Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway: Zingerman's Praise the Lard Gift Box
Every day through January 1 we're giving away a crazy good food item on Serious Eats. Try your luck, and if you win, you'll be eating some seriously delicious food come the new year.
Our second-annual Serious Eats Holiday Giveaway series continues today with a chance to win the new, just-for-Serious-Eats Zingerman's Praise The Lard Gift Box. I think it is the quite simply the best pork product group ever assembled in one gift box. Before I get into that, there are two important points I need to tell you:
- Discount: You can buy this gift box or anything at Zingerman's for 10 percent off. Use the promo code SERIOUSLY when you call or check out. Good now until December 31
- If you recount your fondest pork memory in the comments of this post, you'll be entered to win the Praise the Lard Gift Box, mailed directly to you We'll choose the winner at random from among the comments below. Commenting will close at 3 p.m. ET tomorrow, December 28
OK, now listen to what's in it:
- A pound of Benton's Bacon: In a country full of worthy candidates, Allan Benton's intensely flavored bacon just might be my favorite
- Broadbent Kentucky Sausage: Why is this Kentucky sausage, which comes in a cloth bag, so delicious? It's made with fresh ground pork, sage, red pepper, salt, and a secret ingredient or two and then smoked over green hickory for 24 hours. That's why? 'Nuff said
- Sam Edward's Virginia Breakfast Sausage: The Edwards family has been making this sage-y sausage for over a hundred years ago, so you can be sure they have the recipe and the process down pat
- Spanish Chorizo: Subtle, rich, fantastic, real chorizo from Spain made with pork, garlic, and paprika, then all cured in a room dried by smoke of a smoldering fire
- Zingerman's Peppered Bacon Farm Bread: Bacon+Pepper+Zingerman's Bakehouse Bread=Serious Deliciousness
- Mo's Bacon Bar: Bacon+Chocolate=A sweet kind of serious deliciousness
AND THERE'S MORE!
The winner will also receive a $35 Neighborhoodies gift certificate, good for a Serious Eats' inspired Praise the Lard T-shirt or hoodie (or any other Neighborhoodies apparel).
If you recount your fondest pork memory in the comments of this post, you'll be entered to win the Praise the Lard Gift Box and the $35 Neighborhoodies gift certificate.
And if you don't happen to win the Praise the Lard Gift Box this time around, remember you can buy this gift box or anything at Zingerman's for 10 percent off. Use the promo code SERIOUSLY when you call or check out. —Ed Levine
You have until 3 p.m. ET tomorrow (December 28) to enter. One winner will be chosen at random from among the commenters. Contest winners are limited to residents of the continental U.S., and you can only win once during the duration of the Seriously Delicious Holiday Giveaway contest. The standard Serious Eats contest rules apply.
Comments are closed: 336 Comments:
Pork belly at Bouchon in Las Vegas...Yum!!!!
Jeana at 3:02PM on 12/27/08
Grandma's braciole . . . mmm.
cmp45 at 3:04PM on 12/27/08
Sam gyup sal sizzling on a slab in front of us at Ham Ji Bak, in Flushing. So sinful.
plantainsandkimchi at 3:09PM on 12/27/08
We raised our own hogs when I was growing up, and took them a few miles away to be butchered. The smoked hams that came out of that place were the best! I've never had another nearly as good.
lillylilly at 3:12PM on 12/27/08
My grandmother , in her later years, almost always fixed breaded pork chops with cream gravy when you had dinner there.
Her smile was even better than the chops, which were delicious.
suegsf at 3:13PM on 12/27/08
One very cold Christmas eve,my wife threw me out of the house,and there was no room at the motel 6,so I had to stay in the pigpen with our 300 lb pig,named Bessie.We had to snuggle together to stay warm,and warm we stayed!!!!
onepercent99 at 3:14PM on 12/27/08
Ham and cheese soup...so rich, so good, and perfect when it is cold out.
brittj8585 at 3:16PM on 12/27/08
Gotta say that the twice-cooked pork belly w/scallions and fermented black beans at my local Sichuan place is my current reason to Praise the Lard!
Curlz at 3:17PM on 12/27/08
My grandfather making Ployes (Acadian buckwheat pancakes) and Cretons (pork spread with onions and spices made to top the Ployes) and what did he use for fat to cook the ployes in?... yep, bacon fat he kept in a can on the back of the wood fired stove he cooked on.... mmmmmm pork fat....
Pavlov at 3:20PM on 12/27/08
AS a kid: a plate of jamon at the museo del jamon with my father in Madrid.
adrocks21 at 3:20PM on 12/27/08
One of my first "food" memories was an amazing whole hog roast in our back yard... Ive been hooked ever since.
gambler72 at 3:22PM on 12/27/08
Bacon frying in a cast iron skillet every Saturday morning when I was a kid.
kevlney at 3:32PM on 12/27/08
Our Thanksgiving is different. Instead of a traditional menu, each person gets to cook whatever he wants. This year, the six main and side dishes were: pork loin with Chipotle glaze (15-year-old cook), calzones with ham, bacon and cheese sauce (12-year-old cook), fried potatoes with pancetta, standing rib of pork, dirty rice with pork and alligator sausage (16-year-old cook) and cajun shrimp. Alas, there was no pork with the shrimp, but by that point, you could dredge them on your plate and get the effect of bacon-wrapping them.
tnword at 3:32PM on 12/27/08
The first time my son said that he loved me, it was because I gave him more bacon. I couldn't decide if I was laughing because that proved he was my son, (as if giving birth to him hadn't!) or because of how brightly his eyes were shining and the look he gave me when I gave him that extra piece.
Erisian Saint at 3:38PM on 12/27/08
smelling bacon for the 1st time
bibliothecaire at 3:50PM on 12/27/08
A whole roast hog dinner we were invited to many years ago.
brooke29 at 3:50PM on 12/27/08
When my wife and I were newlyweds, we were too poor to afford any meat that wasn't on sale. One day our local supermarket had these gigantic, ten-pound packages of assorted pork cuts for an insanely low price, so we immediately grabbed a couple. We ate nothing but pork for the next month -- baked, broiled, and in every kind of sauce imaginable -- until finally the mere smell of the stuff made us nauseated. It would be five years before I could touch the pig again.
Weirdsmobile at 3:51PM on 12/27/08
my mom's Bolgaria pork & prune stew!!!!
pattyrose27 at 3:54PM on 12/27/08
winning this gift box
caleb at 4:05PM on 12/27/08
my aunt's maple glazed ham at christmas
ssultan23 at 4:09PM on 12/27/08
When my mom used to make me bacon sandwiches for breakfast! :)
cochon at 4:16PM on 12/27/08
The first time I set my Weber up for indirect grilling was for a Carolina Pulled Pork. It was the first time I had ever even lit a charcoal grill! The pork was awesome and it is now a family favorite!
leah4hand at 4:17PM on 12/27/08
Bacon-wrapped dates at a party last week. Revelation!
coffeecake at 4:18PM on 12/27/08
My mom's kalua pig. The consistency of pulled pork, with the juiciness of a rare steak.
teancom at 4:18PM on 12/27/08
My grandmother's pork pies...especially at the holidays. Thank you memere. and thank you for opportunity to win.
elaine nan at 4:20PM on 12/27/08
bacon wrapped dates at the local tapas bar
beano at 4:22PM on 12/27/08
A southern cook, transplanted to the SF Bay Area in 1966, cooked pork chops breaded in crushed saltine crackers, seasoned with salt and pepper, and FRIED IN LARD. They were delicious. I have cooked pork chops like that upon occasion, but sans lard. I know, I'm a damn wuss.
dksbook at 4:30PM on 12/27/08
Fondest memory? The first time I baked my bacon in the oven rather than pan frying it. It was a religious experience.
hrbisson at 4:31PM on 12/27/08
Making chocolate bacon ice cream. It was to die for!
