Whiskey Pulled Pork and Waffles
Saddle up for WHISKEY PULLED PORK and WAFFLES! Succulent slow cooker pork with root beer and whiskey served over savory cheddar waffles with apple arugula slaw and a drizzle of whiskey honey syrup. This recipe brings the goods with layers of incredible flavor!
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Why you need this recipe
I love chicken and waffles, because who doesn’t let’s be honest. Crunchy fried chicken, pillowy waffles, and sweet syrup all sounds like they shouldn’t go to together but yes, yes they sure do.
I have a couple chicken and waffle recipe myself. My Honey Sriracha Pulled Chicken and Waffles with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing also uses a slow cooker. My Honey Beer BBQ Chicken and Waffles cooks on the grill. I’ve even made adorably cute waffle sliders too.
With all that inspiration, I wanted to try my hand using pulled pork with waffles. My husband gave me a load of crap cooking the pork in the slow cooker rather than smoking it outside, but I was feeling lazy. You can feel lazy and use a slow cooker too. Or not. Nobody cares.
As for the waffles, apple arugula slaw, and whiskey honey syrup… these are all inspired with such great flavors. I was super happy with how this recipe came out, after it had lived in my head for so long. It is hard to describe just how tasty each component is and how they come together so perfectly. I hope you will love this recipe too.
About the ingredients
All of the ingredients listed in the recipe card below are easy to find, relatively affordable, and approachable. Root beer goes with whiskey SO well (like in my ribs recipe YUM), so that was a no-brainer pairing. Arugula and apple also work together like a dream, like in my stuffed pork recipe. Harmonious flavors singing to my soul in my whiskey pulled pork and waffles.
For any ingredients where I link to an Amazon link, that is to give you an idea of what I used. The Amazon Affiliate program pays literal pennies, seriously.
Preparation Tips
The whiskey pulled pork can be cooked in advance and reheated. Same goes for the whiskey honey syrup.
I wouldn’t make the apple arugula slaw too far in advance. Per my directions below, we toss the shredded apple in lemon juice for flavor and to prevent browning, so this buys some time, but I wouldn’t push it further than a couple hours.
The waffles should be cooked fresh. Also, cook them well (i.e. nice and golden brown). I have yet to figure out how to make waffles in advance and keep them soft and yummy, but I’ll keep working on it. The cheese helps stabilize the waffles so they don’t fall apart with what all is going on top of them.
This recipe is based on my classic Sunday Morning Buttermilk Waffles.
Whiskey Pulled Pork and Waffles
Equipment
Ingredients
For the pork:
- 3 to 4 lb Boston butt pork roast
- Pork Grill Rub or dry rub of choice
- ½ cup root beer
- ¼ cup whiskey bourbon
For the waffles:
- 1 ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 4 oz finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- cooking spray
For the Apple Arugula Slaw:
- 1 cup arugula
- 1 cup purchased shredded cabbage mix
- 1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and shredded
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp ranch dressing of choice
For the whiskey honey syrup:
- 1 cup root beer
- 1 cup whiskey bourbon
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
Cook the pork
- Rub the dry rub all over the pork generously to coat.
- Place the pork roast in the slow cooker. Pour root beer and whiskey over.
- Cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Shred.
Prepare the whiskey honey syrup
- Add these ingredients to a small saucepan. Simmer on medium heat until reduced to the consistency of syrup.
- If mixture gets too thick, add a little more root bear to thin it back out.
Prepare the Apple Arugula Slaw
- In a medium bowl, toss the apple in the lemon juice.
- Add the remaining ingredients for the slaw. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook the waffles
- Whisk together the ingredients for the waffle batter, stirring in the cheese last.
- Using cooking spray for each waffle, prepare waffles according to the directions for your waffle iron. You want to cook them to a deep golden brown.
Assemble and serve
- Layer a waffle and top with pulled pork, apple arugula slaw, and a drizzle of whiskey honey syrup.
