Slow-Roasted Pork Tenderloin BBQ Sandwiches
Season pork tenderloins with steak seasoning, salt and pepper, and brown them on all sides in hot bacon fat in a cast-iron skillet, about 5 minutes. Roast at 350° for 15 minutes, pour barbecue sauce over the pork, and return the skillet to the oven until it reaches 145°. Rest the meat under foil for 10 minutes, slice it thin, and pile it onto soft buns with extra sauce, coleslaw and pickles.
Sliced pork sandwiches are the ultimate casual crowd food, and using tenderloin makes them leaner and faster than the traditional shoulder without losing an ounce of comfort. Browned in a hot skillet, roasted, then glazed with barbecue sauce until it caramelizes, then sliced thin and piled onto soft rolls, the pork makes a sandwich that is smoky, sweet, tangy, and utterly satisfying. It is the kind of hands-on, help-yourself meal that suits a game day or a backyard afternoon perfectly.
Slow-Roasting the Pork
The goal is tenderness. Season the tenderloins well, brown them hard in the skillet, then roast them at 350° so the lean meat stays juicy — pulling it at 145° is what keeps it from drying out. Pour the barbecue sauce over the pork for the last stretch in the oven so it thickens and caramelizes, then rest the meat under foil before you slice it, so the juices settle back in rather than running out onto the board.
Sauce, Slice & Build
Once rested, slice the pork thin, so each slice carries a little of that caramelized sauce without being drowned in it. Pile the sliced pork onto soft rolls, and top it however you like: a crisp slaw for crunch, a few pickles for tang. The soft roll, the tender sauced slices, and a bit of crunch are all a great barbecue sandwich needs. Set out extra sauce for the enthusiasts.
Slow-Roasted Pork Tenderloin BBQ Sandwiches
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°.
- Heat the bacon fat in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
- Season the tenderloins with steak seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Place the tenderloins in the hot fat (it will spit back at you, so be careful). Brown the pork on all sides, about 5 minutes.
- Use a potholder to place the skillet into the oven. Roast the pork for 15 minutes.
- Carefully (remember that potholder) remove the skillet from the oven.
- Pour 1 cup (or more) barbecue sauce over the pork.
- Return the skillet to the oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 145°, about 5 to 10 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven.
- Cover the meat with aluminum foil and rest for 10 minutes.
- Transfer to your work surface and cut into thin slices.
- Pile sliced pork onto each bun. Top with extra sauce, coleslaw, and pickles. Yee haw!
The Heart of the Table
There is easy generosity in a platter of barbecue pork sandwiches set out for a crowd — casual, abundant, and made for everyone to dig in. To roast pork and pile it high for friends is unfussy hospitality at its best, the kind of relaxed, saucy, hands-on meal that suits an afternoon of good company and no particular occasion.
The Art of the Host
A cast-iron skillet and a 350° oven are all this requires — you brown the pork on the stovetop and slide the same pan straight into the heat. Rest the pork under foil before slicing so it stays juicy, keep the sauce to a coat rather than a flood, and warm the rolls so they hold up to it. Keep extra sauce and a crisp slaw on hand for everyone to build their own.
Neighborly Grace
- The Preparation: The pork can be roasted and sauced ahead and gently rewarmed, so serving is really just slicing it and piling it onto rolls when guests arrive. It holds warm beautifully and scales up easily for a crowd, which makes it an ideal make-ahead centerpiece for a casual, come-and-go gathering.
- The Pour: An ice-cold lager or a hoppy pale ale is the classic barbecue match. For a non-alcoholic option, a sweet tea or a dark ginger beer suits the smoky-sweet, saucy pork.
- The Vibe: This is casual, help-yourself comfort — set out the sliced pork, the soft rolls, and the fixings, and let everyone build their own sandwich. It is a relaxed, crowd-pleasing spread made for a game day, a porch, or a laid-back afternoon with friends.