Xtreambar at 4:33PM on 12/27/08
Collard greens with bacon...mmmmm,delicious!
cupcakemuffin at 4:33PM on 12/27/08
During the low-to-no carb diet craze no matter how huge my list of "can have's" was I yearned for all the carb-heavy, ultra delicious, never nutritious items in the snack aisle. The salty & crunchy, sweet and chewy, ooey-gooey snack aisle. After dropping 25lbs of the way-more-than 25lbs I was aiming to lose, I talked myself into believing I DESERVED a treat. I know...i know..I was taking a flying leap off of the wagon, but the justifications i came up with on that day, and in that moment, were indisputable. They were also admittedly completely irrational, but indisputable none the less. Anyway, I didnt want to be completely bad, and I knew that my pre-diet favorites were off limits; so I slowly walked down the snack aisle checking the nutrition facts of nearly every item. Everything was LOADED with carbs. Some of these things were in the triple digits with carbs!!! Those were an automatic NO.So I started to look for the items with the lowest double digits. The problem with most of those is that they also had the lowest serving size. Yeah, cheezeballs are only 11 carbs...but thats just for 1oz.What a joke. And then I saw the bags of pork skins. It never dawned on me that pork could be a snack, but it was, and even in varietys. They had plain, bar-b-q, salt & sour, even spicy; sounds like my potato chip friends. I thought to myself, this can't be good. I pick up the bag, turn it over, and saw the number zero. I thought it was a misprint, so I checked other bags, other flavors, my calorie king book in my purse. OMG, a snack with zero carbs. OMG they're probably gonna be gross. I bought a bag, and a bag of something I knew I liked, just in case. I opened it, sniffed a little, popped one in my mouth, and....i swear i heard the angels sing. Don't get me wrong, its not bacon. Nothing can measure up to the fabulousness that is bacon. Bacon, like cheese, makes everything better. But when I was struggling , and on the verge of commiting diet suicide, pork skins made it better. Just FYI don't stuff too many in your mouth at once, and always have something around to drink when you're eating them.
OhPuhleezee at 4:34PM on 12/27/08
Not quite bacon, but close... prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe?
unavaca at 4:35PM on 12/27/08
the tradtional pork & sauerkraut New Year's Day meal at my grandmothers.
Thomas6 at 4:35PM on 12/27/08
being tricked by my grandmother into eating pig's feet when I was young
miamia at 4:39PM on 12/27/08
Spanish chorizo, eggs and potatoes at Esperanza's.
mjcshields at 4:39PM on 12/27/08
oh there are so many...but one fond porcine memory of relatively recent vintage stands out...the joy of biting into the pulled pork po'boy at New Orleans Jazzfest this year, after waiting in line for it in the pouring rain...I think the waiting, the smell, the whole scene just heightened the porky excitement. Even damp it couldn't dampen my enthusiasm for its yumminess!!
jinx35 at 4:44PM on 12/27/08
all day pig slaughter and smokehouse ritual at my great grandfather's, growing up
ghinson at 4:45PM on 12/27/08
having grown up in a kosher household, it has to be the first time I had bacon--oh how I realized what a deprived childhood I had! I have made up for this in the ensuing years :)
alanbar at 4:46PM on 12/27/08
trying real spanish chorizo for the first time
carusoc at 4:54PM on 12/27/08
A cochon du lait po boy at New Orleans' Jazz Fest!
faegood at 4:54PM on 12/27/08
When I was a child we always had both bacon and sausage at breakfast. Once, when I was having breakfast at a freind's house, I was asked whether I wanted bacon or sausage for breakfast. I remember thinking "Or?"
amethiste at 4:55PM on 12/27/08
Pig roast every year with our best friends who lived on the St. Croix River - Wisconsin side. Good food, good friends...what could be better. And the skin...yummy.
Airedalelover at 4:55PM on 12/27/08
My six-year-old granddaughter proclaiming that she loves pigs (she collects and is given all kinds of pig paraphernalia) and she loves pork!
dawnie2u at 4:56PM on 12/27/08
Chicken fried pork chops with gravy. yum. Leftover smoky glazed ham peeking out of cheesy potato gratin with peas. Breakfast sausage dipped in real maple syrup. I have way too many pork memories to recount just one.
scarletini at 5:04PM on 12/27/08
While my classmate questioning "jamon and melon" on a menu, pronoucing the J was amusing---
--I think my favorite memory was ordering pork belly, only to have the waiter question my order--informing me (a petite woman) that this was a fatty piece of meat. I confirmed that is what I wanted, and savored every bite.
KatieJF at 5:05PM on 12/27/08
I love pork anyway I can get it, but my favorite memory is pork on the hoof! Over my life I have raised 3 pigs...Bacon, Hambone and Porkchop. Hambone was the worst. We couldn't keep him in a pen no matter what we tried. One day he was loose and my 6 year old son hopped on his back and Hambone headed down the road! My son stayed on until Hambone headed into a graveyard! Guess he decided it wasn't worth the trip! I was so sick of chasing him that his 300 pound butt went to smoking heaven the next day! He was delish!
hondaray6 at 5:09PM on 12/27/08
Day long slow smoked baby backs....mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
rovingfork at 5:09PM on 12/27/08
Giving up being a strict vegetarian becuase I missed pork. The first thing I ate when I stopped was an amazing piece of pork belly!
jh70095 at 5:11PM on 12/27/08
when i successfully made baby back pork ribs chinese-style at home!
boogaloobaby at 5:19PM on 12/27/08
The first time I had shredded pork w/Garlic sauce with someone Asian ordering it with/for me was pretty awesome.
hmcnally at 5:21PM on 12/27/08
There are so many....pulled pork, fresh off the Big Green Egg...Finding that BBQ shack in Driggs, Id....pork belly confit.....Home cured bacon...Is there a pork memory that isn't fond?
derosa at 5:24PM on 12/27/08
the first time I cured my own bacon.
Rick Kazmer at 5:24PM on 12/27/08
pork belly at a Chinese banquet in taipei
nmp164 at 5:28PM on 12/27/08
First time I ever made pozole.
dbcurrie at 5:29PM on 12/27/08
For easter one year, we had this huge party and my parents got a whole roasted pig. It was AMAZING. Best pork ever eaten. Yum!
deedoucette at 5:36PM on 12/27/08
Cochinilla in Segovia, Spain....
Mmmmm, crisp crackly, tender rich and delicious....
hmneilson at 5:37PM on 12/27/08
bacon marmalade @ Distrito, served with the bone marrow... heaven!
urbanfabric at 5:38PM on 12/27/08
Nothing beats the smell of cooking bacon when camping in the Colorado rockies.
dennis3276 at 5:45PM on 12/27/08
Pork ramen
Brettsy at 5:46PM on 12/27/08
carson's for ribs in chicago
shuffer at 5:47PM on 12/27/08
A few months ago, my son and I enjoying thick cut bacon from Kroeger and Sons in Cincinnati's Findlay Market.
