Cheap Meals: Using leftovers - pulled pork flatbread pizza

So a reader commented to me (hi Binney!) that it would be helpful if I were to post some more recipes here, especially recipes using inexpensive cuts of meat.  If you've been to the grocery store recently, I'm sure you've noticed that meat, along with everything else, is doing nothing but increasing in price.  The cheaper cuts of meat are looking more and more affordable; the only problem is that many people don't know how to cook a cheap roast and have it come out palatable.

The less-expensive types of meat - including chuck roasts (beef) and shoulder roasts (pork, also called picnic roast or Boston butt) - are less expensive because they have more tough connective tissue, aren't boneless, have a less bold flavor, and/or have less fat marbling.  These particular types of meat generally need to be cooked for a long time, often with confounding methods like braising.  It's easier to just slap a pork tenderloin in the oven for 40 minutes and be done with it rather than fuss with a pork shoulder that has to cook for hours. 

Well, buckle in and haul out your Crockpot.  Let's talk pork.

The other day Andy and I stopped at Giant Eagle to grab some strawberries.  While we were there I discovered a display of pork shoulder roasts for $.99/lb; that's a fantastic price and, with a little too much excitement, I loaded them all in the cart.  Pork shoulder is one of my favorite cuts of meat because, with a little care, it makes a rich and delicious pork roast that you can prepare a million different ways.

Sunday night I tossed a 4lb roast into the Crockpot with some water, a couple shakes of vinegar, a couple shakes of liquid smoke, a couple shakes of Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and a few dashes of red pepper flake.  I left it cook on low overnight while we slept, and in the afternoon I added a squirt of ketchup to the liquid.  Once the ketchup mixed in with the liquid, I basted the meat a few times - the sugar in the ketchup helps form a flavorful coating on the meat.  About an hour before we wanted to eat, I half-uncovered the Crockpot and turned the heat to high, which allowed for a crust to form on the meat and for some excess liquid to evaporate.  I also added some sliced onions on top of the meat for some extra flavor.
And that was that.  Once the meat was done I removed the bone with a pair of tongs, broke the meat into chunks, and served it with some veggies and flatbread.

Dinner 1 - devoured.  And there was still more than half the roast left. 
Rather than just reheat the roast and repeat Monday's dinner, tonight I turned it into something completely different.

Using a fork, I shredded the remaining pork and heated it in a saucepan with a bit of hot sauce and just enough barbecue sauce to moisten.  I french-cut half an onion, preheated the oven to 375*, and got out two pieces of flatbread.  You can buy flatbread at the store or you can very easily make it at home.
On a foil-lined baking sheet I put down the flatbread, evenly spread some of the shredded pork on it, sprinkled on some onion slices all pretty, and topped it with some shredded cheddar cheese.  If you want more barbecue sauce just drizzle it right on, but don't go overboard or the flatbread will be soggy.
Then just pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes or so until the cheese is melted and the flatbread is crisp and cracker-like at the edges.  Cut it into manageable pieces with a pizza cutter and enjoy!

We got four full meals out of the 4lb roast and there's still a bit of pork left over.  We'll call it 5 servings in total.

Pork $4
Spices, liquids, seasonings to cook it $.50
Flatbread $.50
1 onion $1 (half used in the roast, half on the pizzas)
Cheese $.50
BBQ sauce $.25
Total for 5 servings $6.75, or $1.35 per serving.

You seriously can't mess up either of these quasi-recipes.  The Crockpot does all the hard work for you while you sleep, work, or are in class; all you have to do is chuck the food in there and spend 5 minutes finishing the roast at the end.  I put the flatbread pizzas together in about 10 minutes, with another 10-15 minutes baking time - nothing to it!