7 Pork Dishes That Deserve A Spot In Your Dinner Rotation

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Trying to come up with exciting meals to cook throughout the week can be a challenge, and many of us fall back on the same old staples every time. Pork may feature in your regular dinner menu in the form of meatballs, but there is so much more that this versatile meat can do.

There are many cuts of pork available, with different cooking methods and distinctive textures. From a slow-cooked pork shoulder to a pan-fried tenderloin, there is a variation to suit every situation and family preference. When you're in the mood for an indulgent treat, smothered pork chops will hit the spot, while pork adobo offers fresh, bright flavors if you're looking for more zing.

To save you scouring the internet, we've created a list of our favorite pork recipes to give you a head start when planning your next weekly grocery shop. Let's take a look at some dishes that deserve a spot in your dinner rotation.

If you're in the mood for a delicious, meaty dish that requires almost no active cooking time, slow cooker pulled pork should be your go-to meal. As long as you remember to turn your machine on in the morning, you can go about your day while the pork shoulder slowly breaks down into a tender, decadent pile of shredded meat.

The only preparation required is to chop onions and garlic and make a spicy seasoning blend around eight hours before you want to eat. After coating the meat with the spices, it gets placed on top of the onions and garlic in the slow cooker and left to its own devices for the rest of the day. 

Once you return, the tough cut of meat will have magically melted into soft pork that can easily be shredded into tiny morsels. You can then smother it with barbecue sauce and mix it to create a mouthwatering concoction that can be the star of a variety of meals. Delicious ways to use it include on a brioche bun as an alternative to burgers, as a protein-rich topping for loaded fries, or even as a fancy addition to a creamy mac and cheese. Of course, for a filling weeknight meal, it can simply be served with a jacket potato and some crunchy coleslaw for a nice textural contrast.

Recipe: Easy Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Pork tenderloin is one of the most sought-after cuts due to its tender, juicy texture, but applying a spicy Mexican rub to the meat takes this dish to another flavor level. Adapted from a recipe in "Bobby Flay: Chapter One," this dish delivers restaurant-quality food from the comfort of your own kitchen.

The star of the sauce for this dish is ancho chile, which has a mild, fruity flavor rather than packing in tongue-tingling heat. The addition of bourbon balances both the ancho chile and the spicy rub that's added to this quick-cooking meat. Since this cut is so easy to cook, it leaves plenty of time to prepare the delicious sauce and side dish of sweet potato tamales.

The tamales consist of sweet potato and corn, with garlic and honey adding sweet and pungent notes. If you are planning to serve the tamales on corn husks as Flay recommends, they need to be soaked in water for two hours before the tamales are prepared. This recipe needs time, so it's not a dish to make when you are in a hurry, but for a special dinner or date night that is well worth the effort.

Recipe: Mexican Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Recipe adapted from "Bobby Flay: Chapter One" by Bobby Flay with Emily Timberlake. Copyright © 2024 Boy Meets Grill.

Pork chops often spring to mind when planning pork for an evening meal. The problem is they can dry out easily, but smothering them in sauce is a delicious way to prevent disappointing texture. Making the sauce and the meat in the same pan also means less washing up, which is a bonus when looking for a simple weeknight dinner. The key to the intense flavor and tender texture in this recipe is to brine the pork chops in advance. Acid from apple cider vinegar and orange juice tenderizes the meat by starting to denature the proteins, while sugar, salt, and aniseed guarantee the pork is beautifully seasoned even before the sauce is added. 

After brining the chops for at least four hours, they are ready to sear in butter, then set aside while the sauce cooks. Mushrooms, shallots, and chicken broth make up the base, while thyme, mustard, and figs complete the complex flavor. After the chops have returned to the pan to finish cooking, they are served covered in the rich, umami sauce.

This dish makes a great meal when you're craving something comforting but easy to make. If you have time to brine the chops the night before, you can have a delicious homemade dinner on the table with little effort at the end of a long day.

