Pulled Pork Macaroni & Cheese

It’s been practically forever since my last post. I’m sorry. Really, I am. I miss blogging but this is my busy season at work and I’ve been, well, busy. I thought I’d get ahead of it – I developed a bunch of recipes and took a bunch of photos so even if I was too busy to cook I could still post. But that obviously hasn’t happened. So, here’s a peace offering in the form of Pulled Pork Mac & Cheese. No, it’s not exactly healthy. But once in a while you need to indulge, and this is the perfect way to do it.

This recipe has been bouncing around in my head for the better part of a year and I only regret not making it sooner. The juicy, succulent pork blends perfectly with a rich four-cheese sauce and a touch of barbecue sauce. I roasted a pork shoulder especially for this recipe, but you could easily substitute pulled pork that you have leftover from another occasion – just adjust the amount of barbecue sauce accordingly. This mac and cheese shouldn’t be overly barbecue-y… just enough to give the dish a subtle flavor and to cut through the richness of the cheese.

Pulled Pork Macaroni & Cheese Pulled Pork

Yield: 8

Pulled Pork Macaroni & Cheese

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Ingredients

• 16 oz ridged pasta (such as penne or, my favorite, cavatappi)
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 Tbs flour
• 1.5 cups skim milk
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
• 8 oz emmental cheese, shredded
• 2 oz asiago cheese, shredded
• 1 cup pulled pork (see recipe below)
• 1/4 cup barbecue sauce
• 1 Tbs smoked paprika
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1 tsp dry sage
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 3 pound pork shoulder

Instructions

1. Boil the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain.
2. Melt the butter in the bottom of a medium pan set over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for several minutes, until it becomes a light caramel color. Whisk in the milk and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low and stir in the cheese, allowing it to melt.
3. Toss the pulled pork with the barbecue sauce. Stir the pork and pasta into the cheese sauce.
4. Combine the paprika, dry mustard, sage, salt, and pepper. Rub into all sides of the pork. Bake at 400-degrees for 2 hours. Flip the pork over and cook for another hour. Let rest for 15 minutes, then use two forks to shred the meat.
5. Yields approx. 4 cups pulled pork.