Amazing Recipes for Pulled Pork Leftovers (2024)

FAQs

What to do with over cooked pulled pork? ›

Further, dry, overcooked pulled pork can also be improved by simply making it an ingredient in a larger dish. A pulled pork sandwich slathered in condiments and coleslaw will taste moist and delicious no matter how dry it starts out.

Add a stick of butter to the top of the meat. Note: I was short on butter while taking these pictures so I had to use a half stick on each pan to make it work. That was enough but in my opinion, a whole stick is best. During the reheating process, the butter will melt and juice up the meat.

USDA recommends using cooked pork within three to four days, kept refrigerated (40 °F or less). Refrigeration slows but does not stop bacterial growth. USDA recommends using cooked leftovers within three to four days.

Stir-frying: Cut your pork into thin slices or small cubes and use it in a stir-fry. The quick, high-heat cooking, combined with a sauce, will infuse moisture and flavor into the pork. Applying a bit of baking soda is said to help but I prefer to use rice wine vinegar.

You can slow cook it in a slow cooker or oven at a low temperature for several hours until it's fully cooked and tender. This will help break down the tough connective tissues and collagen in the meat, resulting in a succulent and tender pork belly.

Additionally, spray chicken broth or apple juice on the meat to prevent it from losing more moisture in the crockpot. To add a strong flavor during the process, white wine can also be sprayed.

For an all-American classic, I use a mix of ketchup, grainy mustard, apple cider vinegar, and Coca-Cola. Your liquid should not cover your pork in the slow cooker: it should only come up about a quarter of the way up the sides. The pork will make more liquid as it cooks, and you need to leave room for that.

Reheating your pulled pork in the oven is easy, simple, and probably the best way to reheat a lot of pre-shredded meat. Place your whole butt or shredded pork in an ovenproof dish and add in a little liquid to replace some of the lost moisture. This can be apple juice, cider vinegar, broth, or a thick BBQ sauce.

Leftover pulled pork can be kept in the fridge for up to 3-4 days if stored properly in an airtight container. If you have a large amount of leftover pulled pork that you know you won't be able to eat within that time frame, you can freeze it for longer storage.

What is the food poisoning in pulled pork? ›

Trichinellosis, more commonly known as trichinosis, is a parasitic food-borne disease that is caused by eating raw or undercooked meats, particularly pork products infested with the larvae of a type of roundworm called Trichinella.

It's also important to note that pulled pork or carnitas may look, smell, and taste just fine if left out at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. But per the USDA, pathogenic bacteria, which grow in the danger zone and cause food-related infections, don't affect the aesthetics of the food in question.

The very best way to reheat leftover pork chops is low and slow with a little extra moisture — you can use either broth or water with great results. While you can reheat pork tenderloin in a pan or use a cast iron to reheat lamb chops, pork chops really do reheat best in the oven.

Your dog can eat pork as long as there is no seasoning, sauces, condiments, onions or other ingredients that can be potentially toxic. Pork has a high fat content, which is why it's better suited for treat time every once in a while than added to your dog's diet as a staple.

Smothering it with barbecue sauce would probably help, but my favourite thing to do with leftover or less than successful carnitas is a pasta sauce. I just add the meat to a good tomato sauce with appropriate seasoning and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Of course you can slow pork too long. You can overcook anything, even with moist heat. Once the meat has cooked completely, become tender and the collagen transforms into gelatin, further cooking will only pull moisture from the meat. It will just become dryer and dryer, even if it is partially submerged in liquid.

The fat can be used for cooking vegetables for a stew, crisping up meat carnitas-style, or as an aroma oil for a bowl of ramen. Pork drippings add meaty, savory depth to anything and everything, from ragù to beans to fried rice.

Cooking Temperature of Pork

Pork today is very lean, making it important to not overcook and follow the recommended pork cooking temperature. The safe internal pork cooking temperature for fresh cuts is 145° F. To check doneness properly, use a digital cooking thermometer.