Jump to:
- ❤️ Why You'll Love Shredded Pork Burgers
- 🍲 Basic Crockpot Pulled Pork Recipe (Keep It Simple!) Ingredients
- 👩🍳 How to Make Shredded Pork Burgers
- 🗒 Substitutions
- 👩🍳 How to Make Shredded Pork Burgers with Ground beef!
- 🗒 Substitutions
- 🪄 Tips and Tricks
- 🗒 Best served with
- 👝 Variations:
- Flavor Variations:
- 🤔 Common Questions
If you’re into big flavor without the kitchen fuss, shredded pork burgers will win you over. They're messy in the best way, rich without needing a dozen ingredients, and perfect for feeding a crowd.
This post walks through a basic crockpot pulled pork recipe and then turns that delicious meat into two burger options: one that sticks to shredded pork only, and one that mixes it with ground beef for a next-level hybrid. Let's get into it.
❤️ Why You'll Love Shredded Pork Burgers
Whether you’re using leftover crockpot pulled pork or starting from scratch, these burgers bring something extra to the table. Think classic pulled pork, but smashed into burger form—juicy, savory, and a little indulgent. We’re keeping the ingredient list short and the flavor high.
🍲 Basic Crockpot Pulled Pork Recipe (Keep It Simple!) Ingredients
Use your favorite pulled pork recipe or my shortcut crock pot shredded pork recipe.
- 3–4 lbs pork shoulder (boneless or bone-in)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 onion, sliced
- ½ cup barbecue sauce (your favorite)
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
Instrucitons -Rub the pork shoulder with salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Place the sliced onions in the bottom of your slow cooker, then lay the pork on top. Pour the barbecue sauce and broth around (not on top) of the meat. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4–5 hours, until the pork falls apart with a fork. Shred it with two forks and mix it back into the juices.
Boom. You’re ready to build shredded pork burgers from here.
👩🍳 How to Make Shredded Pork Burgers
This one’s all about the pork. Juicy, slow-cooked, full of flavor. No ground beef—just the pulled pork piled high.
- Shredded pork (from the recipe above or your own)
- Toasted brioche buns
- Coleslaw, store bought is fine
- Pickles
- Extra BBQ sauce
How to Build:
- Heat a skillet over medium heat and add a little butter.
- Scoop about ½ cup of shredded pork onto the skillet and press it down with a spatula. Let it crisp a little on one side (like a smash burger).
- Toast your buns while the pork gets some color.
- Stack: bottom bun, BBQ sauce, crispy pork, coleslaw, pickles, top bun.
It's simple, and it’s a flavor bomb. These shredded pork burgers don’t need much dressing up.
🗒 Substitutions
- Sub your favorite bun for the brioche buns
- Add blue cheese to the coleslaw for extra flavor. Trust me on this one.
👩🍳 How to Make Shredded Pork Burgers with Ground beef!
When you want that burger-y texture but still crave that deep pulled pork flavor, mix the two. Half ground beef, half pulled pork, all magic. See variation below:
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef (80/20 is best) formed into patties
- ½ lb shredded pork- heated
- Salt and pepper
- Cheese slices (optional)
- Extra BBQ sauce
- Buns, toated with butter
- Toppings of choice: pickles, dried onion straws, jalapenos, onions
How to Build:
- Sprinkle the burger patties all over with Kosher salt and toss them on a medium-high grill. Flip once and cook to your preferred doneness. While those are sizzling, warm up your shredded pork. When the burgers are almost done—like one minute to go—pile about ¼ cup of pulled pork on top of each one, then lay a slice of American cheese right over it. Close the grill lid so the cheese gets perfectly melty.
- Take them off the grill and let them hang out for about 5 minutes. Pop each one on a bun, then go wild with bacon, lettuce, your favorite sauces, and any other toppings you love. Time to dig in!
🗒 Substitutions
- Substitute ground trukey or chicken for the beef.
- Use pepper jack. cheddar or American cheese as a variation.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Sprinkle ground beef with Worcestershire for extra flavor.
- Don’t skip the sear. Whether you’re crisping plain shredded pork or cooking a pork-beef patty, that golden crust adds serious flavor.
- Use a slotted spoon. When transferring shredded pork to your bun, leave some of the juice behind so the buns don’t go soggy.
- Toasted buns > untoasted. Trust us here. A buttery skillet-toasted bun is the way to go.
- Go light on sauce at first. Taste the pork and adjust. Some barbecue sauces can overpower the whole thing.
- Make extra. These shredded pork burgers are great for lunch the next day. Reheat low and slow to keep them tender.
🗒 Best served with
- Potato Chips
- Potato Salad
- Baked Beans
- Cucumber Salad
- Caprese Salad
👝 Variations:
You can also combine the raw beef with the cooked pork but to make patties. Mix gently and form tight patties. If it’s still loose, add a tablespoon of breadcrumbs and an egg to help bind. Chilling the patties before cooking and cooking them over a moderate fire will help prevent them from falling apart.
Flavor Variations:
You can mix these up depending on what’s in your fridge or what sounds good tonight.
- Hawaiian Style: Add grilled pineapple rings and teriyaki sauce.
- Tex-Mex: Mix in taco seasoning with the pork and top with avocado and spicy mayo.
- Carolina Style: Go with a vinegar-based BBQ sauce and top with tangy slaw.
- Cheesy BBQ: Stir in some shredded cheddar right into the pork before crisping it on the skillet.
- Buffalo Pork Burgers: Mix buffalo sauce into the pork and top with blue cheese and celery slaw.
Shredded pork burgers can lean sweet, spicy, smoky, or tangy—whatever vibe you’re going for.
🤔 Common Questions
Absolutely. These burgers are perfect for leftovers. Just reheat the pork in a skillet before using.
Pork shoulder or pork butt works best. Both are fatty enough to stay juicy and pull apart easily. Other bames for pork butt are: picnic roast, Boston butt, blade roast, or pork butt
Yes, they are both the upper portion of the pork shoulder. It's often called a "pork butt" or "Boston butt" in stores.
Both come from the shoulder of the pig, but pork butt is higher on the foreleg, while pork shoulder is farther down. As relatively tough and fatty cuts, both benefit from long, slow cooking methods such as roasting, stewing, and braising. Pork butt is often preferred for smoking and braising due to its higher fat content and uniform shape. Pork shoulder is also good for these methods, but it can also be roasted with the skin on for crispy results.
Yes! Freeze it in airtight containers or freezer bags. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in a skillet or microwave.
Try jackfruit as a sub—it shreds like pork and works great with BBQ sauce.
Coleslaw, pickles, crispy onions, sliced jalapeños, cheese, and of course, more BBQ sauce.
Leave a Reply