Skip Pepperoni, There's Another Popular Pork Topping Your Pizza Deserves

Aside from cheese, pepperoni will always be the classic, beloved pizza topping. We can hardly imagine a pie without the red discs on top, and yet, sometimes we get tired of them. While the pork flavor isn't something we want to shift away from, it doesn't hurt to try it out in a different form. For a fresh take on pizza, use pulled pork as a topping.

We often adorn pizzas with pepperoni or spring for bacon when in the mood for something different, so why not use pulled pork? It shares a similar sweet, savory flavor, but comes with a tender mouthfeel and the deliciously tangy kick of barbecue sauce. Plus, using it for pizza is a great way to use up leftover pulled pork if you want something a little more creative than a sandwich. Depending on how you season your pulled pork, the meat comes packed with tons of flavor, easily making it the focal point of your pie.

After rolling out the dough, place your sauce and cheese on top, followed by the pulled pork. In the oven, the pork will take on a crispy exterior, giving each bite a delightful crunch. Once the cheese has melted and the dough turns a golden brown color, you can take the pizza out or leave it a while longer to let the pork get crispier — since it's already cooked, there's no strict time limit for how long you have to heat it.

The sweet and tangy BBQ sauce that's typically on pulled pork is made with ketchup or tomato sauce, so you can further pull out that flavor by using a standard pizza sauce or go with barbecue sauce instead. Either way, mozzarella is the best cheese for the job. The mild, salty cheese balances out sweet barbecue sauce while still allowing the zesty taste to shine.

If you want to infuse the pulled pork pizza with a bite, finish it off with slices of red onion. The allium makes a great addition to any barbecue dish, especially fully loaded barbecue chicken pizza. Though the recipe calls for poultry, you can easily swap in pulled pork and the flavors will still translate to the meat. Apart from red onions, the pizza features green peppers, garlic, oregano, and corn. The earthy ingredients will soften a bold pulled pork, rounding out its vinegary bite.

You can also make a white pizza using pulled pork; this works best for dishes like apple cider smoked pulled pork, which has a unique flavor that might otherwise compete with tomato sauce. Brush the dough with olive oil before smearing on cream cheese and adding a sprinkle of parmesan or mozzarella. Finish off the pie with roasted cremini mushrooms, jalapeños, and herbs.