Inside: Pulled pork is a wondrous thing. It’s cheap, easy to make, adaptable, and makes a lot of dinners. Here are my favorite leftover pulled pork recipes.
Today I’d like to introduce you to what I view as the 8th wonder of the world. Now, you might think I’m talking about some ancient architecture or natural geological formation, but I’m not.
Nope. This is ‘Merica, after all. I’m talking about meat.
I love me a good steak or a hamburger. Fish, shellfish, and chicken are also served a-plenty in my house. But, there’s one problem: all this meat is goddamn costly, especially since we’re on an epic never-ending quest to trim down our grocery bill.
Enter pulled pork.
The Wonders Of Leftover Pulled Pork
I know, I know. This meaty dish doesn’t seem like much at first pass. But let me explain.
The shoulder roast cut used in pulled pork is hella cheap. It’s $1.79/lb at our grocery store, and that’s it’s normal non-salesy price. That’s half as much as the “cheap” ground beef at our market.
Pulled pork makes a ton of meals. One 8-pound shoulder roast will net me and Zach 4-5 meals. That works out to about $1.42 per serving—see if your local BBQ joint can beat that!
Pulled pork is also super adaptable. We have our basic no-frills recipe we use for each roast. Squeeze some BBQ sauce on it and plop it on a sandwich and bam! You have a nice BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Plop some plain pulled pork on a taco and sprinkle on some cotija cheese and avocado wedges and bam! You have pulled pork tacos.
As Zach can tell you, I’m no cooking expert. That’s another reason why I love pulled pork: while my beef roasts generally turn into an inedible chunk of fossilized shoe leather, I have yet to make anything less than a perfect, juicy, tender pulled pork roast. Less wasted meat = better for the environment and for your wallet.
Our Favorite Basic Pulled Pork Recipe
Our process goes like this: we’ll cook the pulled pork using our favorite basic recipe. You can use any recipe, but pick one that’s free of any sauces or unique flavorings so you can use the leftover pulled pork in other recipes later.
Once it’s cooked I’ll shred it like a mad fiend and obsessively pick out the fatty bits. Because ain’t no one like getting a big ‘ol fat globber. Then we’ll each divvy out a serving for dinner and package the rest up for the freezer.
We’ve found that a single quart-sized bag full of pork holds about two servings perfectly. When we’re ready to reheat it, we just let it thaw and then microwave it. Then we stuff it in our faces for dinner again.
Related: We love using this Instant Pot to cook all our pulled pork meals.
Our Favorite Leftover Pulled Pork Recipes
Once we cook the basic pulled pork, we can easily adapt the leftovers to any of these recipes. Bon appetit!
- Pork Gyros with Tzatziki and Sweet Chili Sauce – Simply Stacie
- Smothered Sweet Pork Burritos – Mel’s Kitchen Café
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Chili – Slow Cooker Gourmet
- Pork Verde Enchiladas – The Magical Slow Cooker
- Pulled Pork Quesadilla – Num’s The Word
- Triple Cheese Barbecue Pork Stuffed Shells – Small Town Woman
- Pulled Pork Nachos – Family Fresh Meals
- Pulled Pork Pasta Bake – Slimming Eats
- Slow Cooker Pork Tacos With Sour Cream Avocado Sauce – Stuck On Sweet
- Loaded BBQ Pork Potato Casserole – Mom On Timeout
Related post: How To Make Your Own Homemade Yogurt: Easy And Way Cheaper
What are your favorite pulled pork recipes? Do you have any other cheap cuts of meat you like? Leave a comment below!
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Zach’s girl is the bomb! Pulled pork and bacon are the best two food groups ever. My one daughter is a vegan and my other daughter won’t eat pork, ever, and I pity their poor future life partners. My farm raised wife loves her some hog meat so like Zach I’m a happy guy.
Ha, sounds like you have a great wife too! My mom grew up on a farm and we used to have hog roasts at my grandparent’s farm all the time when I was a kid. I really miss it!
My wife and I make our pulled pork in the crock pot and tend to stick to the traditional BBQ sandwich, but these recipes look great. We’ll have to try them next time. In a couple of weeks, we’re actually going to a pulled pork competition so we expect to find a variety of ways to serve it there.
Nothing wrong with BBQ sandwiches. I could eat those all day. A pulled pork competition sounds amazing – have a great time!
Yum!!! It’s amazing how much money cooking at home can save 😉 I just discovered a pressure cooker and it’s the best thing ever!
I know, right? Pressure cookers are the bomb! (hopefully not literally, of course!) 😀
Hi Lindsay!
I came across this blog on Twitter. I love these recipes! I’m a BBQ pitmaster, but when I don’t have time to fire up my smoker, I use the same concepts in the oven- I don’t have a slow-cooker. The key is “low and slow”. Then you can focus on the sauce, which is key!
One other way your readers can save a TON of money is to roast your own coffee! In addition to being AMAZING, a pound of green coffee costs less than $5. You can buy a roaster for $299 and it will pay for itself in less than 6 months.
Just FYI. Thanks for the resource here!
Chris Acker, CLU, ChFC
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