Smoked Spice Pulled Pork Calzones

Smoked Spice Pulled Pork Calzones

The great thing about taking the time to make our slow cooked dry rubbed pulled pork on the weekend is the amazing things you can do with the leftovers early in the week. Last week, I also made some pizza dough to freeze on the same day that I made the pulled pork. We always have some sort of homemade tomato sauce in the freezer as well, so earlier in the week all I had to do was take those things out of the freezer in the morning and we were enjoying these fantastic calzones as an early dinner in no time.

The tomato sauce we used on this occasion was actually roasted tomato jam which is fantastically flavorful but use any tomato sauce that you like or just have on hand.

Find our recipe for our Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork by clicking here.

Calzone Dough: makes enough for 8 calzones

3-4 cups all purpose flour
1 packet instant yeast
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
½ tsp sea salt

Mix dry ingredients together except for one cup of the flour. Add the warm water and mix very well with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes. Add the remaining flour a little at a time until dough forms. Remove to a floured breadboard or your counter top and knead for an additional 5 minutes. Allow dough to rest for ½ hour, covered in a warm place. Knead again for 5 minutes and split dough into 6-8 portions and allow to rest for 20 minutes before rolling your dough into the desired size; about 10 inch circles for calzones.

I often make the dough the day before, brush the individual portions with olive oil and store in a covered container overnight. I use this dough straight from the fridge with no problems.

Roasted Tomato Jam

6 medium vine ripened tomatoes diced
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon brown sugar
splash balsamic vinegar

Toss together in a shallow baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour stirring occasionally until most of the liquid has reduced off the tomatoes are the consistency of jam.

Preheat your pizza stone in middle rack of your oven for half an hour at 500 degrees F.

Stretch or roll your calzone dough into 10 inch rounds and place on a wooden peel that has been sprinkled with cornmeal. The cornmeal will allow the calzone to slide off the peel (I’ve even used a thin piece of cardboard in a pinch if you do not have a peel.) Make sure your dough round is sliding on the cornmeal base before adding your toppings.

4 ounces cooked pulled pork per calzone
1 1/2 ounces part skim mozzarella or provolone cheese per calzone

Spread roasted tomato jam over half the round leaving a 1 inch border. Top the sauce with the other filling ingredients, ending with the cheese and fold the dough over the filling. Pinch the edges together by folding the bottom layer of dough slightly over the top crust and pressing to seal. Brush the tops of the calzones lightly with a simple egg wash of 1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp water.

Shake your peel to make sure the calzone is not stuck. Slide the calzone onto the hot stone, shaking it slightly in a back and forth motion as you slowly retract the wooden peel. Bake for about 10 – 15 minutes or until top crust is evenly brown. Cooking times will vary depending upon your oven. Bottom and top should be nicely browned. Allow calzones to sit for 5 minutes before cutting and serving.

Smoked Spice Pulled Pork Calzones

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