I’m not a huge fan of pork, but my husband is, so when I found out that Zaycon Foods had an oversupply of cases of pulled pork in my area, I jumped at the chance to grab a case at a great price. We don’t have a large freezer, so buying meats in bulk doesn’t work for us at the moment, but 10lbs. of pulled pork would be easy to portion and freeze, as opposed to the 40lbs. of chicken breasts we’ve gotten a few times in the past (when we had a chest freezer). If you’re interested in signing up for Zaycon Foods natural meat, produce, and dairy pick-ups, please use my referral link HERE.
Because I don’t care for pork, I typically don’t cook with it, so I needed to get creative to find ways to work with the pulled pork we purchased. I have great plans for this smoked pork: served traditionally on a bun with a nice homemade slaw, possibly pulled pork burritos, and this amazing pulled pork and leek pizza recipe.
I never follow a recipe exactly, unless I’m baking; recipes, for me, are guidelines for cooking times, ingredient suggestions, etc. So, this pulled pork pizza recipe is a little bit of other recipes, a lot of my own creation, and 100% delicious (my husband was impressed)!
I try to cook smartly, so this dish came about because I had pulled pork, a leftover leek, and two cauliflowers from a buy 1, get 1 sale at my local grocery store. Using a cauliflower crust was a stroke of brilliance on my part because the pork and leeks are a rich topping. I think that a traditional crust would be too heavy and possibly detract from the flavors and textures of the pork, leeks, and mozzarella.
CAULIFLOWER CRUST
I used The Detoxinista’s Perfect Cauliflower Crust Recipe for my pizza base, with just a few tweaks here and there. I didn’t have goat cheese on hand, but did have some Laughing Cow Light wedges, so I substituted four of those instead, and added a quarter cup of parmesan cheese. The oregano in the crust made my house smell like a pizza parlour while it was baking, and the end result was absolutely delicious. Light, firm, and incredibly tasty!
PULLED PORK & LEEK PIZZA
Again, I borrowed from another recipe to create my dish, taking what I wanted, leaving what I didn’t, and adding where I saw necessary. I used this Pulled Pork Pizza recipe from How Sweet It Is as my guideline, taking the pork, garlic, and the leeks, but leaving everything else.
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. smoked, pulled pork (shredded)
1 leek, sliced
4 cloves of roasted garlic
Buffalo Mozzarella (as much or as little as you choose)
1/4 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce (or your favorite bbq sauce), drizzled to taste
While my cauliflower crust was baking, I roasted four cloves of garlic (remove skins, place in foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast for 15 minutes or until cloves mash easily with a fork). When my garlic cloves were ready, I mashed them with a fork, to form a paste, and then mixed in with my smoked pulled pork and set aside. Using a tablespoon of olive oil, I sautéed my sliced leek (5-7 minutes) over medium heat and set aside. Once my crust was finished, I spread my pork mixture across the crust, sprinkled with my sautéed leeks, and dotted with my buffalo mozzarella. I drizzled with BBQ sauce (use a light hand here, the point is to give a flavor accent, not drench your pizza in sauce!), and sprinkled 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese over top. Place in 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Cut and serve hot.
*While the cauliflower crust is firm, it may be less messy to eat this pizza with a fork and knife, especially with the weight of the pork topping.
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