We oven baked the slices, a flavor combination of intense bacon and ham that needed a knife and fork. Awesome and worth the wait over frying. (I did fry some other slices and they were very good also.)
We also bought some Chicago style coarse ground sausages on the same trip and they were terrific on the grill.
kmitch218 at 5:54PM on 12/27/08
the smell of bacon frying on christmas morning, and the biscuits and white gravy made from it.
valser at 5:58PM on 12/27/08
pork belly at chinese restaurants.
mango at 5:58PM on 12/27/08
Slow roasted whole pig after the a day harvesting olives at Belle Vue in Carmel, California. Best part: the cracklings!
CentralCoastContessa at 6:00PM on 12/27/08
The first time we butchered pigs
beanish at 6:04PM on 12/27/08
Kalua Pig Plate at Ono Hawaiian Foods on Oahu.
HelloChris at 6:15PM on 12/27/08
twice cooked pork in Bei Bei!!!!
tulawdog76 at 6:18PM on 12/27/08
First pig roast ever.
finsbigfan at 6:21PM on 12/27/08
my mom's crispy skinned pork belly (Chinese style)
mrsbao at 6:25PM on 12/27/08
the all-day braised pork i made for thanksgiving. i didn't know my oven could produce something so beautiful..
fetacrackwhore at 6:26PM on 12/27/08
The 1st time I tasted Parma prosciutto
madball911 at 6:28PM on 12/27/08
zingerman's applewood smoked bacon and maple syrup is my absolute favorite on sunday morning!
stella343 at 6:33PM on 12/27/08
my first blt
feelgood at 6:37PM on 12/27/08
Ahh...the enormous array of prosciutto and thin slices of lard, sandwiched with hot-off-the-griddle flatbread made by my adopted grandparents, on a farm in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.
The food (and wine) alone would've made it memorable, but what makes me smile is the memory of grandfather, who would not tolerate the sight of my hands empty nor my mouth unfilled, hand-selecting cuts of meat and pushing another sandwich into my hands as soon as I finished the first, admonishing all the while, "Mangia, maangia!"
miso at 6:39PM on 12/27/08
BLT at Everett Street Bistro in Portland, OR.
PDXbiker at 6:39PM on 12/27/08
Autumn pig roast on a farm in Dutchess County.
jvanhoy at 6:43PM on 12/27/08
Cuban roast pork con mojo and cracklings-yum.
deefine at 6:52PM on 12/27/08
Any BLT! MMMMM!
jword2001 at 6:57PM on 12/27/08
The bacon at Peter Luger in Brooklyn.
mhgatti at 7:05PM on 12/27/08
discovering true mexican chorizo from my friend Raul!
hoff_83 at 7:07PM on 12/27/08
My favorite lately is getting my carnivorous boys to enjoy spiced lentils with just a touch of ham via smoked hocks. Tastes meaty and a little goes a long way.
janecooks at 7:20PM on 12/27/08
The smell of bacon cooking in the morning at my grandparent's house.
Erin at 7:21PM on 12/27/08
picking out the fillings of roast pork buns
tracker at 7:22PM on 12/27/08
eating pork rinds
Eddie at 7:29PM on 12/27/08
2" thick, brined, bone-in, perfect fat capped pork chop, charcoal grilled, slightly smoked, heavenly flavored goodness last summer...mmmmmm
dhow1611 at 7:33PM on 12/27/08
Finding Spanish chorizo after getting home from my semester abroad in Madrid, desolately combing the city for anything remotely like the real thing. Thank you, Despaña.
annerska at 7:41PM on 12/27/08
Taking thick cuts of sliced peppered bacon,baking till nice & crisp, toasting nice thick toast, adding fresh sliced tomatoes & a nice layer of Hellman's mayo... this is what dreams are made of :-)
pamelakrest at 7:48PM on 12/27/08
Fried country ham with red-eye gravy (just made with water, no coffee)
The pig is certainly a friend to man.
johncb at 7:53PM on 12/27/08
my dad's pork short ribs with lotus roots - serious comfort food.
valeriam at 7:55PM on 12/27/08
my first taste of real carnitas.
icecreamsandwich at 8:12PM on 12/27/08
pork roast
captunderp at 8:20PM on 12/27/08
long-braised chinese style pork roast
newyorker at 8:24PM on 12/27/08
a piggie paradise
KingT at 8:28PM on 12/27/08
In my little city, Columbia, SC, is a guy who raises historic breeds of pig in the old-fashioned way. At farmers' markets Emile sells his pork and it's special. It tastes, well, like PORK. Recently, he's had quarters of suckling pigs. I roasted one with sage and rosemary from the garden, orange rind, and garlic. I deglazed the pan with a bit of chicken stock. Served it to food loving friends who went ga-ga. Soft, seemingly fat free, redolent of herbs, orange and garlic, with a cracklin' skin. Out Of Sight!
tmdonahue at 8:32PM on 12/27/08
The fondest memory of pork I have is always the last time I had some. Stuffed mushrooms on Christmas Day.
andysophiemom at 8:44PM on 12/27/08
Growing up in midwest we always had bacon or sausage with breakfast. Comfort food for me is country ribs with kraut.
betty at 8:48PM on 12/27/08
Cajun grillades. Fantastic.
Yrmencyn at 8:54PM on 12/27/08
The smell of hams hanging in the smokehouse and watching my mom cut the slices off to fry.
sarash at 8:55PM on 12/27/08
Recreating Elvis' Peanut Butter, Jelly, Bacon on a loaf of french bread with my best friend in college. One lb of bacon, one jar of creamy peanut butter one jar of grape jelly, and one large french bread loaf.. Yes, we got sick.
bradchoc at 8:56PM on 12/27/08
My grandmother used to make me hot dogs with cheese and bacon wrapped around them.
amgconz at 8:58PM on 12/27/08
Iberico ham, san sebastian
js1604 at 9:11PM on 12/27/08
The pork sandwich truck at the 2000 Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis. I'm not sure if it was technically the best BBQ I've ever eaten, but that night the music, the beer, the girl and the pork were sublime.
okclint at 9:13PM on 12/27/08
My mom frying the eggs in the bacon grease for Sunday breakfast.
chuckjustice at 9:17PM on 12/27/08
first taste of proscuitto
karen r at 9:19PM on 12/27/08
Making the "Fatty Melt" with bacon in the grilled cheeses
joanpieroni2 at 9:28PM on 12/27/08
nyt bacon wrapped meatloaf.
andshewas at 9:28PM on 12/27/08
First taste of Kalua pig in Hawaii.
cyberroo at 9:32PM on 12/27/08
seeing the red severed pig heads in Chinatown was the first time I realized that char siu was, uh, pig.
piepie at 9:43PM on 12/27/08
The prosciutto sandwich that broke my braces. When I described it to my orthodontist, she said she understood completely.
misha at 9:46PM on 12/27/08
thick-sliced pork belly and jamboneau on choucroute in Riquewehr (Alsace-Lorraine, FR)
deluxo at 9:50PM on 12/27/08
Ribfest in Naperville. Mmmmm.
iahawk89 at 9:51PM on 12/27/08
It's hard to pick one, but I'd say it was in New Zealand at a hongi, where they cook the pig buried in the ground, it was fantastic!
