8 Great Ways For You to Use Leftover Pulled Pork

8 Great Ways For You to Use Leftover Pulled Pork

So you’ve cooked up your latest pork butt and turned it into the best pulled pork you have ever eaten. And like most times you have had a massive feed and there is no way you can finish off what is left. What do you do with the leftovers?

Food Safety

Like any good food safety practices you need to ensure that you store your leftovers in an appropriate manner. Pulled pork is typically OK in the fridge for 3-4 days and I have also heard that if it is a smoked pulled pork it may be good for up to 7 days, this is due to the cooking mechanism and the interaction of nitrates and nitrites. Now I am no food scientist and for me and my family I would err on the safe side and freeze anything that I am not planning to use within 3-4 days.

The first important steps are to get those leftovers cooled down to below 5C [41F] as quickly as possible. If you have a large portion that is left, ensure that you monitor how quickly this cools.

A great tip is to divide the pulled pork leftovers into small lots so that the cooling process is as quick as possible. I also find it useful to divide the leftovers into approximate serving sizes, this makes it quick and easy to cool and freeze. Just be sure to label appropriately so you can keep a track of what is in the fridge/freezer. By dividing into serving sizes it also makes it super easy to defrost just the right amount for your next meal.

Planning

Now that you have your leftovers chilling in the fridge or freezer you will need to decide on what to do with them. Sure pulled pork makes an awesome lunch sandwich, but it can also be so much more. Pulled pork is such an economical thing to BBQ as one cut is likely to give you enough meat for a couple of meals.

Decisions decision, that is always the hardest part. I have put together some of what I think is the best ideas and recipes for making the most of your leftover pulled pork.

The Basics

I am pretty sure that most of you will have tried a pulled pork at some point, if not you can check out my attempt on the Kamado here. It was awesome and will probably be doing one on most Sundays. Two reasons – some work lunches and a couple of nights worth of meals. For some additional pulled pork inspiration check out these videos.

Get inspired

There is almost no limit on what you can use leftover pulled pork for. Almost any recipe you can think of can be modified to add leftover pulled pork. 

Here is my goto list for inspiration and ideas: