Pulled pork pizza is a delicious twist on barbecue, giving you smoky pork, melty cheese, and a crisp crust in every bite. Whether you use classic barbecue sauce or switch it up with new flavors, it’s a fun and easy way to celebrate pizza night.
Find more leftover pulled pork recipes here.
My family is a huge fan of making pulled pork. It’s super easy to throw a pork shoulder roast in the slow cooker, but it is extra special when smoked over the grill. And no matter how we make it, we are guaranteed with lots of leftover pulled pork!
Another family favorite meal is the pizza, of course. So why not make some leftover pulled pizza?
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Laura says :
Why this recipe works
- Economical: Pulled pork is usually made from inexpensive cuts of pork and homemade pizza dough is super easy to make and budget friendly.
- Easy: You can make it all by hand or use store bought pizza dough and sauce to whip up a quick semi-homemade pizza.
- Versatile: Keep it simple or add all the toppings to make it gourmet.
- Flavor: Combining two favorite comfort foods into one fabulous meal!
- Family Friendly: Pizza is one of those meals that everyone in my family loves and everyone can customize their own pizza to their liking.
- Kid Friendly: My daughter is always on board to make homemade pizza dough. So if you have kids, employ them to help with the dinner making!
Ingredients you need
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- Yeast: You can use active dry yeast or instant dry yeast.
- Extra virgin olive oil: You can use a mild or pungent olive oil for the pizza dough.
- All purpose flour: Some people like to use bread flour for pizza dough. This is also fine.
- Marinara sauce: You can use store bought or homemade marinara.
- Barbecue sauce: You can use homemade or store bought barbecue sauce. I loved this pizza with my honey barbecue sauce.
- Corn meal: Adding a layer of corn meal between the pizza dough and the pizza pan helps keep the pizza from sticking while it bakes.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese: Of course, you can also use traditional mozzarella cheese, but sharp cheddar really compliments the pulled pork. You can also use a combination of cheeses.
- Leftover pulled pork: You can use plain pulled pork or sauce laden pork. You can also use carnitas. I love using my leftovers from my crispy oven pulled pork.
- Red onion: You can also use sweet Vidalia onions.
- Fresh cilantro and arugula: I also love adding fresh herbs and greens to my pizza. You can omit if you do not care for it or use parsley or green onions instead.
Step-by-step directions
- Bloom the yeast. Combine yeast and warm water and wait until mixture is creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in cold water and olive oil, then the remaining dough ingredients. I used instant yeast, which doesn’t need this blooming time so I added everything together at once.
- Form the dough. Mix everything together using a fork or a rubber scraper until sticky dough forms. You want a simple blob where flour is mostly incorporated.
- Knead the dough. Place your pizza blob on well-floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes. Press the heel of your hand into the dough and press. Fold the dough and do it over and over. Use those muscles! You are done when the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic.
- Proof the dough. Cover dough with towel, in a bowl and cover for 15 minutes. Knead dough again for a few more minutes then form a smooth ball. Place your dough ball in a lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
At this point, your pizza dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours. Flour covered dough can also be placed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to 1 month. When ready to use, make sure pizza dough is at room temperature before continuing to next step.
- Mix sauce. In a small bowl, mix together marinara and barbecue sauce.
- Spread dough. Prepare a 9-inch pizza pan by scattering corn meal evenly over it. Spread dough onto the pan and add spread bbq-marinara sauce evenly over the pizza dough.
- Add toppings. Spread shredded cheese evenly over the sauce. Place pulled pork and onions over the cheese.
- Bake. Bake for about 10-15 minutes in a 500ºF oven, or until cheese is brown and bubbly. Garnish top of pizza with cilantro and arugula and serve.
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For extra flavor brush crust with olive oil and sprinkle some garlic powder on it.
Recipe tips and FAQs
I used to fail miserably with homemade yeast breads because I was always chasing the warm spots of the house for my bread to rise. My new oven has a proof option, creating the perfect cozy temperature for yeast doughs to rise.
Sometimes even with the proof setting, the oven gets too warm, so I set it to proof for a minute and then shut it off. You can also stick a rolled up dish towel in the oven door to prop it open to keep it from getting too hot.
Think of it this way. You want a warm and cozy room, not a hot sauna. It should only take an hour or two for it to double in size. Again, this all depends on how friendly and warm your space is. If it is taking too long, you need a warmer space.
Unlike mixing a cake, kneading the pizza dough insures that the bands of gluten in your dough is strong and that your bread or pizza crust will hold its shape. So let out your aggressions! Your hard work will yield you a smooth and slightly elastic dough.
Want more comfort foods that use up leftover pulled pork? Try my pulled pork mac and cheese or my pulled pork nachos!
Storing/Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Store any leftover pizza in an airtight container or wrap in foil and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftover pizza. Wrap in foil or transfer to a resealable bag or freezer safe container and freeze for up to 4 months.
You can keep your pulled pork pizza simple or jazz it up with more toppings. Some fun garnishes you can add to your finished pizza are fresh cilantro, green onions, arugula, jalapeño slices, bell peppers, olives or even slices of pickles.
Breads do not reheat well in the microwave as it turns gummy and can also harden like a rock. Prefer reheating leftover pizza in the toaster oven. If you don’t have a toaster oven, place it in a hot oven instead and warm until cheesy is melty.
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Pulled Pork Pizza
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoon active dry yeast
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ⅔ cups sifted all purpose flour plus ¼ cup for kneading
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup marinara sauce
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- 2 teaspoon corn meal
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup leftover pulled pork
- ¼ cup chopped red onion
- 1 tablespoon diced fresh cilantro
- Handful of fresh arugula
Instructions
- In a measuring cup combine yeast and warm water. Wait until mixture is creamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in cold water and olive oil.
- In a medium bowl mix flour and salt with a fork. Pour yeast mixture into the flour mixture.
- If using instant yeast, combine everything together at once.
- Mix together until a sticky dough forms then transfer to a well-floured surface and knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
- Cover dough with towel, in a bowl and cover for 15 minutes.
- Knead dough again and place dough in a greased bowl and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
- At this point, the pizza dough can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours.
- Flour covered dough can also be placed in a freezer bag and placed in a freezer for up to 1 month. When ready to use, make sure pizza dough is at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 500ºF.
- In a small bowl, mix together marinara and barbecue sauce.
- Prepare 9-inch pizza pan by scattering corn meal evenly over it.
- Spread dough onto prepare pan and add spread bbq-marinara sauce evenly over the pizza dough.
- Scatter shredded cheese evenly over the sauce. Top with pulled pork and onions.
- Bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is brown and bubbly.
- Garnish pizza with cilantro and arugula and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Bashar
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my family’s favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Let’s cook up something fun!
