This Protein-Packed BBQ Pork Stuffed Sweet Potato Is Weeknight-Ready
Some things just taste better stuffed into sweet potatoes, and pulled pork is one of them! This recipe is a repeat offender in our household as it’s incredibly filling and flavorful, thanks to the juicy, slightly sweet, and tangy shredded pork and buttery melt-in-your-mouth sweet potatoes, with coleslaw adding some acidity and brightness to round out the dish. It also packs in tons of protein and fiber, helping to replenish lost nutrients and optimize digestion, and it makes great leftovers! See the Note if you want to use your pressure cooker or slow cooker to cook the pork.
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 4 hours, or 8-10 hours in a slow cooker
Makes 6 (large servings)
Pulled pork
- 2 tablespoons coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 4 to 6 large pieces
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1½ cups bone broth
Sweet potatoes
- 6 small to medium orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (such as garnet yams), whole, rinsed and patted dry
Coleslaw
- ½ cup avocado oil mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 (16-ounce) package organic coleslaw mix
To serve
- 2 cups barbecue sauce (look for a brand with minimal ingredients and that is refined-sugar-free)
- 2 to 4 tablespoons grass-fed ghee (optional)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 300°F.
- For the pulled pork: In a small bowl, combine the coconut sugar, paprika, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Rub the mixture evenly into the pork pieces. Heat the avocado oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. In batches, add the pork and sear, turning, until browned, 1 to 2 minutes per side.
- Return all of the pork to the Dutch oven and add the bone broth. Cover, transfer to the oven, and cook for 3 hours. Uncover and cook for 1 to 2 additional hours, until the pork is completely tender but crisped up around the edges.
- For the sweet potatoes: Meanwhile, at the 2-hour mark, start the sweet potatoes. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and place the whole sweet potatoes on the sheet. Bake for 1 hour, then flip and bake for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, until the sweet potatoes are completely soft and fragrant. Slit each one in half lengthwise and let cool.
- For the coleslaw: When the pork and sweet potatoes are almost finished cooking, mix the mayonnaise, maple syrup, vinegar, mustard, and salt together in a large bowl. Add the coleslaw mix and stir well to combine.
- To serve: Transfer the pork to a medium bowl and use two forks to shred. It should fall apart easily. Stir in the barbecue sauce and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Brush a bit of ghee onto the cut side of each sweet potato half for extra buttery flavor if desired, then heap on a generous amount of pulled pork. Top with the coleslaw, or serve it on the side.
NOTE: To cook the pork in a slow cooker or pressure cooker, first sear the seasoned pork in a large stovetop skillet or utilize the saute method in the pressure cooker. For the slow cooker, combine the pork and bone broth in the cooker and set it for 4 to 6 hours on high, or 8 to 10 hours on low (the longer, the more tender). For the pressure cooker, combine the pork and bone broth in the cooker and set to high pressure for 1 hour, then allow the pressure to manually release for 10 to 15 minutes. Follow the remaining instructions accordingly, and make sure to give yourself 2 hours to cook the sweet potatoes.
Excerpted from HORMONE HEALTHY EATS by Lauren Chambers. Copyright © 2026 by Lauren Chambers. Photograph by Eva Kolenko. Used with permission of Little, Brown Spark, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.