It's Time To Start Adding Leftover Pulled Pork To Your Go-To Breakfast

When you think of pulled pork, you likely imagine using it in sandwich recipes, as a filling for quesadillas, or even as a tasty ingredient for mac and cheese. What do all these dishes have in common? They're typically eaten for lunch or dinner, the two meals where we tend to pigeonhole pulled pork. But with just a little creativity, you can break your meat out of this mold and redirect it into your favorite breakfast, with delicious results.

The easiest way to accomplish this is to add your leftover pulled pork into scrambled eggs, and flavor-wise, there are plenty of good reasons to do so. Scrambled eggs can be a bit basic on their own, but when you add in this protein, you get all the flavors associated with it — which can include smokiness if your meat was smoked, sweetness from any brown sugar or molasses involved, or tang from additives like apple cider or red wine vinegar.

The tender pork will mesh well with the creaminess of your eggs, but it will have enough punch of saucy flavor to stand out from other proteins (like sausage or bacon) that you could use. And as a bonus, if you're using your leftovers, you won't need to put in much extra effort to add your meat.

You'll want to cook your scrambled eggs without your pulled pork, and since your meat already has so much flavor, you can season them pretty simply. A little salt, pepper, garlic powder, or onion powder can work wonders here, although you can also throw in some complementary ingredients like diced onions, sliced jalapeños, chopped red peppers, black beans, or corn if you want more substance (and texture). Feel free to also add a little cotija, pepper Jack, cheddar cheese, or a shredded Mexican blend. Then, reheat your pulled pork separately so you're not dropping cold meat on hot eggs, which you can do quickly in the microwave or air fryer.

Once you pile your pork on your scrambled eggs, top everything off with some fresh barbecue sauce — although you can also add a dollop of salsa, guacamole, or sour cream, or some freshly sliced avocado. And while these flavors all work beautifully in a scramble, feel free to also make breakfast tacos with some plain eggs, pork, and toppings like shredded lettuce, tomato, pickled onions, cilantro, and jalapeños. Or, stuff everything in between buns or a biscuit for a tasty breakfast sandwich.