Tired of traditional BBQ sauce with pulled pork? Try this sweet and savory soy based dipping sauce to jazz up your next batch of leftover smoked pulled pork! These Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps are a fantastic (and light) alternative to tacos or sliders, with amazing flavor!
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We’re total suckers for Taco Tuesday. It’s so easy to toss whatever you have laying around and layer it into a soft tortilla and chew away.
But, we’ve been trying to use up some leftover pulled pork lately. And I’m not gonna lie, I sometimes get a little tired of the traditional bbq sauce, cheddar cheese, combo. I’m often craving something a little more savory and lighter.
We love the combination of eastern flavors and spices (soy, ginger and spices like Chinese five spice).
Speaking of… if you are looking for similar flavors, you can check out our recipe for Smoked Pork Ribs with Asian Spice Rub.
Ingredients For The Sauce
The goal is a savory and sweet sauce and fresh vegetables for texture when making the lettuce wraps. You add the sauce with a small spoon or serving dish.
- Soy sauce – We opt for low sodium. You can also substitute with tamari for a gluten free alternative
- Balsamic vinegar
- Green onions
- Brown sugar
- Honey
- Fresh ginger – grated
- Garlic clove – finely diced.
- Sprig of rosemary – About 4-6 inches, the whole sprig, no need to break apart or chop
- Slurry – A mix of 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, this will help the sauce thicken
Smoked Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps with Soy Dipping Sauce
Take any pulled pork you may have lying around. I’m totally cool with wherever it comes from (leftover smoked pulled pork, crockpot pulled pork, heck even if you buy the Trader Joe’s store-bought pulled pork, whatever works for you!).
- Just start warming up the pulled pork in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. We add some of the finished sauce to the pulled pork while it’s cooking.
- And while that’s warming up make your sauce.
- In a separate small saucepan, combine soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, green onion, rosemary, garlic, ginger, honey and let it reduce. It helps to add a bit of a slurry to get it to thicken up too.
- Once it gets to the consistency you want (should be thick, like maple syrup, but not as thick as honey) take it off the burner and toss a few tablespoons into the pulled pork and save the rest to serve over your lettuce wraps after you’ve loaded them up with all sorts of happiness.
Lettuce Wraps Ingredients
Speaking of “happiness” I’m obviously referring to all of the crunchy veggies and herbs you may choose to add (like carrots, cabbage, green onions… the options are endless!). So while the sauce is reducing cut up your desired veggies to add to your lettuce wraps, turn on some happy tunes, and pop open a bottle of wine and get ready for fantastic and healthy meal. Our favorite toppings include:
- Warmed pulled pork
- Butter lettuce
- Carrots, julienned
- Red cabbage, shredded or julienned
- Green onions, chopped
- Cilantro
- Sesame seeds
You can add or substitute any of your fresh ingredients based on what’s in the store like water chestnuts, fresh snap peas, or fresh sprouted greens. The portions are in the recipe card.
Wine Pairing for Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps
I love the mix of savory flavors you get from the sauce (especially from the soy and balsamic), mixed with the mildly smoky meat, freshened up by the crunch raw veggies and fresh herbs. This is a great one to experiment with both red and white wines. We tried it with some local Pinot Noir and it was actually a lovely match.
But my favorite pairing for this dish is Riesling. We’ve been playing around a lot with Riesling and smoked meat and I’ve gotta tell you, Riesling can stand up to some smoke, folks. And with the complexity of flavors we’ve got here, the acidity in the wine, brightness, and fruity flavors, this was a winner!
More Recipes for Leftover Pulled Pork
- Pulled Pork Tacos
- Pulled Pork Nachos
- Smoked Pulled Pork Hash
- Sliders with Pulled Pork and Grilled Pineapple Slaw
- More Ideas for Leftover Pulled Pork
Mary (a certified sommelier and recipe developer) and Sean (backyard pitmaster) are co-authors of the critically acclaimed cookbook, Fire + Wine, and have been creating content for the IACP nominated website Vindulge since 2009. They live in Oregon on a farm just outside Portland.
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*For our recipe and technique that we used for these lettuce wraps, check out this post on how to smoke a pork butt. That post also includes some of my favorite uses for leftover pulled pork.
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Pulled Pork Lettuce Wraps with Soy Dipping Sauce
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Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 1 cup soy sauce
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup green onions
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- 1 sprig rosemary (about 4-6 inches, the whole sprig, no need to break apart or chop)
- 1 tablespoon slurry (a mix of 1 tablespoon water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, this will help the sauce thicken)
For the Lettuce Wraps
- 2 cups pulled pork, (approximately 1 lb)
- 2 carrots, julienned
- 2 cups red cabbage, shredded or julienned
- 1 head butter lettuce, leaves separated
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
Instructions
For the Sauce:
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Whisk all the sauce ingredients together (except the slurry) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Reduce at simmer for 10- 12 minutes. Strain (to remove rosemary and any chunks) the sauce into a separate container using a collander and add back into the saucepan over heat.
-
In a separate small sealed container add 1 tablespoon of water with 1 tablespoon cornstarch or flour and shake or mix to combine. Add the “slurry” to the saucepan with the strained sauce. Whisk to combine. Let continue simmering for 8-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Set aside.
For the Wraps:
-
Warm up Pork: In a large skillet heat up the pork on medium heat until warmed. Add 2-4 tablespoons of the sauce to the meat, as desired. Save the remaining sauce for topping your wraps. Remove from heat.
-
Assemble lettuce wraps: Scoop pork mixture into lettuce leaves, and top with your vegetables, onions, and cilantro. Drizzle with more reserved sauce as desired.
Notes
Find the perfect wine pairing at the Vindulge Wine Shop
Nutrition
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