Hindsight is 20/20.
One of the main ingredients in this mouth-watering teriyaki pulled pork is the teriyaki sauce. The entire ten minutes that I stood in the Asian foods aisle trying to decide which teriyaki sauce to buy, not once did it occur to me that I had ALL of the ingredients to make teriyaki sauce at home, for pennies on the dollar. Ouch. It’s finals week, I’m distracted, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!
Anyway, this recipe is ridiculously easy, almost guilt-inducingly delicious and has summer written all over it. Just load the slow-cooker up before you head out to work in the morning and let machine do it’s magic. Even the smell is enough to impress anyone who might walk into your house.
This recipe makes a ton but it freezes really well. I like to spoon single sandwich sized portions into freezer bags so that I can make one sandwich at a time later. Just be sure to label and date the bags so they don’t get lost and go to waste! The frozen meat/gravy mixture thaws easily in the microwave. Even left over buns can be frozen and thawed in the toaster when ready to eat!
Teriyaki Pork Sandwiches
Teriyaki Pork Sandwiches
Servings 8Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork butt roast, boston butt ($7.96)
- 1 medium sweet onion ($0.53)
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce ($1.99)
- 15 oz can pineapple slices ($1.27)
- 1 inch fresh ginger, optional ($0.13)
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)
- 8 pack hamburger/sandwich buns ($1.50)
Instructions
- Slice the onion and place it in the bottom of your slow cooker.
- Remove the pork roast from it’s wrapper and remove any netting surrounding the meat (if any). Cut the pork roast into a few large chunks and place in a single layer in the slow cooker. If desired, trim fat from the pork roast before placing in the slow cooker.
- Pour one cup of teriyaki sauce over the pork roast. Pour the juice from the can of pineapple into the slow cooker as well. Save the pineapple slices to top the sandwiches later. If using fresh ginger (I had some on hand so I added it just for fun), peel and grate it into the slow cooker.
- Cover the slow cooker and turn on high heat for two hours then reduce to low heat for another 4 hours. If you do not have a programmable slow cooker or are not home to adjust the heat, set the slow cooker on low for 8 hours.
- Carefully remove the lid after 6-8 hours and remove the pork chunks. They should fall apart and shred easily with a fork. Stir 3 Tbsp of flour into a half cup of water then whisk into the juices left in the slow cooker. Set the heat to high, put the lid on and let it simmer for 30 minutes. Stir once half way through.
- The juices should have thickened after adding the flour and simmering. Return the shredded meat to the pot and stir into the teriyaki gravy. Serve 1 cup of meat and gravy over a toasted bun with a pineapple slice on top!
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Step By Step Photos
Slice the onion and place it in the bottom of the slow cooker.
Remove the pork roast from the plastic and any netting that it may have. Don’t worry, pork “butt” roasts are not actually the butt… it’s the shoulder.
Cut the pork into a few large chunks so it can lay over the bottom of the slow cooker in an even layer. You want all of it to be surrounded by liquid, not just the bottom half.
See how nicely it fits now? Lay it right on top of the onions.
Open the can of pineapple slices and pour all of the juice onto the pork roast. Save the slices for the sandwiches later.
Pour one cup of teriyaki sauce into the pot as well. I had over half of this jar left but it’s good to keep teriyaki sauce in your fridge… it’s good on everything.
I grated some ginger over top of everything because I had some left over from another recipe. Place the lid on the slow cooker and turn it on (high for 2 hours then low for 4 OR low heat for 8 hours).
When you come home later, you won’t believe your nostrils! It may look ugly when you open the pot but it tastes as delicious as it smells.
Spoon the meat out of the flavorful soupy mix then shred it with a fork. It should be super soft and tender… just falling apart.
To make the teriyaki gravy, whisk a slurry of 3 Tbsp of flour and 1/2 cup of water into the juices that remain in the pot. Turn the heat up to high, put the lid on and let it simmer for 30 minutes. You can also do this in a sauce pan if it’s easier.
Once the teriyaki gravy has thickened, add the meat back in. Spoon a large glob of pork and gravy onto a toasted bun, top with a slice of pineapple and go to town.
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NOTE: I used some left over cilantro as a garnish for the photos and a little bit of it made it’s way onto my sandwich. WOW. The cilantro added just the right touch of bright, fresh flavor. So, consider stuffing a few sprigs of fresh cilantro under the bun. You probably won’t be disappointed.
I used the Budget Bytes teriyaki sauce recipe (it makes 1 cup, conveniently), but the end result was not great. It was really soupy and pale from the flour, even after simmering on high with the lid off as other commenters suggested. I’d recommend leaving the teriyaki sauce out at the beginning, then dumping it in at the end after the meat is cooked and letting it simmer for a bit. This would be a good candidate for a re-do since the recipe is from 2010. :)
The pork was too salty for me. Next time I will use low sodium teriyaki sauce. The toasted buns and the cool sweet pineapple slice added to the taste and texture. I used the leftover pork and gravy with some water and ramen. It was not salty and made a good broth. I stir fried some red bell pepper, spinach, and pineapple and added it to the broth.
With this recipe I inaugurated my slow cooker. It was a good choice: the meat is pretty good when eaten on its own but becomes the main star when eaten in a bun, pineapple slices and some salad complementing it well. I will try other pork recipes on this site.
This recipe was amazing! Really loved it! I used the same Teriyaki sauce in the pictures (Kikkoman) and followed the recipe exactly! I grilled the pineapple slices and served on Hawaiian buns, so good!
