What to Do with Leftover Pulled Pork Juice? [6 Easy Uses]

It’s pretty hard to figure out what you can do with leftover pulled pork juice. However, instead of throwing the juice away, it’s better to work with it. 

So, what to do with leftover pulled pork juice?

For starters, If you’ve ½ or more cups of juice, make a tasty meat sauce. You can even add the juice to soup and legumes. You’ll also get a flavorful mashed potato If you use the juice with it. If you’ve 3 or more cups of juice, you can simmer some veggies in it. And lastly, storing the juice is also a great option. 

Now, this is just the trailer. For your better understanding, we’ve explained the uses in detail. 

Thus, we hope you check the entire piece out!

Things to Consider Before Using Pulled Pork Juice

Now hold up a bit, my friend. You’ve to know two necessary things before experimenting with the juice. Both are closely related to the cooking or storing process. 

So, let’s take a look at them quickly-

Do You Have Enough Pulled Pork Juice? 

You need enough pulled pork juice to reuse it for any purpose. For example, you can’t really use the juice for cooking if you’ve got less than ½ cup.

Source: bowlofdelicious.com

You need at least ½ cup of the pulled pork juice to use in any recipe. Therefore, what to do if you only have a little amount of juice? 

Well, you can just pour the juice on the pulled pork you’ve cooked!  

Now, let’s see how you can measure how much juice you have-

Well, the easiest way to measure the amount is to use a measuring jug.

But there’s a catch-

You’ve to use a measuring jug that has the number of cups on it. And to be honest, this type of jug is a little hard to find. 

For that reason, we’ve picked some of the best measuring jugs for you-

Pyrex Glass Measuring Cup Set (3-Piece, Microwave and Oven Safe)

OXO Good Grips 2-Cup Angled Measuring Cup

Therefore, don’t just wait! Grab yourself one to perfectly measure the juice!

Should You De-fat the Excess Pulled Pork Juice?

Source: thespruceeats.com

Yup, we recommend separating the fat from the juice. Why? 

Well, you see, the fat turns solid easily. Especially when it starts cooling down. Hence, the texture of any recipe can get hampered by this. Plus if you want a healthier diet, it’s important to de-fat the pulled pork juice.                                                

Now, how to separate the fat from the juice? 

To be honest, it’s not that hard. You’ve to pour the juice into a bowl or container. Then chill the juice in the fridge for about 30 minutes. 

After taking it out, you’ll see the fat has become solid on top of the juice. Now just grab a spoon and discard the solidified fat. And you’re all done!

If you think this method is too time-consuming, use a fat separator instead. And trust us, the fat separating process gets much easier this way. 

Make sure you use a good fat separator. Otherwise, you’re just wasting your money and time. And we don’t want that for you. 

Thus, we’ve mentioned our top picks for you-

OXO Good Grips 4 Cup Fat Separator

Cuisipro 4 Cup Fat Separator

So, just grab yourself one and de-fat the pulled pork juice without suffering!

By the way, you can make use of the left out fat as well. How you may ask?

Well, the fat can be used to fry meat or veggies later. Just place it in a glass food container. And then store it in your freezer. If you didn’t know you store meat fat in your freezer for 1 year!

However, we recommend using it within a week. Because you probably won’t have much fat. 

Therefore, use it quickly. Also, don’t forget to defrost it before placing it on the frying pan. You can defrost the fat in the microwave or by keeping it in the fridge overnight. 

Now that you’re all ready, let’s move on to the main part.

What Can You Do With Leftover Pulled Pork Juice?

We all know that you can use pulled pork in several ways. For example, you can use pulled pork meat as taco fillings. Just how you can make use of spare rib trimmings in tacos.  

But what to do with the leftover juice?

Well, as we’ve mentioned before, the amount of juice you’ve got is important. Because depending on that amount, you can use the juice for different methods. 

To ease your pain, we’ve discussed the methods according to the amount of juice-

Now that you’ve got the sneak peek, let’s get to know the methods one by one-

Make a Tasty Meat Sauce 

The first thing you can do with the juice is using it to make your meat sauce tastier. 

Now, you obviously need a sauce to eat the pulled pork. So, why not use the excess juice in the sauce?

Source: recipetineats.com

Well, you can definitely try it out. Just pour about ½ or 1 cup of the juice when you’re simmering the sauce. Then wait for 15 more minutes. The sauce will surely come out as more flavorful.

Mix the Juice in Meat Soup to Enhance Flavor 

The next thing to do is adding the juice to a meat soup. Adding this tasty liquid will automatically make the soup more desirable.

You can add about 1 or 2 cups of juice. The amount of cups depends on how much soup you’ll be making. 

Remember to stir well and cook it till it’s ready to eat. And if it gets too liquidy, you can add more meat.

Source: tasteofhome.com

By the way, you can also add this juice to your gravy and stew. It’ll for sure enhance the flavor! Bringing a meaty punch to any dish you’re serving the gravy with.