24taz48 at 9:53PM on 12/27/08
Learning I liked prosciutto and peas.
neojess at 9:56PM on 12/27/08
......the guy that sells ribs he cooks on a home-made half steel barrel drum grill towed to a corner lot on Copley Road in Akron, Ohio. Seriously.
kathyvegas at 10:05PM on 12/27/08
BBQ spare ribs growing up. My first favorite food...haven't had them in years...
sailordave at 10:10PM on 12/27/08
Fresh cooked bacon on a cold winter's campout.
kaszeta at 10:18PM on 12/27/08
I just had a crazy good barbecue sandwich at White Swan in Four Oaks, NC. Tender pulled pork slathered in a nice vinegar-based sauce, topped with tangy, cool slaw on a white bread bun. For less than three dollars. Cheap and perfect. With sweet, sweet tea and complimentary hush puppies!
CandyBean at 10:28PM on 12/27/08
The first time I cooked the bacon for my pot of beans (not crunchy, just enough to keep it a firm texture and try out some of the fat) and then frying the onions for said pot of beans in the bacon drippings.
chascates at 10:30PM on 12/27/08
frying up some late night bacon for snacking in college
princexy at 10:30PM on 12/27/08
A great BLT on brioche.
warrenss at 10:42PM on 12/27/08
biscuits and sausage gravy, at the lake, made by grandma
bmcbrides at 11:03PM on 12/27/08
Vermont Smoke and Cure bacon on a Thomas Keller Bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato.
tugttw at 11:09PM on 12/27/08
Standardized test days in elementary school. In response to the "make sure you eat a good, healthy breakfast that morning" note the school sent home, my mom nixed our usual oatmeal and made a big breakfast of scrambled eggs and rice with either fried spam, fried bologna, or fried hot dogs. Good thing I was a smarty, because that greasy swim in my belly might have undermined my multiple-choice skills. But it's still my ideal breakfast. YUM!
Cookieeater at 11:25PM on 12/27/08
Every weekend breakfast with good bacon creates fond memories.
threedogkitchen at 11:34PM on 12/27/08
The first time my uncle showed me to how to make proper southern biscuits and gravy.
dmunson at 11:42PM on 12/27/08
Baby back ribs, baby...slow smoked in my BBQ.. I hate winter...but have an alternative winter remedy. Slow roasted in low oven and basted and blasted under broiler. Not smoked, but oh...so...satisfying.
lamora at 11:52PM on 12/27/08
Christmas at my aunt's beach house where she ordered a pig to be slow roasted (about 12 hours) and it was served for lunch to the family. I have never tasted any better than those roasted pigs. YUMMY!!!
vdeliz at 12:09AM on 12/28/08
My daughter's graduation party, when one of her friend's father provided a roasted pig. It was so-o-o-o tasty.
sito50 at 12:09AM on 12/28/08
Fondest pork memory: Learning how to make pork sausages from my grandmothers. Some of our best times were spent in the kitchen cooking.
dbaxgirl51 at 12:10AM on 12/28/08
ahhh the pig pickin' at granny's house during the summers as a kid... mmmmmmmmmm YUM.
ghostamongyou at 12:14AM on 12/28/08
The first time I made a salt-crusted pork tenderloin roast. Amazing.
shoneyjoe at 12:14AM on 12/28/08
Earlier this year I made the most delicious bacon and chopped it up for roasted potatoes and chicken, for potato soup, for bacon and eggs....I could add bacon to almost anything..
gibbylet at 12:23AM on 12/28/08
Our family loves pork. When my baby sister was six months old, she looked on with longing as we ate pork chops for dinner. Our great-great aunt handed her a pork chop, and baby sis gnawed all the meat off the bone... Thanks for the terrific offer!
geekbearinggifts at 12:25AM on 12/28/08
Having a Carolina pulled pork sandwich with slaw for the first time at the Hillsborough Hog Day. MMMMMMM! And now I know how to make it...Life is Good!
Catrona_sweeps at 12:26AM on 12/28/08
The first time I ate pork right off the pig was at a Polish festival in Chicago called Taste of Polonia. The guy sliced some meat right off of this whole pig they had roasting on a spit, dumped it on a paper plate, ladeled some bbq sauce over it and then added some vinegary potato salad, a pickle and a couple slices of rye bread. Dang it was good!
drmagazine at 12:26AM on 12/28/08
I come from the Land of Pork! Pork is central to Puerto Rican holiday cooking, especially the lechón (spit-roasted piglet). Holiday feasts might include several pork dishes, such as pernil (a baked fresh pork shoulder seasoned in adobo mojado), morcilla (a black blood sausage), tripa (tripe), jamón con piña (ham and pineapple), gandinga (stewed pork innards) and chuletas ahumadas (smoked cutlets). Needless to say the holidays are my favorite time of the year!
tiglesia at 12:28AM on 12/28/08
Full roasted pig in the backyard. Watching everybody squirm away from the pig head.
ChappedSky at 12:35AM on 12/28/08
Melt in your mouth Pork Betty at Bozu in Williamsburg. Literally, the fat on the the pieces of pork belly dissolved when they hit my tongue. I was in heaven.
mtabry at 12:35AM on 12/28/08
First time I had real homemade sausage
KSmith at 12:38AM on 12/28/08
pork belly
maportofu at 12:42AM on 12/28/08
My most favorite pork memory was watching my mother fry pork chops and then saute Hominy in the browned bits. It's still my favorite meal as an adult. I can taste it now :)
ppekpb at 12:44AM on 12/28/08
the crunchy skin of chinese whole roasted pig
winkyj at 12:55AM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory is one of me eating my mom's delicious pulled roast pork at a family dinner.
janetfaye at 12:57AM on 12/28/08
My Mom could make the best pork roast there ever was.
Thanks for the contest
mullin at 1:06AM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory is Peter Brady's "pork chop and applesauce" episode. :) Thanks for the giveaway!
cmgnbox01 at 1:38AM on 12/28/08
There are so many - but an early one was begging pickled pigs' feet from my father while he watched football on our black-and-white TV.
Gwenelle at 1:38AM on 12/28/08
bacon martini in vegas..
graciecat at 1:43AM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory was attenting a fourth of July party where a pig was roasted. The meat was so tender and fine tasting. That was the best - enjoying wonderful pork while watching the fireworks!
berwyn at 2:09AM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory was when my best friend finally bit the bullet and told them to take this job and shove it -- she retired from teaching. At her party we had a whole pig roasted ala luau and all the trimmings and a DJ to keep us entertained. That was the best pork I have ever eaten!!! He did his lard proud!!! A good time was had by all! Doris, we salute you for a job well done - both in the classroom and as a party planner!!!
Thank you so much for the opportunity to enter & dream about these wonderful items.
bndraldy at 2:41AM on 12/28/08
Mom making butterflied fried pork in the kitchen
madeas at 2:41AM on 12/28/08
dad's sauce every christmas eve
Shelby at 3:01AM on 12/28/08
crispy bacon
gorzd at 3:10AM on 12/28/08
Mr. C (aka dad) used to make pork roll and egg sandwiches on Saturday morning when I was little.... I go have one at the cafe near my apartment when I'm feeling homesick.