Where do you live? I got a 3.36# Boneless Pork Butt for $10.05/$2.99 a lb, Fresh ginger @$3.99 a lb about $.24 per oz , PACKAGE Teriyaki sauce $1.18 for 1# of pork (x3), Sweet Onions $l.89 pkg of 5 about $ .38 ea, DOLE canned pineapple $2.05, Buns $2.39 an 8 pack, Flour we always have… Our $19.68 vs your 13.38 for a family of 4 isnʻt bad – bought our items on sale… Thanks for the recipe. Iʻll make it this week. Will let you know how it came out using the package Teriyaki Sauce… ALOHA, Dianne
Made this and itʻs a keeper! THANK YOU! Used a small can pineapple juice, no pineapple and used package teriyaki sauce. Cooked it for 8 hours and shredded with the onions. Made cabbage slaw and it was a winner! Will continue to use this recipe…
Hi Beth,
How do you think this would be if instead of using pineapple slices, I put crushed pineapple in the slow cooker at the beginning and cooked it with the pork? I’m thinking of this for serving over rice, not as a sandwich.
I think that would be really delicious. :)
I didn’t like it at all this was one of the worst recipes I have ever tried. We ended up throwing it away.
It depends on the kind of teriyaki marinade you use.. I made mine with one called “yeri yeri teriyaki” and my fam looooved it! So I recommended it to my mom.. She used a different marinade and said it was really strong and too salty… Now I know I’ll always use that certain marinade because it’s been phenomenal everytime with it..
How well would this work with chicken instead of pork?
Thanks!
It would work great! :)
We just finished supper and I had to comment – this is DELICIOUS!!! And SO easy! Definitely a newfound family favorite.
This is one of our FAVORITE Budget Bytes recipes! (And we have many favorites to choose from.) So easy, so delicious, and it makes SO MUCH! Leftovers are seriously even better than the first time around almost every single time. :)
This was a pretty good recipe. Pork shoulder was on sale and I knew this site would have just the use for it. Slow cooking is always an easy task and this was no different. Holy cow, the kitchen smelled wonderful for hours.
The texture is not what I expected at all, though. The combination of the pulled pork and the gravy mixture almost gives the finished product a soupy, formless texture. I found that adding any more than 1/2 cup of the teriyaki pork just made the majority of the sandwich contents leak onto the plate.
Oh well, it’s mighty tasty and makes a ton. I’m probably going to finish off the buns and use the rest of the pork (and pineapple slices) with rice.
It’s sooooo delicious! :) Yum! :)
One question – can I freeze the leftovers?
Yes, that should work just fine. :)
Awesome! Thank you! :)
this would go like so great on hawaiian rolls. I’ve never made pork before, I’ll have to try this one, just looking at it’s making my mouth water
Made it tonight for dinner and husband loved it. I used pork loin instead because the grocery store had a BOGO free sale on it and I had to use some of it up.
Made this with a seeded jalapeno, minced garlic, and the chunks of pineapple also in the slow cooker. I also put in some ketchup and rice vinegar and……..sriracha! Yes, you have me addicted. We served it shredded on brown rice with scallions chopped on top, and it was spicy and incredible! YUM
I found this recently, tried it for a movie night w/ friends to feed 4 people – it was PERFECT. I had to make it gluten-free (which means I had to make a teriyaki sauce using gluten-free soy sauce, it’s the only change), and it turned out dynamite. We served it over jasmine rice with the pineapple ring on top, and everyone loved it. The Hubs INSISTS it goes into the “go-to” meals rotation. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
This is next week’s slow cooker recipe.
Absolutely delightful. Because I have a problem thickening sauces (it’s something in my genes — my father swears he fell in love with my mother because of her runny, lumpy turkey gravy), I ended up letting the sauce thicken for an extra fifteen minutes on high with the slow cooker lid off, which got it to the consistency I like. Paired this with your teriyaki sweet potatoes and big hunks of pineapple into teriyaki burritos. Because as a Californian I am apparently legally obligated to turn foods that shouldn’t be burritos into burritos.
hello, I love your blog. It is so inspiring. I’m trying to come up with my own recipes like this, but I’m such an amateur cook I am too scared to mess up. I only know how to cook certain foods, and am trying to venture out of my comfor zone!
i was wondering if I could bake this in the oven on low for a few hours inside of a dutch oven? i’ve seen online that it can be used as a replacement for slow cooking but have never tried. This looks delicious and I’ve been dying to try out another one of your recipes! Will definitely try out next week. I”m try trying to save space in my tiny kitchen and money by not having to get the crock pot =)
I just became a big fan of pulled pork about a year ago. Now I love collecting pulled pork recipes. Thanks for posting this! I made Crockpot Old South Pulled Pork on a Bun recently and it was delicious! Keep up the great work here!
This is the first recipe I’ve tried from your blog (the English Muffin recipe lured me in, but I have yet to try it). I have to say this is AMAZING and so simple. We didn’t have buns or cilantro on hand (next time), so we used french baguette and swiss cheese to complement the meat. So tasty! Now on to the English Muffins! (Oh, and thanks to Meridith for turning me on to your blog!)
Teriyaki sauce is basically just a mix of soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger and garlic (and sometimes a couple extras if you want to get fancy). If you want it to be thick and gooey like the stuff you buy in a bottle, you can heat the mixture up and stir in some corn starch. If you do a quick google search for teriyaki sauce recipe you’ll find a million :D
How would you make the teriyaki sauce at home? I’ve never thought of trying that, before.
Looks really good but I don’t eat pork. Have you ever used another kind of meat for this dish? If so do you need to make any changes to the other ingredients?
Also, I want to say that I love your blog. Great Job!
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I was looking for a “summer” slow cooker dish to try. This looks great!
Looks wonderful, Beth!