Easy Back-to-School Meals #4: Shredded BBQ Pork Pizza

Here is my last photographed use for the shredded pork I made in the slow cooker.  My apologies for how lousy these pictures are, but we were hungry and just snapped some quick shots.  Please don't let the lousiness of the photos deter you from trying this.

We love this pizza so much that now I purposely try to stash some of the shredded pork in a ziploc in the freezer.  That way, when the mood strikes, we already have the topping prepared and can just grab some of the shredded meat straight out of the freezer to top our pizza with before baking.  If you take the meat out of the freezer when you get started on your pizza dough, by the time (about 30 minutes) that you are ready to top the dough it will be thawed enough to easily pull apart and sprinkle.

This pizza is so good, the first time we made it, we ended up making it 3 times that week!

Slow Cooker Shredded Pork
Original Recipe

1 5-6 lb pork butt or should roast, preferably boneless, but bone-in is fine too
3 cups orange juice or zest and juice from 3 large oranges (optional)
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed and coarsely chopped (or just smashed)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Enough water to almost cover the roast

Season the pork roast with the salt and pepper.  If using the citrus zest(s) rub that all over the meat as well.  Place the roast in the slow cooker.  Add the juice, garlic and water.  Cover and turn the slow cooker on low heat for 8-10 hours or high heat for 5-6 hours.  The roast is ready when it is falling apart in the slow cooker.  Remove the pork to a large plate or dish and use two forks to shred and pull the meat apart, discarding any bits of fat.  Serve as desired, hot or cold, in any of several uses.  The possibilities are endless.

NOTE:  For a sweet version of the pork combine the shredded pork in a large baking dish with 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar and 4 tablespoons of melted butter.  Bake the pork in a 400 degree oven for 10 minutes until some edges brown, crisp and caramelize.

For the BBQ Pork Pizza:

DOUGH:

3 Cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon instant yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 

1 1/2 cups warm water

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a large bowl (preferably a stand-mixer with dough hook attachment) whisk together the flour, yeast, sugar and salt.  Make a well and add the water and olive oil.  Mix throughly and knead the dough until it is smooth and just slightly tacky.  Add a little extra water or flour to get the consistency.  It will be a fairly soft dough.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover.  Allow to rise till about doubled in size, approximately 30 to 40 minutes.  Turn the dough out onto a well oiled baking sheet and spread until the pan is covered.  

For the pizza:

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.

Top the dough in the pan with enough BBQ sauce to make a layer of sauce.  Sprinkle about 1 cup of the shredded pork over the sauce.  Top with a mixture of your favorite shredded cheeses - I like a mixture of mozzarella, monterey jack and cheddar.

Bake the pizza for 10 to 12 minutes or until the cheeses are melted and just browning.