Yes... I'm a Jersey girl and proud of it. :-)
mlcottingham at 3:10AM on 12/28/08
My favorite pork memory is from my childhood when we went to neighborhood 4th of July pig roasts. They were always a good time with lots of great food. Thanks!
mistyriver at 3:37AM on 12/28/08
Delicious, delicious bacon prepared every sort of manner, and included in practically any dish! It is surely the wonder food!
wilsonj120 at 3:42AM on 12/28/08
Sausage grinders with peppers and onions on the boardwalk!
architeuthis at 3:54AM on 12/28/08
Macaroni and Cheese wiht Ham. the perfect comfort food
Dove420 at 4:08AM on 12/28/08
The first time I had a PBJBB. Peanut butter and jelly with banana and BACON!!!
googy at 4:10AM on 12/28/08
The first time I had a BLT as a child.
cgeo2000 at 4:24AM on 12/28/08
Having ham at thanksgiving really brought the family together. It set the table together- great memories.
prettyinpink at 4:34AM on 12/28/08
My husband's summer of BBQ sparerib research and development....and finding perfection. Heaven!
sw8t at 4:44AM on 12/28/08
The first time I had ribs at a real Texas BBQ joint, I'll never forget how the meat fell off the pork ribs. We ate outside at picnic tables, and the food was carried to the tables in milk crates. Waaayyyy too much food.
cdziuba at 5:02AM on 12/28/08
Throwing slop over the fence for the pigs at my grandparents house and how mean they were.....but boy were they tasty.
gypsy58 at 5:28AM on 12/28/08
eating pork and whipped cream with my sis. We thought we we chefs
intime at 5:37AM on 12/28/08
Sitting at the dinner table and having Nana (my grandmother) ask, "Aren't you going to eat your fat?"
heisey at 6:05AM on 12/28/08
My favorite pork-related memory is one of my father teaching me how to prepare and cook a ham. I remember how much attention he paid to scoring the rind and putting the pineapple slices, cherries and cloves. His always looked like those you saw on magazine covers. He is no longer with us but those memories live on.
Noggy at 6:41AM on 12/28/08
When I was a kid we raised hogs. I always hated going to feed them, especially in the winter. I will always remember the fresh pork chops and bacon - they made it all worthwhile!
Traumajunky at 6:44AM on 12/28/08
Bacon and sausage aroma filling the house every Sunday morning while I was a child.
Thanks
fluegas5 at 6:45AM on 12/28/08
My dad and I going to our favorite pancake house getting extra bacon each time. :)
:) Thank you for the wonderful giveaway! :)
tmim123 at 6:47AM on 12/28/08
Pork BBQ at our wedding - such fun! thx...
jenberger at 6:49AM on 12/28/08
Pork? That would be Jimmy Nix restaurants in Alabama; they know how to cook pulled pork!
JonsDad at 6:55AM on 12/28/08
Waking up to the smell of bacon and sausage at home when I was a child.
andreect at 7:01AM on 12/28/08
Bacon frying up on Christmas morning.
davidfearn at 7:13AM on 12/28/08
newly made friends (met at a rodeo we swerved off the road for) during a road trip along route 66 in new mexico, who made us a delicious posole (pork and hominy stew) for dinner.
h3psibah at 7:17AM on 12/28/08
When I was a kid, my parents owned a small business and did a pig roast for their company picnic one year. As the boss's kid, I got to stick my nose where it didn't belong, and I relished every minute of that porky goodness.
jessie at 7:17AM on 12/28/08
My friend Jim's pork roast - the adults loved it and the kids were all freaked out - the pork was great!
tsegada at 7:19AM on 12/28/08
When I first moved to Nebraska my mom made some stuffed pork chops and they was gigantic, turns out that was my first Iowa chop...mmm, mmm good.
randycur0962 at 7:20AM on 12/28/08
the first time i had shake and bake pork chops
mverno at 7:23AM on 12/28/08
Tie between enjoying pork dip sandwiches and butterflied fried pork with family
sdeas at 7:30AM on 12/28/08
...my late Mom used to prepare my favorite: stuffed pork chops.
brianpiero at 7:32AM on 12/28/08
My dad's pork chops. They were out of this world.
miriama59 at 7:33AM on 12/28/08
I used to live at a condo where they did a yearly pig roast
jean8 at 7:34AM on 12/28/08
The first time I had applewood smoked bacon and wondered what was that other stuff I had been eating that the grocery store called bacon.
carolasar at 7:44AM on 12/28/08
Replicating what were once totally unfamiliar Chinese pork dishes at home, like double-cooked pork.
sarahinnewyork at 7:47AM on 12/28/08
I remember my pet pig - Pork Chop. He was tiny when I got engaged - but approved of my beau - by oinking and coming to the door. Pork Chop is gone now - but we have been married 43 years. Always take the advice of a pig - they're smart!
dunsterlady at 7:56AM on 12/28/08
I remember when I was a kid we'd have bacon or sausage with our eggs on the weekend. We had a huge family so anytime we got something like that for breakfast was a big deal.
adr1001025 at 8:03AM on 12/28/08
Fried Taylor pork roll sandwiches on white bread that my mother made on Saturday afternoons.
suladuck at 8:06AM on 12/28/08
My Mom used to make pork chops with a special sauce of ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, and chopped celery, when I was young. I make it now for my family and it's the only way we will eat pork chops! yum.
lsfish at 8:10AM on 12/28/08
I hope I win!
ratgirl1204 at 8:11AM on 12/28/08
Family sunday breakfasts with sausage
EmilySC at 8:18AM on 12/28/08
my mom's drunken ham
jmahurin40 at 8:19AM on 12/28/08
I grew up on a farm, where we raised our own pigs, cows, chickens, sheep and geese. My father would have the hams from the pigs cured for our family. That was the best ham I have ever eaten. He would also have big, thick sausages made and they were oh so good.
arvard at 8:22AM on 12/28/08
The roasting of an entire pig at our company picnic. I thought no way am I eating on that grease. It was actually really good.
idahomom at 8:24AM on 12/28/08
Picking up the lechon from a neighbors house when I was about 8. They had their own underground pit which they showed me. They had about 4 pigs sitting there on the hot coals. The smell was intoxicating, they must have had to bribe their nieghbors with pork every sunday.
eastcoastvb at 8:26AM on 12/28/08
a stuffed porkchop on new year's day
ptreskovich at 8:27AM on 12/28/08
My mom's pork ribs and sauerkraut are tops!
michelena2000 at 8:30AM on 12/28/08
grandmother's ham for christmas dinner
TNFarmer at 8:31AM on 12/28/08
New Year's pork roast - Yum!!
mcferret at 8:44AM on 12/28/08
BBQ pork at our wedding reception
mnsteph at 8:50AM on 12/28/08
BBQ ribs , they were soooo good!!!
jayhawker at 8:51AM on 12/28/08
My Polish grandmother made her own sausage and I got to crank the handle of the meat grinder that she screwed to a kitchen chair!
anyang at 8:57AM on 12/28/08
My mom used to make what she called 'fresh ham' for Sunday dinner. I think it was a shoulder or butt roast and it was really, really tasty.