Add the Juice to Legumes 

Beans, peas, lentils are all known to be legumes. You can easily get many health benefits by eating legumes.

Source: dvo.com

There are various ways to cook legumes. For example, you can serve them as soup. And to make the soup more delicious, add the leftover pulled pork juice to it. 

Just pour some of the juice in a lentil or bean soup for a meatier taste. You can also add the juice on top of peas and beans for marination. 

After they are marinated properly, just bake them in the oven. You’ll definitely enjoy the baked beans/peas.

Make a Flavorful Mashed Potato

Now, mashed potato is a very popular side dish when eating meat. However, did you know you can make it tastier only by using one ingredient?

Yup and the ingredient is- pulled pork juice. 

You can pour the delicious juice on the mashed potato. Or boil the potatoes in the pulled pork juice. Then mash the potatoes and pour the leftover juice (If there’s any) on top.

Now, how much juice do you need for boiling the potatoes?

Well, a rule of thumb is to use 1 cup of juice for 1 whole potato. And if you don’t have enough juice, add water with the juice. 

Source: panlasangpinoy.com

Boiling the potatoes in the pulled pork juice will surely make it more flavorful. 

Whether you pour the juice on the mashed potato or boil the potatoes in it. It’s a good addition. Therefore, you can totally consider this as an option.

Simmer Veggies in the Juice

Now, you might have more than 2 cups of pulled pork juice left. If that’s the case, you can use it as broth for veggies.

Source: bettycrocker.com

So, cut your favorite vegetables. And simmer the vegetables in the juice until they’re fully cooked. Now, the time for simmering varies from one cooking method to another. 

For this reason, we’ve discussed the time according to all of the possible methods-

Now, just simmer the meat and vegetables according to the mentioned timings. Otherwise, the meat can become tough. Just how smoked brisket turns tough if it’s not cooked for long enough. 

After you’re done simmering, use a fork to check whether they are cooked or not. Make sure the fork pierces the veggies easily. Because that’s when you know they’re done! 

And if the veggies are difficult to piece through, simmer them for 10-15 more minutes.

Lastly, just serve the vegetables with some rice. And if you want, you can pour the excess broth on top of it. 

Sounds like a delicious meal, doesn’t it?

Well, it sure is. Therefore, do try it out.

Store the Juice to Use Later 

Last but not least, you can store the pulled pork juice to use later. The storing process is quite easy. 

You’ll only need a good-quality plastic/ glass food container. After getting the container, you’ll have to pour the juice into it. And then keep it in the freezer. That’s all! 

Also, you can even use a good zip-lock bag or an ice tray for storing. Working with the ice tray is a bit interesting. Because you’ll get pulled pork juice ice cubes. And you can pop the ice cubes in any dishes mentioned above. 

Now, we don’t want you to end up with spoiled pulled pork juice afterward. That’s why we’ve mentioned how long you can store the juice-

Just make sure you remember these facts when trying to store the juice. Otherwise, things might get messy.

3 Important Tips 

So, now you’re familiar with what you can do with pulled pork juice. But there are three other facts you need to know before cooking. 

And these are- 

• Never use the juice if your pulled pork turned dark due to burning. Because the juice will have a bitter taste to it. And this will definitely ruin your recipes.
• If you’ve more than 3 or 4 cups of juice, use it in several methods. For example, you can make a tasty sauce with ½ cup of juice. Then use 2 cups of juice to make vegetable or meat soup. 
• And if you don’t have enough juice, add water to it. This way you can easily use the juice in your recipes.

Keep these three tips in mind and you’ll face no problems at all!

FAQs

Question: Can I use excess pulled pork juice?

Answer: Yes, of course, you can use it. You can make yourself tasty foods by adding delicious juice. It’ll also increase the nutrition level.

Question: What can I make with pulled pork juice?

Answer: Well, there are several things that you can make with this tasty juice. First, you can use it to make a meat sauce. You can also mix it in soup and legumes. Pulled pork juice can also be used in simmering vegetables. Lastly, making mashed potatoes with this juice is also another option.

Question: Can I store the leftover pulled pork juice?

Answer: Yup, you can store it. However, make sure you’ve got a good-quality container or zip-lock bag. Otherwise, the juice might leak and create a mess in your freezer. 

Wrapping up

We hope by now you’ve understood what to do with leftover pulled pork juice. Also, you can pour this juice on top of rice as well. 

Now, what did you make with pulled pork juice?

Let us know in the comment box. You can also share your own recipes. Lastly, good luck, meat lovers!

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Leah Greenstein

Leah Greenstein is a passionate food blogger who has dedicated her life to sharing her love for cooking with the world. Growing up in a family of foodies, Leah was introduced to the joys of cooking at a very young age. Her mother, a professional chef, instilled in her a deep appreciation for the art of cooking and the importance of using high-quality ingredients.

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