Melissa d'Arabian's 10 Ways to Use Pork Shoulder

Melissa d'Arabian gives Food Network Magazine one pork recipe with 10 easy twists.

From: Food Network Magazine

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Photo By: Kat Teutsch

©Ben Fink Photography

Photo By: Kat Teutsch

All-Purpose Pork Shoulder

Ten Dollar Dinners host Melissa d'Arabian does all sorts of things to save money on food, but she has one major weakness: She doesn't like leftovers. "I'm notorious for not wanting to eat the same thing two days in a row," she says. Pulled pork, however, is an exception. You can turn it into completely different meals — Mexican one night, barbecue sandwiches the next.

Get the Recipe: All-Purpose Pork Shoulder

"It's my way to make sure I don't get bored," she says. Start with her easy base recipe, then find 10 ways to rethink it from her new book, Ten Dollar Dinners ($25; Clarkson Potter).

Pork Sloppy Joes

Sauté onions and peppers until soft, add equal parts ketchup and barbecue sauce and the pork, and heap on warmed buns.

Pork Tamale Pie

Place the pork in a baking dish, toss with salsa and top with your favorite cornbread batter. Bake at the oven temperature instructed in the cornbread recipe until the cornbread is cooked through.

Pasta and Shredded Pork

Toss the pork with steaming-hot pasta, a little pasta water, some halved grape tomatoes and a spoonful of prepared pesto. Finish with grated Parmesan cheese.

Pork Chili

Sauté onions and peppers until soft, add chili powder and some chopped canned tomatoes, stir in some pork and canned or cooked dried beans, then heat through.

Carnitas-Style Pork Tacos

Fry chopped jalapeños in some oil, add the pork, season with salt and brown until it's crispy around the edges (you can brown both sides if you like). Pile onto warmed corn tortillas and finish with a squeeze of lime.

Pork Burritos

Wrap leftover rice in a tortilla with smashed beans, pork, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, grated cheese, salsa and sour cream.

Pork Hash

Sauté onions and peppers until soft, add diced potatoes and cook until tender. Stir in the pork and serve with eggs.

Barbecued Pork Sandwich

Mix together three parts barbecue sauce with one part white vinegar and toss with the pork. Pile on a toasted bun and top with crunchy coleslaw.

Pork Shepherd's Pie

Place the pork in a baking dish and top with cooked peas and then a layer of garlic mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with grated cheese and bake until warmed through.

Pork Turnovers

Cut 6-inch circles out of puff pastry and add a spoonful of pork and some grated cheese. Fold, crimp and bake according to the puff pastry package instructions until golden.