Rottenmom at 9:00AM on 12/28/08
Double Smoked Bacon and the eggs lovingly fried in their renderings..mmmmm
taoistpunk at 9:00AM on 12/28/08
Grandma's homeade sausage bicuits will always be one of my greatest memories form when I was a kid on the farm.
crboyd at 9:15AM on 12/28/08
Baby back rib's are always my favorite-Yumo!
dove1960 at 9:16AM on 12/28/08
Bacon, eggs & homemade biscuits on my grandparents farm! Thanks!
sharonjo at 9:17AM on 12/28/08
Eating pulled pork BBQ at a picnic with my family
sarahbethe at 9:20AM on 12/28/08
OK, so I'm a NY'er transplanted in Southern Virginia. Southern folks are kind of weird about their food, obsessive to no end! I was introduced to the love of smoked pork, pork ribs, and hand pulled pork in a flavorful homemade BBQ sauce for the first time at Wood Chicks BBQ. I've acquired the taste at several different local eateries and as long as I have my Sweet Tea and pork fixins' --- I'm in Hog heaven!
Twincere at 9:20AM on 12/28/08
My Grandpas Juricek Czech smoked pork sausage
TxBubba at 9:23AM on 12/28/08
my favorite pork memory is eating carolina pulled pork sandwiches for the first time with my friends. I am from up north and was going to college in N Carolina and those sandwiches are amazing.
gervitsd at 9:24AM on 12/28/08
Cracklin' bread.
paints at 9:28AM on 12/28/08
My grandmother's homemade sausage and buckwheat pancakes.
Joyce424 at 9:29AM on 12/28/08
First Pork Roast at the annual family gathering, scary and yummy at the same time. lol
miskatonic at 9:30AM on 12/28/08
My favorite memory of a pork dinner is when--- when I was growing up my neighbors used to roast a whole pig on a spit in their backyard for one of their annual parties! I miss that! It was the best pork I ever had!
Lynnharasym at 9:30AM on 12/28/08
Pork ribs and sauerkraut, which was enjoyed throughout my childhood....and always eaten with corn. This remains my favorite food from childhood.
Teri at 9:32AM on 12/28/08
Making sausage, very satisfying.
schnitzel at 9:32AM on 12/28/08
One day I made Emeril's Sunday Dinner Pork Roast. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. It is without a doubt the best pork I have had in a long while.
peonynut at 9:33AM on 12/28/08
Crisp, thick bacon on white bread with a slice of home grown red tomato, and a crisp piece of lettuce.
rcstout12 at 9:34AM on 12/28/08
blts on toasted sour dough growing up
tmbronk at 9:36AM on 12/28/08
When I was a kid, my grandfather would go to a little cafe called "Jolly Nicks" and would bring home the best BLT's in the world. The bacon was incredible! Unfortunately, the place is long gone...
jacvil at 9:36AM on 12/28/08
Making pork chili tamales for Christmas!!! My gramma and a couple of my aunts and my sister and I would get together a week before Christmas every year, and we would have a tamale-making party!! 1 person would be in charge of making a big bowl of masa, 1 person would be making the pork chili after the pork was cooked in a pressure cooker, 1 person would be soaking and organizing the corn husks, 1 would be scooping masa onto a flattened corn husk and then putting chili on that, and then 1 person would fold up the tamale and tie it with a corn husk string! During all of this, all of us women would be chatting away about family memories of Christmas past! The tamales were given to all the family members as Christmas gifts from gramma because she didn't have the money to buy presents. Thank you for such a great contest!!
txgigggles@yahoo.com
txgiggles45 at 9:38AM on 12/28/08
pork ribs on the grill- The only way I can get my youngest to eat meat!
denyse at 9:41AM on 12/28/08
The boring old ham my family makes this time of year. Wouldn't make it myself, but it wouldn't be Christmas without it.
TheJTrain at 9:45AM on 12/28/08
For Christmas dinner we had pork tenderloin with glazed onions--Yum!
artmarcia at 9:51AM on 12/28/08
The first time I had smoked baby back ribs-bliss! Thank you for this giveaway!
dglitter at 9:52AM on 12/28/08
I grew up eating what my mom called pork chops (dried leather is what I actually thought it was). The only time I had good pork was going to my grandparents house. Thick and moist with an incredible flavor. Always accompanied by mashed taters, corn, greenbeans and homemade biscuits with cream gravy. The grandparents are gone now and I never learned to cook as good as grandma.....but I sometimes still dream about Sunday dinner at the granparents.
valhallalady at 10:00AM on 12/28/08
home made pork dumplings made by a friend
piehole at 10:01AM on 12/28/08
Breasfast at my Grandmas of thick bacon cooking
susan1215 at 10:06AM on 12/28/08
For family gatherings, it wasn't uncommon for whole roasted pig to appear seemingly out of nowhere. Then my uncle would grab his cleaver and in a matter of minutes expertly take it apart into bite sized bits of porky goodness :)
mozart23 at 10:07AM on 12/28/08
My dad's bbq pig cooked on a cooker he made himself!!!!
sherri19 at 10:14AM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory is trying a Mo's Bacon Bar for the first time. ;0P
lilyk at 10:22AM on 12/28/08
I had a great time reminiscing with old friends at a huge pig roast last summer. Good times and great food.
angela67p at 10:22AM on 12/28/08
This weekends post Christmas smokehose party where we made 240# of assorted sauasges, 60# smoked pork loin for chops, and this year we have added 30# of bacon, next year I plan to try a few whole hams.
bobcat at 10:27AM on 12/28/08
When I was about 19 I went to a pig roast. It was SO good!
keeponwinning at 10:28AM on 12/28/08
My grandmother's biscuits and sausage gravy
MadameTart at 10:31AM on 12/28/08
Ribs on the grill with lots of family
llinda29 at 10:36AM on 12/28/08
going to bob evans every sunday with grandma and grandpa for the biscuts and gravy and bacon and eggs kept me full all day
tracyb107 at 10:36AM on 12/28/08
My grandfather would make the BEST breakfast sandwhich for us on weekend mornings - The components consisted of crispy, pan fried bacon on a to-die-for (literally) bread that was sauteed until golden brown and cripsy in (yep, you guessed it, ) BACON FAT!
Bacony, greasy heaven to me as a kid.
Leecee at 10:38AM on 12/28/08
Scrapple - it's a Pennsylvania Dutch thing.
GaleG at 10:42AM on 12/28/08
My husband's pork loin fixed with sourkraut on New Year's Day. It
can't be beat.
monnie10_0 at 10:46AM on 12/28/08
it's a polish tradition to have saurkraut and pork on new years day, for luck. my grandparents, parents, i, and now my children keep this tradition going. we don't always use the side dishes that go with this and use our own, but we keep the roast pork and saurkraut going. it's a warm feeling when i think of the generations this has spanned.
etrnlone at 10:46AM on 12/28/08
I made some grilled ham and cheese sammies yesterday that were just so good they've become my temporary favorite pork memory. I'll admit the memory making was helped with some home-brewed mead and good company!
AsTheNight at 10:47AM on 12/28/08
My 1st tenderloin.
stinkyfink at 10:47AM on 12/28/08
I love a baked ham, glazed with the maple syrup, that is made locally, here in VT. Thanks for the nice contest, it sounds yummy!
brmetcalf at 10:50AM on 12/28/08
The rootbeer braised pork belly my sister served up two days ago. It's nice having a chef in the family.
alexclifford at 10:52AM on 12/28/08
The first time I had braised pork belly. I swear the clouds parted.
