My son-in-law makes a mean Smoked Pork Butt on his Traeger. (Hopefully, I’ll remember to get the recipe and photos next time). Recently he smoked several pork butts for us and when I brought them home to shred, the broth was so rich. I decided to chill the broth and later skim off the fat (and it was a lot!). I then froze the remaining broth in muffin tins and when frozen solid, I saved for later use in sauce and soups.

This recipe popped us as an idea for a soup and I adapated to my taste, substituting a sweet potato instead of mushrooms. The soup has a slight smoky flavor and so delicious, not to mention, good for you! The recipe can be adapted to use whatever leftover meat and vegetables you may have on hand. But if you have leftover smoked pork and broth…you have to try it!

Leftover Pork and Potato Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, diced
• 4 celery ribs, diced
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 2 large cloves garlic
• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced
• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 to 2 cups leftover pork, cubed into 1/2” pieces or smaller (I used smoke pork)
• 1/2 cup smoked pork broth (captured during the smoke process–optional)
• 1 Tbsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground or rubbed sage
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 large fistfuls of fresh kale (or frozen kale)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook on medium until the onions just start to turn translucent.
2. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook until the vegetables start to become soft.
3. Add the potatoes and chicken stock and simmer, cooking until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Add the leftover pork, seasonings and kale and cook until the kale is wilted and the pork is heated through, about 5-10 minutes.
5. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Adapted from dontwastethecrumbs