How to Make Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

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Two of my favorite things in the same dish! The yummy tangy goodness of a pulled pork sandwich married with the gooey goodness of homemade mac and cheese means a delightful taste of Southern BBQ favorites. Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese was born out of that combination one night when I realized we were out of sandwich buns.

I know a lot of people are pinching pennies right now – and Southern style BBQ is the answer. It takes inexpensive, tough cuts of meat, and slow cooks them to make them more tender. That is how you make pulled pork – with a boneless pork shoulder. They were just on sale for $0.99 a pound at my local Pick ‘n Save store and screaming for me to take a few home.

How do you cook it? There are a ton of different recipes out there, but slow is the magic answer. Place the pork roast into your slow cooker; pour in the barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, and chicken broth. THe vinegar helps break down the tougher fibers of the meat. Stir in the brown sugar, yellow mustard, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, onion, garlic, and thyme… I just toss a little of each in. Cover and cook on High until the roast shreds easily with a fork, usually in about 5 to 6 hours.

Now you have two choices: whip up a batch of sandwiches and eat right away, or package some up for the freezer to use later, like with this pulled pork mac and cheese dinner. If you do whip up sandwiches, I suggest Carolina Style: you put the pulled pork on the bun, top with coleslaw, then the bun top. It makes for a great mix with the two in one bite.

I will say that some people swear by using Coca Cola in their pulled pork marinade. If coke is acidic enough to take the rust off of iron patio furniture, it should easily break down those meat fibers and also has enough sugar in it to carmalize the meat a bit. Regardless, you will need some for this dish.

Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese

You will need:

• Left Over Pulled Pork ( Can also use store bought kit)
• 2 1/2 Cups Cooked Elbow Macaroni 
• 2 Cups Cheddar Cheese
• 2 Cups Colby Jack Cheese
• 2 Cups Milk
• 4 Tbs Butter
• 1 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Pepper
• 1 Tbs Flour
• Bbq Sauce (for pork)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.  Place half the elbows, half the butter, half the cheese, half the salt, pepper, flour into the casserole dish. Then stir to mix them together.

Then place the second half of the elbows, butter, salt, pepper, flour & cheese into the casserole dish and mix.

Pour in milk. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven. Uncover. Stir and place back into the oven for 15 minutes.

While mac & cheese is baking, heat the pulled pork and mix in bbq sauce. Once mac & cheese is done baking, sprinkle pulled pork on top.

Other easy and budget friendly recipes you may enjoy:

• Canned Bean and Sausage Soup
• Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole Recipe
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• Recipes for Shredded Rotisserie Chicken