Maple Glazed Pork Pizza

Maple Glazed Pork Pizza

Ingredients:

• Grilled, pulled pork chop
• Sliced sweet peppers
• Stonewall Kitchen Maine Maple Glaze
• Mozzarella cheese
• Homemade pizza dough

Note: I pulled the grilled pork chop with a fork and then tossed it in about a tablespoon of the maple glaze. After pre-baking the dough, I spread on a very thin layer of the maple glaze, then added the rest of the toppings. My maple glazed pork pizza was subtly sweet and was perfect way to end a cool autumn day.

Pork Chop Pizza Recipe

Pork Chop Pizza

Pork chop pizza is fairly unique on its own, but using apple sauce as a base makes this pizza pretty special. I thought the apple sauce might make the dough soggy, but the crust remained light and crispy. The apple sauce stayed sweet and tart and complemented the pork chop and caramelized onions so well.

I started by caramelizing the onions in pan over medium heat. Then I seasoned a pork chop with salt and pepper and grilled it on my George Foreman Grill. To assemble the pizza I spread a generous portion of Santa Cruz Organic Apple Apricot Sauce across the pre-baked dough. Next, I sprinkled mozzarella cheese over the apple sauce. Finally, I topped the pizza with a sliced golden delicious apple, caramelized onions, and the pork chop. If I make this pizza again I think I’ll use a cheese with more flavor – perhaps Swiss cheese.

Kimchi Pizza Recipe

Kimchi Pizza

I have been looking forward to visiting my mom’s family in Indiana for quite some time. As I have mentioned before,  I come from a long line of great cooks, and have used my Uncle Al’s recipes on a few occasions. We spent the weekend at my Uncle Al and Aunt Dianna’s (along with my cousin Dawn) visiting with family, relaxing in the country and collaborating on pizzas. It was the first time I had cooked with my Uncle Al and hopefully not the last.

The night we arrived we were casually talking about Asian inspired food. Uncle Al described his favorite meal from a local restaurant, kimchi. Kimchi is a popular Korean dish consisting of various vegetables and spices. Uncle Al, being the do it yourself kind of guy he is, created his own kimchi recipe. As he described his creation I suggested we make a kimchi pizza. He loved the idea so much that it made the menu for the next night.

Kimchi is super healthy and loaded with veggies. Uncle Al’s kimchi recipe consists of Chinese cabbage, turnips, scallions, fresh garlic, fresh ginger, paprika, chili paste and salt. He jars it and keeps it on-hand for just this type of situation. To go along with the Kimchi Uncle Al mixed up an Asian BBQ sauce and marinated pork shoulder. He then grilled the pork and sliced it really thin. We pre-baked the dough, then spread on the Kimchi and topped that with the sliced pork. We let it bake and work some magic.

The aroma coming from the oven was heavenly but was nothing compared to the taste of the pizza. The spicy flavor of the Kimchi combined beautifully with the sweetness of the BBQ pork and the crust. This Kimchi pizza recipe was so much fun to make and even more fun to eat! Uncle Al was thrilled with the turn out and hopes to repeat this pizza again!

Kansas City BBQ Pizza Recipe

Kansas City, MO

The humble beginnings of barbecue in Kansas City can be traced to a trolly barn over 100 years ago when a rack of ribs could be purchased for only 25 cents. A tomato based sauce with a sweet and tangy flavor make Kansas City BBQ unique.

Last summer I made a Pulled Pork Pizza using my Uncle Al’s BBQ sauce recipe and it was delicious. For tonight’s pizza I chose a Wegmans Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce that had all the right ingredients. We’ll see how they compare. Although, I’m guessing that Uncle Al’s might come out on top.

The night before, I baked a pork tenderloin with a bottle of Pepsi for about an hour. Then I pulled a bit of it apart with a fork in order to let some of the juices soak in overnight. In the morning I pulled the rest of the tenderloin apart, then let it soak for a few more hours. Once the pork was nice and juicy I put it in a crock pot with half a bottle of Kansas City BBQ sauce and let that simmer for an hour. While the aroma from the crock pot encouraged my hunger, I pre-baked the dough, slathered on a thin layer of BBQ sauce, sprinkled on sharp cheddar cheese and then topped it with the BBQ pork. I probably could have eaten it right then and there but I resisted and let the pizza bake for ten minutes.

I wish I had the camera in hand when Andrew took his first bite. It looked like he was praying! My Kansas City BBQ pizza was fantastic!!! I think the key to the deliciousness of this pizza was the combination of the Kansas City BBQ Sauce and the cheddar cheese. While the sauce was tasty, I think my Uncle Al’s BBQ sauce combined with cheddar cheese might actually be prayer inducing!

Zweigle’s Pizza Recipe

Rochester, NY

The Zweigle family started making sausage in Rochester over 125 years ago and their “white hot” has become a staple on the barbeque grills of Rochestarians since its introduction in 1925. The popularity of the white hot has spread across the New York and into other eastern states, but its home will forever be Rochester, NY. Growing up I remember that my dad and my brother loved the white hots, but my favorite were the red hots. For my Zweigle’s pizza recipe I decided I’d use both!

I cooked two white hots and two red hots then sliced them into bite sized pieces. After pre-baking the dough I spread on a thin layer of ketchup, sprinkled on cheddar cheese, then arranged the hot dog bites. After cooking for about ten minutes I took out the pizza, then Andrew artistically drizzled yellow mustard on the top. If you like Zweigle’s then you’d love this pizza! The only thing it was missing to be  the perfect cheesy hot dog was relish.

#41: Pulled Pork Pizza Recipe 8/7/10

Andrew’s brother Tyler has enjoyed a lot of my cooking and he has tasted some of the very best pizzas. For example, you may remember that he is the reason I finally caved and made the Macaroni and Cheese pizza.  Tyler has spent many of his summer vacation days helping us move, unpack, and lay over one ton of stone pavers in the backyard. I would say he has been beyond generous for anyone, especially a 16 year old. The last time Tyler was over I let him peruse my list of pizzas I have not yet made. I gave him the honors of choosing one for me to make for him as a small thank you for helping us out so much. There was one I had been saving and thought he might select. And he did. He chose my pulled pork pizza recipe.

I was very excited to attempt this pizza and make pulled pork for the first time. My mom shared her recipe for pulled pork, which included my Uncle Al’s BBQ sauce recipe. The pulled pork was surprisingly easy to make, however it did take a while to complete. I roasted the pork loin in Pepsi on Friday. Then I let it cool and soak up some juices over night. On Saturday morning while Andrew and Tyler were painting our garage, I made Uncle Al’s BBQ sauce, pulled the pork loin, then simmered it all in the crock pot for a while. When the aroma was too irresistible I spread some BBQ sauce on the pizza dough, sprinkled on Colby jack cheese, then slapped down the pulled pork and let it bake. Andrew, Tyler and I stood anxiously awaiting the timer to go off and then dug in. Between Uncle Al’s BBQ sauce, the juiciness of the pork and the cheese I’m not even sure how to describe the deliciousness of this pizza.  It was just fantastic. Tyler even thinks it topped my Macaroni and Cheese pizza!