SusanP at 10:55AM on 12/28/08
My mom used to make this great dish of pork tenderloin with cuts in it. You filled the cuts with apple slices and onions. Soooo good.
iainswife at 11:03AM on 12/28/08
My mom's pork chops with stuffing on top and applesause on the side.
marathonnh at 11:04AM on 12/28/08
Sausage making day at my parents. I got to turn the machine to stuff the casings while the rest of the family had other chores not quite as important.
Marilouise at 11:19AM on 12/28/08
From ages 6 through 15, I spent every summer in Wisconsin with my grandparents. On Saturday evening, we'd have BLTs with bacon from the butcher and fresh tomatoes from the garden. Good bacon is sublime... so are wonderful childhood memories.
shimmyd at 11:22AM on 12/28/08
My mother's pork chops and pork roasts - I've never been able to duplicate her recipes.
kathryne4 at 11:23AM on 12/28/08
Pork sandwich at the pitts again in Phx is the best pork and bbq sauce I have ever had!!
sln123 at 11:23AM on 12/28/08
I'm torn between Sunday breakfast as a child when there was always bacon cooking, and the day I discovered pancetta.
Michael Z at 11:31AM on 12/28/08
As a kid, our large family ate something called scrapple. My dad would call it mysterious pigs parts.
r0berts at 11:44AM on 12/28/08
My father making bacon on Sunday mornings before a day of Football.
JustinP at 11:45AM on 12/28/08
My brother in law makes a smoked pork tenderloin that is fantastic, It even converted my brother (Who said he hated pork) into a pork eater.
bongeezer at 11:47AM on 12/28/08
Driving from Mass to Florida for a family vacation and stopping for real Southern barbecue--tasting pulled pork for the first time. Yum!
heikkinen at 11:47AM on 12/28/08
pig roast!
Jeane at 11:51AM on 12/28/08
My fondest memory is of eating barbecued ribs as a child. Pork has always been my favorite!
tlcfromtn at 11:51AM on 12/28/08
Ham and cheese soup.
julis55 at 11:52AM on 12/28/08
Cooking bacon in the oven, not on the stove. No splatter and evenly cooked.
salty at 11:53AM on 12/28/08
My grandmothers pork loin slow cooked with french onion soup is something to die for.
Rebel at 11:58AM on 12/28/08
first time I had real 'crackling'. much much much better than the bagged pork rinds at the bodega.
savscarlett at 11:58AM on 12/28/08
The first time my mom made pork chops with applesauce.
drala625 at 12:01PM on 12/28/08
Pig roasts at my friends farm.
ktgonyea at gmail.com
ktgonyea at 12:03PM on 12/28/08
grilled pork chops at a football tailgate
ericrathbun at 12:06PM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memories are of the pig roasts my sister and her husband have on Labor Day. Great fun and the pork is just the best. Thank you and Happy New Year to you!
Tina12312 at 12:06PM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory is my first ever pork roast. It turned out fabulously. Rosemary thyme butter, garlic, roasted new potatoes. Mmmm, I am drooling now thinking of some.
Reva Skie at 12:11PM on 12/28/08
My mom made the best fried pork chops and we always had apple sauce to dip them in.
qwill at 12:11PM on 12/28/08
I remember the brady bunch episode with peter and his 'pork chops and applesauce' bit. After seeing that, I couldn't wait to have pork chops and applesauce for dinner.
cowleyh at 12:21PM on 12/28/08
ham on easter always
redron at 12:26PM on 12/28/08
I remember the first time my husband made chorizo . . . .
jkampf at 12:27PM on 12/28/08
im just a bacon and eggs kind of girl.
tracey73110 at 12:28PM on 12/28/08
The green beans my grandfather used to make. He cooked them with a pork rind, bacon, onions, and seasoning which he unfortunately never wrote down so no one knows how to make the recipe to this day. He would simmer them all day on low heat and then would can them. Those were the best beans EVER! My mouth still waters thinking about the smell filling the whole cottage.
kdkdkd at 12:28PM on 12/28/08
Bacon wrapped scallops drizzled with lemon pepper and broiled.
ruthing73 at 12:29PM on 12/28/08
My mom's garlic-stuffed pork roast, yummm.
sillelin at 12:30PM on 12/28/08
my mother used to make awesome stuffed pork chops :)
klp1965 at 12:32PM on 12/28/08
My papa having a pig roast on his hog farm every year. Yummy! And lots of fun to see tons of people. Thank you
tatertot374@sbcglobal.net
tatertot374 at 12:34PM on 12/28/08
My second cousin makes homemade pork Italian sausage every year and brings some to our family Christmas party, cooked in tomato sauce. They melt in your mouth. I've never tasted any sausage that can compare to this.
amylou61 at 12:36PM on 12/28/08
Last September, my husband and I made a spur-of-the-moment trip out to Saugatuck, MI (about 4 hrs away from where we live), primarily to go to Journeyman Cafe, on the basis of a terrific review by SE's Michael Nagrant. It was *totally* worth it--if only for their died-and-gone-to-heaven-good pork belly. There was a maple gastrique on the plate as well, so it was like having the most amazing breakfast ever, only for dinner.
msmla at 12:41PM on 12/28/08
Give me any sandwich with bacon on it! BLT with avacado. Yum. And do not microwave my bacon, please.
jcamp2020 at 12:42PM on 12/28/08
Christmas ham!
HSlater351 at 12:45PM on 12/28/08
My fondest pork memory is having breakfast at my grandparents when my grandfather would fry some homemade pork sausage. garrettsambo@aol.com
garrettsambo at 1:09PM on 12/28/08
bacon for breakfast
vibrantfun at 1:11PM on 12/28/08
pulllled pork...yummy
mistablitz at 1:14PM on 12/28/08
Both have to do with my Dad. First, Taylor pork roll sandwiches on white rolls with spicy mustard. Second, his BLT sandwiches - toasted bread, a bit of mayo, and tomatoes from out back. Nothing beat Sunday lunch...
firni at 1:16PM on 12/28/08
The smell of sausage frying and the taste of the sausage gravy and biscuits.
gregmojc at 1:18PM on 12/28/08
Pan fried pork chops with cream gravy. My Mom was the champion of fried pork chops!
circargus at 1:21PM on 12/28/08
A neighbor when I was growing up had a small country grocery.She sold homemade sausage which was magnificent. Ah, memories of supper of her sausage, grits and gravy, with collards (seasoned with bacon drippings, of course!) yum
lisaray at 1:24PM on 12/28/08
pork, best, i have short term memory today bacon.
vergie at 1:36PM on 12/28/08
"Helping" my grandfather carve the Christmas ham. I don't know how much help I was, but all their kitties got scraps of ham thanks to me.
dhorst at 1:38PM on 12/28/08
I will be 67 in two months and one of my childhood fond memories from before I started to school was the first cold spell after Christmas was hog killing day. We had a big yard, and it was done for a week at our house. Five families would all kill together. Each of the men had a duty to perform and the women all did the cleaning, cutting up and seperating of the smaller partson long sawhorse tables.The smoke house was a little way from the barn and you could smell the meat and smokey smell. It was a holiday for the kids because they all got together and played. This was community team work in action and I remember a time when neighbors knew and loved each other and were there to help out each other. I loved the liver hashlet with lots of red peppers and my Granny would cook this up and can it. I tried it when I had kids and run everybody out of the house and after smelling it couldn't eat it. When Granny cooked it and with "Cat head Biscuits". Man that was eating. I still love liver but don't cook it. If liver is on the menu when we go out to eat, I always order that. No one in my family eats liver. "Pork is truly the other white Meat" and better tasting that that other white meat(chicken).
grannyvon at 1:40PM on 12/28/08
Like an old blues song says, "I love pig meat!" My favorite pork memory is about the time we vacationed in Ireland and wanted some true down home pork ribs. I had my sister ship some over to us, enough to throw quite the party. The locals were at first baffled, then delighted - they'd only had sheep or beef ribs and NOTHING beats the flavor of pork!!
