PULLED PORK (Think Turkey) LEFTOVER Garlic faux hot pockets

OK, continuing with my steady stream of cooking other people's recipes, today I want to tell EVERYONE about a terrific recipe for leftovers. I made these with leftover pulled pork (back on Labor day, I fed 55 of my neighbors with 35 pounds of pulled pork. I froze about 5 pounds of the finished product for use another day). BUT, just to pop an idea into your head... I tried this with pork, but imagine what it would taste like next weekend with left over turkey???

This recipe comes from Cowgirl, at COWGIRL'S COUNTRY LIFE. Her site is ... humbling. She has taken the country life to an art form. She works hard at being self sustaining (she raises her own crayfish). Her blog is a journey to a different life and lifestyle that is a joy to read...

A few days ago, she posted this... Spicy Smoked Garlic Chipotle Pork Buns recipe. It reminded me of my frozen pulled pork, and gave me a great opportunity to come up with a new recipe for leftovers...

Here's what she said...

Made a batch of dough by

dissolving 1 pkg of yeast in 1 1/4 cup of warm water

add 2 TBS of oil

2 tsp of sugar

1 tsp salt

then add 2 cups of regular flour... mix well

add another 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 cups of flour to make the dough easy to handle

knead for 5 minutes in the bowl, cover and let it rise for 1 hour. After rising the dough is ready to use... I shredded the spicy smoked pork.... added some hot Q sauce... I roll out a bit of the dough, top with the spicy smoked pork, pinch the dough closed... then brushed with butter and topped with chopped onions.... baked til golden... they were really tasty...

AND THEY INDEED WERE REALLY TASTY... Here's what I did...

Lately I have been using a lot of BBQ STU'S PENNSYLVANIA GOLD BBQ sauce. I have been using it for a couple reasons... First, once I open a bottle of sauce, I try to use it up before I open another. This way, I don't have a dozen BBQ sauce bottles with only a little of each used taking up space in my fridge. But the MAIN reason, this sauce is excellent. Not a hot hot sauce, but certainly enough of a kick to make you feel it. Of the Carolina blond, vinegar/mustard based sauces I have tried, this is the best... by far! Sadly, I have checked my local big shot BBQ store, and they don't stock it. So will have to wait til next year's American Royal BBQ competition to buy a few new bottles (That's where I found them, when i visited the Royal this year). This recipe worked so well, I was happy to use what I had left to season the pork (think turkey) leftovers. You can certainly use any sauce of your liking for this.

Long time readers know my bread baking experience (one recipe, made three times last month). I now have a second recipe... Worked just like she said it would.

As she said to do, glob of goop in the center, and fold over and seal up into a ball.

Here's where I altered the recipe just a tad. Instead of topping with chopped onion, I decide to add coarsely chopped garlic, some kosher salt and a bit of ground black pepper. I brushed these with just a tad of O OLIVE OIL, extra virgin. This made the extra stuff (garlic and salt) to stick and bake into the bread, instead of just on it.

I baked these at 350 for 30 minutes, till I saw just a bit of color change in the dough, but mostly I pulled them when the garlic was this incredible toasted color.

And whenever possible, serve on a chicken plate to remind you that this would (and will) work equally well with turkey leftovers. I served these with the last (for now, but wait til you see what I am going to do with that for Sunday night dinner) of the corn casserole I blogged about yesterday.

I served them fresh and hot out of the oven. the bread was terrific, as was the pork (think turkey). But the toasted garlic and kosher salt really made this pop. I have been making pulled pork for a long time. I have been making great leftover meals. BY FAR... This was the best I have ever made. A littler bit because the original pork came out really good. A little because the STU's BBQ sauce is a favorite (use your favorite). But also, the extra kick of the garlic and the salt (I turned the "hot pocket' upside down to eat, causing the salt and garlic to hit my taste buds first.

Incredibly addictive! Think about what you are going to do with your Turkey leftovers, and consider making these!

So.. (THA TA TATA), I present my newly created award to Cowgirl, at COWGIRL'S COUNTRY LIFE ...


To this wonderful blogger, and remind her of the simple rules...
1) Take inspiration from or outright steal a recipe from a fellow blogger
2) Actually make the item, or make a close copy of the item
3) Blog about your efforts, giving proper credit and links to the inspiree
4)If you receive the award, be honored, as there is no greater feeling than having your efforts not just recognized, but duplicated! That is the only real rule, is to feel honored. BUT, feel free to post this in your side bar and to pass it on to one of your favorite bloggers which you have made one of their recipes.