Spicy Pork Loin Sliders
Pork loin doesn't get the respect it deserves. Everyone reaches for tenderloin because it's quick and easy, but a whole pork loin rewards a little patience with something tenderloin just can't match: real bite, and a surface built to hold onto a good glaze.
These sliders are proof. I take a pork loin low and slow on the grill until it hits 145°F internally, which usually runs about two hours depending on the size of the loin. Cut it into smaller sections first if you want to speed things up and give the rub more surface area to grab onto. While it cooks, I bring Croix Valley Hot 'n Spicy Sauce to a simmer with the same rub I used on the meat, then brush that glaze on in layers as the loin finishes. It builds a sticky, spicy bark that's worth the wait.
Slice it thin, pile it onto a buttered, toasted slider bun with some soft fried onions and a little lettuce for crunch, then finish with an extra drizzle of sauce before you close it up. Quick to eat. Not quite as quick to cook. That's the tradeoff for real flavor.
Spicy Pork Loin Sliders
Damon Holter
Pork
Pork loin is a fantastic cut for the grill, as it is a blank canvas that will take anything you throw at it and cooks up easily. Utilizing peppers for heat and flavor in this recipe will give your dish a kick, but it is as easy to tone down or omit the pepper for those with a more tender palate.
Ingredients
- Pork Loin
- Slider Buns
- Spreadable Butter
- Onions
- Shredded Lettuce
- Croix Valley Hot 'N Spicy Sauce & Marinade
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Directions
Heat grill to 325 degrees.
Trim any excess fat from the pork loin and cover all sides with remaining rub. Place on grill.
Cook until internal temperature reaches a minimum of 145 degrees and desired tenderness is achieved, approximately 2 hours (depending on the size of your loin). Cutting the loin into smaller sections will decrease the cooking time and give you more surface area to apply the rub, thereby increasing the heat level.
Combine Hot 'N Spicy Sauce with rub. Heat in pot over grill or on the stove until it begins to boil. Brush sauce over pork on grill and allow to set. Continue brushing with sauce on the grill as desired.
Remove pork from grill and allow to rest prior to cutting.
Slice onions and fry with olive oil or melted butter in cast iron pan on grill until soft and transparent.
Brush insides of slider buns with butter and place butter side down on grill until buns begin to toast and get brown and crisp.
Thinly slice pork loin.
To assemble sliders, place lettuce on bottom, then stack with pork loin, top with onions, drizzle with additional sauce, and finish with top bun.