TNShadyLady at 1:42PM on 12/28/08
Eatting my grandmother's homemade goetta made with pork and pin oats.
Spicy at 1:44PM on 12/28/08
My husband smoked the most wonderful pork loin wrapped in bacon. It was sooooo tender, juicy, and flavorful. Pork wrapped in Pork. Pork-Squared!
fangirl at 1:46PM on 12/28/08
Eating pork spare ribs for the first time. So yummy and messy.
annemarie56 at 1:52PM on 12/28/08
Making Easter Ham for the first time for my family
cellis at 2:09PM on 12/28/08
Just fixing pork chops and having everone enjoying the meal.
Sunnyvale at 2:15PM on 12/28/08
All of my pork memories are fond ones! Eating chicharrones, with meat still on the fat, in a park in Bogota, Colombia is one of them.
samblypooh at 2:16PM on 12/28/08
Having roast pork at my grandparents farm. It was my Grandpa's favorite meal.
Bdm413 at 2:16PM on 12/28/08
my first pork bun
queensblondie at 2:24PM on 12/28/08
Sunday was always budded "pork roast Sunday" at our house. My dad always cooked the best pork roast and all the fixings. Yum!!
CAROLTENNIS at 2:29PM on 12/28/08
I loved getting grilled pork chops at the county fair as a kid!
nesta67 at 2:32PM on 12/28/08
pork roast cooked on a bed of sauerkraut
dandylion at 2:39PM on 12/28/08
My favorite memory was of my Dad cooking boneless pork tenderloin with biscuits and gravy for breakfast.
gloriase at 2:40PM on 12/28/08
My mothers pork pie. I can never seem to make it the same.
dlfone at 2:46PM on 12/28/08
Our neighbor coming over with 3lbs of ham for us, because she had way to much, it was so cute and thoughtful of her, she felt sort of embarrassed, but we let her know quickly that we would eat and enjoy it!
dakotamoon at 2:47PM on 12/28/08
My favorite memory of pork is the smell of bacon cooking on Christmas morning. When I smelled the bacon i knew it was time to see what Santa had brought us kids.
tuxedo51 at 2:53PM on 12/28/08
I don't know how to choose a favorite! Definitely bacon-related. Battered bacon with maple dipping sauce... that's a bizarre and wonderful bacon memory.
verbafacio at 2:57PM on 12/28/08
I would have to say the pig roast at a cajun festival we went to. My husband roasted the pig himself
Lindab401 at 2:57PM on 12/28/08
My favorite memory is a very slow cooked pork sholder. The aroma wafed through the house.
Julianna L at 2:58PM on 12/28/08
I had some good carnitas tacos this year.
Alena Kastin at 2:59PM on 12/28/08
I remember riding the pigs around before they were butchered
barbmccrea at 2:59PM on 12/28/08
First time my hubby grilled pork loins on the grilled--I never imagined "PORK" on the grill before. JUST HEAVENLY!!
kalikrush at 3:00PM on 12/28/08
growing up in the 40'sand 50's,when meat was still very tasty,I canb still taste the dark, crunchy ham rinds,that mother would dole out to us kids. Of course this would be FORBIDDDEN in today's world. People under 55 will never know what real food tasted like.
Cletal at 3:00PM on 12/28/08
My grandfather, a farmer from Missouri, would always bring us a box of fresh sausage when he came to visit for Christmas. That and left-over honey baked ham make Christmas breakfast perfect.
shannons at 3:14PM on 12/28/08
My pork memories are not really all that memorable since my mother is Jewish, we don't eat pork very often. I don't know if it exactly what you are looking for, but whenever we do have pork, it is a sort of tradition in my family to make sure to offer my mom some even though we know that she won't eat it. Thanks for the giveaway.
elangomatt at 3:31PM on 12/28/08
The first time I ever ate bacon was wonderful.. I couldn't believe I had gone so long without it!
gkran at 3:56PM on 12/28/08
I love the smell of frying bacon
llcool2u2 at 3:58PM on 12/28/08
First time i had eggs and bacon i loved the taste.
MCJunkie at 4:04PM on 12/28/08
I'm pretty sure it was when I tried a Godfather's pizza years and years ago. They had a spicy italian sausage which was absolutely amazing!
blueviolet at 4:09PM on 12/28/08
Smelling frying bacon on Christmas morning.
Suekey at 4:14PM on 12/28/08
My fondest memory is the pork chops that my dad would burn - i mean barbeque on the grill when I was little. It wasn't until I was in my 20's that I ever had an unburnt pork chop!! Yummy!!
ddestes at 4:22PM on 12/28/08
First bacon cheeseburger.
msecondo at 4:29PM on 12/28/08
Eating bacon-wrapped dates at a friends house for New Year's Eve. I make them all the time now.
rlgrady at 4:34PM on 12/28/08
The first time that I had barbecue any where outside of Texas, and realized that pork could almost be prepared as well as beef.
Faither at 4:42PM on 12/28/08
Brats while camping
phoney2 at 4:45PM on 12/28/08
My grandmother would make us BLT's on lazy Sunday afternoons.
redfantum at 4:47PM on 12/28/08
Ooooohhhhh! PORK!!!!! Is there any better smell than bacon frying up in a skillet or a ham, covered with a brown sugar glaze, baking in the oven?...or a real vinegar based bbq pulled pork sandwich with coleslaw on top?....ohhhhh!...Dear Lard, I would love to win this prize!
ronnifox at 4:48PM on 12/28/08
Pork is king.
One of my first memories was of my mom, for reasons I cannot fathom, cutting the fat off the pork chops and sizzling them in a pan. My sisters and I would fight over them and there would never be any left for whatever it was mom was trying to cook.... go figure :)
Also the incredible 'poor soup' that I don't know why I still crave: Boiled salt pork with wax beans, salt and pepper...
Roast pork with it's crunchy fat layer studded with garlic is sheer heaven!
Zinnia at 4:57PM on 12/28/08
wings
Aliciaz at 5:05PM on 12/28/08
my mom making homemade bbq pork
chromiumman at 5:13PM on 12/28/08
Thankfully MANY fond pork memories. But one that stands out is my wife's late Uncle John's bbq pork spareribs. It seems like we waited FOREVER for them to be done. I was sure they would be dried out. But instead they were the most flavorful, tender and succulent ribs I ever tasted! Sadly, he would never share his secret recipe, and took it to the grave with him. They will remain legendary!
Quidnunc at 5:24PM on 12/28/08
One of my best memories was at a summer pig roast. That was the best pig I have ever had.
luvdatmouse at 5:27PM on 12/28/08
New Year's Day pork and sauerkraut when my parents were still living. They hadn't had it before and we all needed some good luck.
PerkyMac at 5:28PM on 12/28/08
Thank you for participating, and congratulations to our winners: Cookieeater. Winner has been notified by email and also appears on our Contest Winners page.
Adam Kuban at 5:32PM on 12/28/08