Cuba. It is a pork shoulder or loin that is marinated in citrus juices, garlic, and spices. It is then roasted until it is tender and the outside is crispy. It is usually served with rice and beans and topped with a tangy sauce made from lime juice, garlic, and onions.
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What is on a Cuban Pork Slider?
A Cuban Slider is the same as a Cuban sandwich, but it is served on a slider bun instead of a Cuban roll or bread.
These sliders have Cuban-style pork, which we smoke on the smoker. This takes about 12-15 hours to cook to an internal temperature of 200F depending on your smoker and if the heat is consistent.
There is ham, Swiss Cheese, pickles, and mustard. The bread used is King’s Hawaiian slider buns. We use savory buns but the sweet buns can be used if that is what you prefer.
Ingredients for Cuban Pulled Pork Sliders
There are two parts to this recipe. This recipe includes a marinade for the pork shoulder. The remaining ingredients make up the sliders.
For the marinade:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Cilantro.
- Orange juice and zest.
- Lime Juice and zest.
- Garlic.
- Mexican Oregano.
- Cumin.
- Salt and Pepper
A pork shoulder marinades for 4-5 hours in this mixture.
For the sliders:
- Small rolls, like Kings Hawaiian rolls or small dinner rolls.
- Sliced deli ham. We use Black Forest or Tuscan ham.
- Pickle slices. We like to use zesty garlic pickle slices.
- Swiss Cheese. We buy sliced Swiss cheese in the deli for these sliders.
- Mozzarella slices. This adds a melty layer on top of the meat.
- Mustard. Regular yellow mustard is our go-to but sometimes we use Dijon instead.
- Melted Butter. This is for the tops of the sliders.
- Sesame seeds or poppy seeds. This is optional but they add a nice touch to the top of the buns.
What Equipment is Needed To Make These Sliders?
A smoker is what is used to cook the pork shoulder. We have made this recipe on both a pellet smoker and a wood-burning smoker.
To add the smoky flavour, we use apple wood or apple pellets. Apple adds great flavour to the pork. But you can use other types of wood as well.
We like to use a leave-in meat thermometer to cook on the smoker. That way the lid doesn’t have to be opened to check the temperature. We like to use a leave-in meat thermometer to cook on the smoker. That way the lid doesn’t have to be opened to check the temperature.
Can Pork Shoulder Be Cooked In A Slow Cooker?
Yes, you can also cook the pork in a slow cooker. To cook in a slow cooker, place marinated pork in the slow cooker with all the marinade. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 201℉.
The pork won’t have the smoky flavour you get from a smoker but it is still delicious. A drop or two of liquid smoke can give the meat a touch of that flavour if you want.
To cook the sliders, we use the air fryer set at 350℉ for 5 minutes.
How To Serve Cuban Pork Sliders
These sliders should be served hot, while the cheese is melting still and the fillings are warm.
The sliders can be sliced apart with a sharp knife for serving.
What To Serve With Cuban Pork Sliders
The sliders are perfect on their own but can be served as part of a buffet as well. We like to pair them with a few extras.
- A side of fries. Whether you serve regular fries or spicy fries, french fries are a great side dish to serve with these sliders.
- Coleslaw. Tangy and crispy, coleslaw is a good accompaniment to these sliders.
- Pickles. Crisp dill pickles are perfect to pair with these sliders.
- Mac and Cheese. This is one of those sides that goes with everything, including Cuban Pork Sliders.
- Potato Chips. These add some crunch on the side to accompany the sliders. We have even put them right on the sliders to add crunch to the slider itself.
- Black beans and rice. This is a traditional Cuban-style rice that goes well with the flavours in these sliders.
What To Do With Leftover Pork
There are so many ways to use up the leftover pork. Of course, you can always make more sliders for lunches and snacks. But there are other ways as well.
- Tacos. Serve this pork on tortillas with some shredded lettuce and diced white onions.
- Nachos. Top nachos with leftover pork, salsa verde, shredded cheese, and pickled jalapenos.
- Salad. This pork is great shredded and mixed into a chef’s salad to make a meal.
The pork can also be placed in an air-tight container or freezer bag and frozen for up to 3 months.
Cuban Pulled Pork Sliders
Equipment
- Smoker
- Apple Wood chips or pellets
Ingredients
- 4-5 pounds pork shoulder
Marinade
- 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1½ cups fresh cilantro
- 1 cup orange juice
- ¾ cup lime juice
- 8 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 2 Tbsp Mexican oregano
- 2 Tbsp ground cumin
- 1 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp black pepper
Sliders
- 2 packages slider buns, like King's Hawaiian
- 12 slices deli ham
- 12 slices Swiss cheese
- 24 pickles slices
- 12 slices mozzarella cheese
- mustard
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1-2 Tbsp sesame seeds or poppy seeds
Instructions
- Mix all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Reserve 1 cup of the marinade for later.
- Place the pork shoulder in the marinade, coating the entire pork shoulder in marinade.
- Cover and allow to marinade for minimum 2 hours or up to 8 hours in the fridge.
- Remove the pork from the fridge.
- Preheat the smoker to 250℉.
- Add wood chips to the smoker, or pellets, depending on your smoker.
- When the smoker is ready, add the pork shoulder to the smoker.
- Close the lid and allow to smoke/cook until pork reaches an internal temperature of 201-205℉
- Remove from smoker and wrap in foil to rest 1 hour.
- Place pork in a large roasting pan and shred the meat using forks.
- Once shredded, add the reserved marinade to the pork, mixing to combine.
- Slice the slider buns.
- Top the bottom halves of the slider buns with 6 slices of cheese, then 6 slices of ham.
- Top the ham with pulled pork, pickles, and 6 slices of mozzarella cheese.
- Spread mustard on the top buns.
- Place top buns on top of the sliders.
- Brush with melted butter and sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds.
- Place the sliders on a tray and heat in the smoker or on a BBQ until the cheese is melted and the tops of buns are golden.
- Serve hot.
