Bring on the pork.
There’s an old tradition that eating pork brings good luck for the new year — I’m all for it. I’m a pork fan any time, but if it ups my luck, I’ll happily double down.
And because I like to keep things indulgent, this time it’s on pizza. Yes, pizza. Delicious, slightly trashy, and completely normal in my kitchen.
Something odd is happening.
I’m noticing a shift in my cravings.
For most of my life I’ve had a serious sweet tooth — my family will attest to that. I could easily live on cookies and chocolate, especially around the holidays. This year has been different: I baked a mountain of cookies and barely touched any of them for nearly a week. That’s unusual for me.
Instead of reaching for sweets, I find myself choosing eggs and bacon, toast, or cheese. I still want a little something sweet after dinner, but the drive for constant dessert has faded. It feels like effortless self-control, or maybe it’s just a sign of growing up. Either way, it’s strange but welcome.
If you’re into this pizza the way I am, you may already have pulled pork in the fridge. This pizza is perfect for using leftover pulled pork — I shredded mine from a pulled pork recipe and kept extras in the freezer for eating over the next few days. Food-blog life means prepping and photographing ahead, then enjoying the results later. It’s like real life, accelerated.
I like to add a little drizzle of BBQ sauce on top because pork and cheddar practically beg for it. The result tastes like a pulled-pork sandwich transformed into a cheesy, caramelized pizza — in the best possible way.
Pulled Pork Pizza with Maple Leeks, Roasted Garlic and Aged Cheddar
1 pizza
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Ingredients
dough
- 1 1/8 cups warm water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 2/3 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
pizza
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cleaned and trimmed leeks, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 head roasted garlic
- 1 cup leftover pulled pork
- 4 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
- 6 ounces aged cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tablespoons BBQ sauce, for drizzling
Instructions
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In a large bowl, combine the warm water, yeast, honey, and olive oil. Stir and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the flour and the salt, mixing until the dough comes together but remains sticky. Form into a ball and knead in the remaining 2/3 cup flour on a floured surface for a few minutes. Rub the bowl with a little olive oil, return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
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Meanwhile, heat a skillet over medium-low and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the sliced leeks with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the maple syrup, cook one more minute, then remove from heat.
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Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the head and mash with a fork. In a bowl, combine the mashed garlic with the pulled pork and toss until evenly distributed.
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After the dough has risen, punch it down and shape it on a floured surface into your desired form. This dough makes one pizza large enough for 3–4 people if you shape it round, or you can do a rectangle on a baking sheet. Place the dough on a baking sheet or pizza peel, cover, and let rest 10 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 400°F. If using a pizza stone or skillet method, follow your usual process. Top the dough with fontina, then spread the maple leeks and pulled pork, and finish with aged cheddar. Bake 30–35 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Drizzle with BBQ sauce before or after slicing and serve.
Did you make this recipe?
Share your photo with the hashtag #howsweeteats — I always love to see your versions.
You could also pile this combination on a toasted pretzel roll and call it dinner. Just saying.