Tasty Pairs: 8 BEST Side Dishes for Pulled Pork Sandwiches

It’s amazing how many foods there are to make pulled pork sandwiches out of, and the flavor options go beyond your standard meat with BBQ sauce (although we’ll get to that).

Pulled pork is a food made from taking pork – usually shoulder cuts like Boston Butt or picnic ham – cooking it low & slow until it falls apart.

Then you take all of the meat off of the bones and shred it.

The resulting “pulled pork” is great in sandwiches or on its own, or even as nachos.

If you’ve never had a pulled pork sandwich, it’s a soft roll stuffed with shredded meat – usually with at least one sauce on the top and bottom of the bun.

Most places make their bread, but if you’re in a rush getting a plain hot dog bun at the supermarket is fine too.

Serving pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw is becoming increasingly popular, but you can also serve them with baked beans, mac, and cheese, or a fresh salad.

In this article, we will list eight different side dish recipes that go great with Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Why Consider Serving Side Dishes for Pulled Pork Sandwiches?

First and foremost, sometimes you want a few extra options.

It’s fun to experiment and try out new things, so why not experiment with side dishes? Pulled pork sandwiches are already simple enough as they are – no need to complicate them by making the same old sides as well.

However, there is another reason you might want to consider serving side dishes with pulled pork sandwiches: they bring out the dish’s flavor even more.

People will look at your meals and say, “Wow, this is a delicious sandwich”.

It’s important to note that not all side dishes will go along with pulled pork sandwiches, and that’s fine.

That’s the great thing about cooking – you can experiment to your heart’s content.

Some may work better than others, but there are always new things to try out.

What to Serve with Pulled Pork Sandwiches? 8 BEST Side Dishes

Here are 8 of the best side dishes to serve with pulled pork sandwiches.

1 – Potato Salad

This is a classic pulled pork sandwich accompaniment thanks to its mild flavor and creamy, slightly sweet taste.

It can be made in advance, so it’s ready when you are.

If you are not fond of mayonnaise, then this recipe will change your mind.

Come on; you know you love mayo.

To make it, boil some potatoes, combine them with mayonnaise, mustard, and chopped pickles along with a dash of paprika – that’s all.

You can make it the day before and leave it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Potato salad is one of my favorite side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

2 – Corn Pudding

You need to give this side dish a try with pulled pork sandwiches.

Creamy, sweet corn pudding is the perfect accompaniment to pulled pork.

It’s creamy and delicious and can be made in advance – bonus points for that.

Corn pudding is very simple to make. First, combine cornmeal with eggs, salt, sugar, and milk.

Then add some butter and stir until the mixture is thick – this will take about 5 to 10 minutes.

After that, place it in a baking dish (or multiple if you like) and bake for around 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit or until it’s brown and crispy on top.

This recipe is so easy, and you don’t even need a mixer.

3 – Cole Slaw

Coleslaw is another classic accompaniment to pulled pork – it can’t be beaten.

It’s perfect for soaking up all the pork juices, and it goes with so many other dishes, too, not just pulled pork sandwiches – trust me.

Coleslaw is traditionally made with a mayo dressing, but there are lots of other flavors on offer.

There’s a great recipe for spicy coleslaw that will go down a treat with pulled pork sandwiches.

It features jalapeno peppers, red pepper flakes, and sour cream – yum.

You can also make it sweet and crunchy with grated carrots, sweet red pepper, and green onions.

This is the perfect quick side dish for pulled pork sandwiches.

Be sure to make a lot because everyone will want seconds.

4 – Fried Grits Cakes

This is one of the best side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

Fried grit cakes are crispy on the outside, soft inside, and full of flavor – what’s not to love?

These are best served with eggs; you can even put them on egg yolk for the full-fried grit cakes experience. Yum.

To make these, combine half a cup of stone-ground yellow cornmeal, one cup of water, and two teaspoons of olive oil in a saucepan, then bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, remove from heat and spread the batter into a round cake.

Place in fridge for an hour, then cut into four pieces and coat with panko bread crumbs and eggs before frying them in oil.

Fried grit cakes are most definitely one of my favorite side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

5 – Crispy Onion Rings

These super-simple onion rings are the perfect side dish for pulled pork sandwiches – whoop.

These onion rings can be made in advance and stored in the fridge until you are ready to serve, so it’s another great recipe if you’ve got a lot going on.

Simply slice your onions and separate them into rings (use a food storage bag to make it easy), add a beaten egg and some breadcrumbs to the onions in the bag, seal it up and shake until they are coated.

Then fry them until they’re golden brown – yum. They’ll go perfectly with your pulled pork sandwiches.

6 – Instant Pot Collard Greens

Instant pot collard greens are one of the best side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

Rich and fragrant, they go perfectly with the smoky flavor of the meat.

This dish is super easy to make, and it’s packed full of flavor, not to mention nutrients.

Just steam your collard greens in the Instant Pot (you can buy one on Amazon here ), then add some onion and garlic, a dash of thyme, and salt and pepper.

You’ll love this recipe. Collard greens are always a winner when it comes to side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

7 – Cabbage With Leeks

This tasty side dish is perfect for pulled pork sandwiches.

It’s surprisingly simple to make, and it’ll add a unique flavor that you’re sure to love.

The cabbage is steamed in beef broth, so it caramelizes and has the most fantastic sweet flavor.

Then you add some leeks for an extra onion flavor that will work perfectly with the sweet cabbage.

This side dish is best served warm, it tastes great on its own, or you can serve it with tofu if you like.

It’s one of the best side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

8 – Simple Southern Succotash

Succotash is the perfect side dish for pulled pork sandwiches.

It’s super easy to make, and you probably already have everything you need in your kitchen.

This side dish is a Southern staple, and it’s naturally vegan so that everyone can enjoy it.

Succotash typically features corn and lima beans with some butter or bacon fat, but this simple version replaces the animal products with vegetable broth to make it vegan-friendly.

It’s best served warm, but that doesn’t mean you can’t eat it cold either.

Either way, you’ll love this side dish with pulled pork sandwiches.

Conclusion

In conclusion, pulled pork sandwiches are great for busy people who want to serve something special that won’t take hours in the kitchen.

Serving the good side dish is of utmost importance, so if you would like more options, check out these eight best side dishes for pulled pork sandwiches.

Thanks for reading.

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