Living Down South and the Love of the Pig

I love pork products.

You can't live down south without being introduced to the joys of the pig.

I'm not talking your standard 3 strips of fried bacon you get with your fried egg at any Jersey Diner, or the Armour canned ham I used to eat as a kid during Christmas - but REAL pork products.

I was first introduced to them back when I was living in Raleigh, NC back in 1988 - went to the North Carolina State Farmer's Market and discovered their on-site restaurant...

• Country ham,
• Fresh sausage,
• Pork steaks,
• "Carolina" BBQ,
• Hash brown casserole with bits of sausage,
• and Sausage Gravy over Biscuits

It was an eye-opening experience...as well as a thrill to my palate.

I got to my next chapter of the joys of porcine indulgence when I retired from Law Enforcement - I moved to Florida.

Latin cuisine is HEAVY in the use of the pig... and my friends Carlos and Alfredo each introduced me to:

• Roast pork with garlic and citrus - the bits of attached fat and skin crispy and flavorful,
• "Cuban" sandwiches,
• and Paella, with chunks of ham.

Later, I learned more about the joys of not only cooking WITH pork, and just where to get it.

It was my dearest friend Kathryn (the biggest NC State fan I know - Go State!) who not only introduced me to the sinful pleasures of:

• Making pork loin in the slow cooker,
• Green beans with diced ham,
• Pulled pork sandwiches (with fried okra and slaw on the side),
• Keeping a container of "bacon drippins" in the fridge,
• and "Greens" with ham (which makes them palatable to my taste... but sorry, Robert - still not a huge fan of "greens")...

...but

• she introduced me to the "Nahunta Pork Center" (Google it - it's SO WORTH THE "ROAD TRIP").

So now - as I am older, one would think it would be hard on my system...but my TOTAL cholesterol is a whopping 92.

(My doctor swore I was a vegan - HAH!)

SO - I have shared the love of the pig with my kids:

• The juicy flavor of "heirloom pork" - not as lean as "factory pigs", but fattier and richer tasting,
• Holidays are always marked with a baked ham (except for Thanksgiving & St Patrick's Day),
• Sunday mornings are always filled with the smells of bacon in the pan and eggs fried in the drippins (and maybe a pot of rich, peppery sausage gravy simmering to reheat for breakfasts during the week).
• Pork loin - seasoned with rosemary and simmering nicely in the slow cooker,
• Breaded pork chops,
• Grits with bits of country ham and drizzled with red-eye gravy (tho Casey's still no fan of gritspies),
• and of course - green beans with diced ham.

Ahhh... pork...

...who's hungry...?