Pizza Today_February 23 - 51

Pulled pork barbecue pizza is a can't-miss hit
W
hat do you consider
the " taste of summer? "
When the days are long
and hot and the kids are out of school
and thoughts turn to vacations and
swimming pools and baseball ... what
foods do you typically enjoy? Burgers
on the grill, hot dogs and ice cream
certainly all come to mind. It's really
not summer without those items at
backyard BBQs. But, for me, there's
another must have as well: pulled
pork barbecue.
A summer ritual for me is to start
the day early by seasoning a Boston
butt that I've brined the night before.
With apple cider vinegar, apple juice
and simple seasonings on hand, the
pork will then go in my smoker where
it slowly transforms into one of my
summertime favorites over the course
of the day. I periodically brush it with
the apple cider/apple juice mixture,
and about four hours in I wrap it in
foil to trap in the steam and continue
letting time and the low heat do its
thing.
It isn't terribly difficult to perfect
after a bit of practice. Chef Google
once told me to let it rest for an
hour or two in my Yeti cooler (still
wrapped in the foil) before pulling
it. I tried it out and the results were
outstanding.
Once the pork is pulled, there are
so many options. Because I often
smoke an 8-pound Boston butt (by
the way, the " butt " is actually part of
the shoulder, which many people find
confusing), there are always plenty of
leftovers. But I have a cycle, a 1-2-3
flurry of dinner punches that makes
my summer delightful.
Day one I make pulled pork
BBQ sandwiches. I like virtually
every style of barbecue, so you can
find a variety of sauces, mustards
and vinegars on my picnic table. Day
two I used the leftovers for pulled
pork tacos. Not gonna lie - these
might be my favorite. But day three is
when pizza is king and shines in my
home kitchen. My sourdough pizza
dough has been bulk fermenting in
my fridge the last two days (it went
in the day I first pulled the pork for
sandwiches), and it's now ready in all
its glory.
This is summer pizza night.
There's no pepperoni, sausage, green
olives - the toppings we usually
use when hosting a small group
of friends or doing a family pizza
night. No, tonight we're using a
sweet and tangy barbecue sauce as
the base, followed by pulled pork,
jalapenos or banana peppers and
a blend of smoked cheddar and
smoked mozzarella. Some other great
toppings for this pizza might include
red onion, coleslaw (applied after the
bake), creamy dollops of chevre, sweet
summer corn, habanero peppers or
even fresh summer peaches. Yes, you
read that correctly. Fresh summer
peaches are amazing with pulled pork
barbecue! Don't believe me? Try it
and prepare to have your mind blown.
Why am I talking about this
in February? Well, just as Chris
Decker said in his recipe column on
page 18, the cold and gray winter
weather has me dreaming of the
summer days ahead. Secondly, you're
likely deep into planning your spring
menu right now, which means getting
on your summer menu is just around
the corner. Thirdly, while I'm being
overly romantic about summer at the
moment, the fact of the matter is that
pulled pork barbecue, just like pizza,
is a comfort food that we enjoy yearround.
So, there's no need to wait
until summer to roll out a limited
time offering or to make a permanent
addition to your pizza lineup should
you find success with your customers
with this one.
The beauty of pulled pork is
that you can use it on pizza in
so many ways. Challenge your
kitchen crew to experiment and have
fun. Perhaps offer an incentive to the
staffer that wows you the most with
a creation that makes your menu. It's
a pleasant winter diversion that just
might result in something big.
As a base of inspiration, here is one
of my favorite pulled pork barbecue
pizza recipes. I like a sweet and tangy
barbecue sauce or a smoky and savory
sauce for this one, but play around
here to see what you like. Enjoy!
PORK & PEACH
14-inch pizza shell
6 ounces barbecue sauce
8 ounces pulled pork
8 ounces smoked mozzarella/smoked
cheddar mixture
2 ounces sliced red onion
1-2 jalapeno peppers, sliced (use
habanero if you want to ramp up the
heat)
4 ounces chevre (try dollops of creamy
chevre)
1 -2 peaches, sliced
2 ounces coleslaw, optional
Open your dough ball up to a 14-inch
round. Apply sauce, then add pulled
pork, the mozzarella/cheddar mixture,
red onion and jalapeno or habanero
peppers. Apply dollops of creamy
chevre evenly over the pizza, then add
the sliced peaches. Bake until crust is
golden. Top with coleslaw and serve.
JEREMY WHITE is Editor-in-Chief of
Pizza Today.
Pizza Today_February 23

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