Family Chow Hall

Creamed Pork over Toast and more

June 19th, 2006

Things to do with shredded pork:

I bought 4 pork tenderloins at the warehouse club and brined them all. Two of them were put over the coals. The other two tenderloins I put in the crock pot on low and went to bed. In the morning the smell of roasted pork filled my kitchen. Yum.

For a small family, a pork loin or tenderloin can be way too much for one meal. You need a plan for the leftovers before you even cook the pork. For a large family (like us!) — I buy pork loin or tenderloin at Sam’s Club, so I actually get 4 tenderloins at one time or a pretty good sized loin. It’s easier to cook it all at once and then deal with what’s left.

I’m sitting here, the aroma of roasted pork drifting around me, wondering, “What the heck am I going to do with all of this meat?”

The obvious answer would be to shred it, add BBQ sauce, and make sandwiches. Surprisingly, my family doesn’t really go for shredded BBQ sandwiches.

Now I have to kick my imagination into a higher gear and come up with something else:

Tex-Mex – Add Mexican spices (cumin, cilantro, chili pepper or a package of taco seasoning) and lime juice, serve it on tortillas (soft or crispy,) with rice, beans, shredded lettuce, cheese, and sour cream on the side. Sounds pretty good. There’s one idea.

Pork Helper – I like tomatoes. A combination of tomatoes, rice, cheese, and pork sounds good. Similar to something you see on the front of a box of Hamburger Helper. Except it would be pork. Idea number two.

Asian – Can I make my pork go Chinese? Maybe I could add some green peppers, onions, and pineapple to make a sweet and sour pork dish. Serve with rice on the side and try out chopsticks. That makes three possibilities.

Creamed Pork over Toast — This idea was born in the grocery store. One of the kids had asked me to make a family favorite, creamed beef over toast. I couldn’t find the beef I usually buy for it and remembered that I would have plenty of leftover pork. Idea number four. I’ll give you the recipe for this one because I actually made it. I haven’t tried the others yet.

Creamed Pork

3 T. butter
3 T. flour
1 can chicken broth
1 c. milk
salt and pepper
2 c. shredded pork

Assembly is simple, especially if you are familiar with making white sauce. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Have the chicken broth opened and closy by so you are ready to add it. Add the flour to the butter and stir to make a paste. Now add the chicken broth, a bit at a time. At first you will get a very thick paste, then as you add more and more broth, you will get a nice golden sauce. Allow the sauce to reheat as you add the broth. When all the broth is in, add the milk in the same manner. Then put the salt, pepper and pork in. Serve over toast.

Hey – that’s pretty good. I just came up with four fresh ideas for shredded pork. I think we’ll have to try a couple of them this week.

Have a super week!

Entry Filed under: Bread, Leftovers, Recipes, Supper, pork