Recipe: Aromatic Smothered Pork Chops

Pork adobo is a Filipino classic, and if you've never tried it before, it's time to give it a shot. It is not a quick dish to make, but the complex flavors, influenced by Spain and Asia, make it worth the extra effort. The ingredients for the dish are simple, with the main stars being the pork shoulder and a variety of flavorsome seasonings. The meat is marinated for at least two hours in vinegar, soy sauce, and spices, then cooked for two hours in the same liquid along with onion and garlic.

During the long cook, the pork shoulder becomes incredibly tender while bubbling away in the liquid, absorbing even more aromatic flavor as it does so. The balance of this dish is what makes it so appetizing. The tang of the vinegar and soy sauce is perfectly contrasted by the brown sugar and bay leaves, with black peppercorns adding a satisfying heat.

Once the pork is cooked, it is served on fluffy jasmine rice and topped with sliced scallions, chilies, crispy shallots, and garlic to add texture, heat, and extra zing. Although it takes a bit of advanced preparation to create, this mouthwatering meal is an excellent way to introduce Filipino dishes into your repertoire.

Recipe: Filipino Pork Adobo

For those who enjoy a plate of sticky ribs but wish there were a smaller version, welcome to riblets. Perfect as an appetizer or for diners with a smaller appetite, these miniature ribs have all the delight of your usual half rack, but without the indigestion afterward. This recipe coats them with a sauce featuring the umami-packed Korean gochujang, resulting in appetizing morsels that are guaranteed to hit the spot.

If you are unfamiliar with the wonders of gochujang, it is a bold condiment made from dried chili flakes and fermented soybeans, and its distinctive crimson color means that it looks as good as it tastes. It has just the right balance of heat, umami, and sweetness, and makes a delicious barbecue glaze for the pork. The riblets are partially cooked in the oven on their own for around an hour before being coated with the sticky sauce and cooked for a further hour.

You can enjoy these riblets however you want — straight from the pan sounds like a good option — but serving with thinly sliced scallions creates a stunning appetizer, with the onions providing a beautiful contrast of color, texture, and flavor. Once you try this riblets recipe, chances are, gochujang will earn a permanent place in your pantry.

Recipe: Sweet and Spicy Gochujang Pork Riblets

If you love the occasional egg roll but often wish that the filling-to-dough ratio was weighted more toward the filling, this unique take on it will be right up your street. It takes all the delicious components of a pork egg roll but serves them in a bowl, with just a scattering of wonton strips on top, to mimic the usual crunch of the egg wrapper.

Ground pork makes up the majority of the filling, but it is flavored with aromatic ingredients including garlic, ginger, chili paste, and scallions. As they cook together in the skillet, they create a mouthwatering concoction packed with bold, savory flavors. Once plated, the bowls are topped with scallion greens for freshness, sriracha for some heat, and the crispy wonton strips add texture to complete the dish.

This deconstructed egg roll is a brilliant option for a speedy supper, as it is all cooked in the same pan and takes little more than half an hour to make from start to finish. Next time you're considering takeout, try this easy, tasty homemade option instead.

Recipe: Pork Egg Roll in a Bowl

When it comes to comfort food, pork belly and loaded baked potatoes both come pretty high on the list. For the ultimate indulgence, why not combine them both with this recipe for loaded BBQ pork belly baked potatoes? The key to a perfect loaded potato is to cook the spud just right to create a fluffy texture. Russet potatoes are a great option thanks to their high starch content, and an hour in the oven wrapped in foil should produce the ideal balance of a soft inside and a crispy exterior.

The cubes of pork belly are also cooked in the oven: an hour on their own, followed by half an hour coated in the delicious homemade barbecue sauce. It contains soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, honey, and hot sauce, giving it a brilliant balance of flavor that manages to be both sweet and tangy.

Once the potatoes are at their fluffy best, the sweet and sticky pork belly is added on top. It's then time to load the potato even further with classic toppings such as sour cream and grated cheese. You can even add pickled red onions and jalapeños for an added burst of heat, guaranteeing that each mouthful will be an explosion of flavor.

Recipe: Loaded BBQ Pork Belly Baked Potatoes