Leftover pork ideas

OK, I made a pork roast yesterday that came from a Bruce Aidell recipe. You buy a boneless pork loin roast with the skin-on belly still attached. You season it, wrap the belly around the loin, tie it up, and roast it. It worked very nicely (recipe with photos to come later). However, I obviously had to order such a cut from a real butcher. When I went to pick it up, said butcher remarked (more than once) that this was the first time anyone had ever asked for such a thing. I told him I wanted enough to feed eight and together, we more or less guessed at how big the piece needed to be.

It was WAY too big. I could have served twenty. So now I have a whole bunch of this lovely roast pork loin surrounded by belly, that I need to do something with. Ideas, anyone?

Chop it, sauce it, and put it on a bun. Sheesh...

That's fine, but I need about ten more. There's a lot of pork there!

Hey Mike,

How about Cuban sandwiches or pork fried rice? I usually put some leftover pork in my tomato gravy on Sunday.

Instead of trying to use it all up at once, put some to other uses and freeze the rest for another time. Maria has my two ideas that we do frequently. There is always soups, stews and pasta -- all are forgivable with leftover meat. Then, chop some, slice some, and leave a piece of a good size and freeze!

how about pork hash? some onion, cooked potato, maybe a pinch of nutmeg, some salt. let it rest overnight and fry it up. great with chili sauce! and/or egg.

tomato gravy

Haven't heard that term since leaving the East Coast for fly-over land many years ago. In addition to the occasional pork, my Mom would routinely toss a chicken wing or two into her tomato gravy.
That reminds me that I need to get her gravy recipe.

'Winger

Heat some slices of the pork in a little apple cider with a little cinnamon and a dash of clove until the cider just evaporates. Set pork aside. Saute some onion, add chopped apple, deglaze with Riesling and then good kraut. Place the pork in the kraut, sprinkle a little kraut over the pork, cover and into the oven. Remove the cover for the last 10 minutes to crisp the kraut atop the pork. Serve with the rest of the Riesling.

Go retro; sweet & sour with pineapple chunks.

Thanks, everyone! There are several idea there that I hadn't thought of. I think it'll be Cuban sandwiches tonight (although I may have to use focaccia). I like the hash and the cider preps as well.

And yeah, I will need to carve the thing up into manageable chunks and freeze much of it.

Thanks again to all of you.

Here's a few I don't think anybody has suggested.
Lots of choices if you want to go Mexican or Southwest
Burritos
Chimichangas
Posole
Chili Verde
Or do Filipino pork adobo, german Hoppel Poppel or Creole pork grillades.

Oh, yes, apples and pork. Maybe with caraway seed!

Is it too late to "pull" some of it?

Y'know, Jeff, I'm not sure but I think so.

The caraway would be a nice touch with the apples. Or maybe with leftover sauteed pears that were originally served with the ice cream (if they're not too sweet)....

Hey Mike,

How about Cuban sandwiches or pork fried rice? I usually put some leftover pork in my tomato gravy on Sunday.

Maria, I would like to see your recipe for tomato gravy. Please, please, please!

The Cuban sandwiches were a hit! I've never had one before, so I don't know exactly what the rolls are like, but I subbed in some Acme ciabatta and grilled them on the George Foreman. Delicious!

They sound great Mike!

Bob - the tomato gravy is pretty simple to make. I do it in my slow cooker on Sundays. I don't have exact recipe per se, but I will do my best...LOL.

Tomato Gravy:

1 large carrot
1 large celery stalk
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion
1 Tablespoon of tomato paste
2 Tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 pound of ground beef (I like 85 % fat)*
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 Tablespoon parsley
1 Tablespoon basil
1 large can of crushed tomatoes (I like to use Progresso)
1 small can of tomato sauce
Leftover meats (optional)
2 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of Honey

I add the olive oil to the slow cooker and put it on high. I puree the first 4 ingredients in a food processor (or you can mince finely) and add to the olive oil. Add the tomato paste and cook until veggies are translucent and slightly brown. Next, add the beef and cook until brown. Add the wine, salt, thyme, parsley, and basil. Cook for about 30 min. Add the cans of tomato and any other leftover meats (pork tenderloin, steak, sausages, etc.), just make sure they are finely minced. Turn heat down to low and cook for several hrs. Add the honey and check for seasoning. You can also add some cheese and pepper too.
*I will sometimes make meatballs instead of adding the beef to the sauce. Or, if I want to make more of a Bolognese, I will use a pound of beef and add some beef stock as well, and maybe a bay leaf.