For the Love of Pork

Ribs! We have them...hogs have them...and the butcher counter has them! Country ribs, baby back ribs...what's the dif?

Country style ribs:

• are cut from the same loin portion as back ribs, with the loin meat intact (and don't really have ribs, per say.)
  
• usually have more meat than pork back or side ribs
• have a loin section that's butterflied to create a thick, flat piece of meat...peameal is the other premium, tenderloin section of the loin (of course...that's why it's soooo good!)
  
• are great for grilling

Back ribs (baby back ribs, back ribs or Canadian back ribs, eh):

• are taken from the top of the rib cage
• are usually a "rack" of 8- 13 ribs, typically 10-13
  
• have meat between the bones and on top of the bones
• are shorter, curved and meatier than spare ribs
• the rack is shorter at one end
• and are also good for grilling
  

Any way you look at it...pretty tasty...

Some trivia:

• Do you have a p0rkfish in your aquarium???? The porkfish, which originates from the Western Atlantic has a yellow head and fins accenting a silver-gray base with two black vertical stripes. It is a peaceful fish that makes a wonderful addition to a peaceful saltwater fish-only aquarium.

• Ever heard of a red river hog??? The shaggy, foxy red coat has contrasting black and white markings on the head, including a white eye ring. The leaf-shaped ears have long black and white tassels and the erectile mane which runs the length of the spine is white. It's found in western and central Africa.

So long for now and enjoy August.

See you next month. Comments are always welcome at Gord's

Gordette

Enjoy the Holidays!

For all you Canadians out there...and in thanks to peameal bacon...
HAPPY CANADA DAY (July 1)
For all you Americans out there...who enjoy the peameal bacon from Canada
HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY (July 4)
Happy Bacon Eating!
See you next month!
Comments are always welcome at Gord's
Gordette

BBQing and Grilling...What's the Diff???

So... is there a difference between BBQin and grilling? According to the Ontario Pork Producers, the answer is definitely YES!

BBQing refers to slow cooking over indirect heat or hot smoke. Think of all those mouth-watering barbeque ribs, slow cooked in huge ovens. Grilling, on the other hand, is a fast process, over high heat either from hot coals of charcoal or a propane gas grill.

It also applies to cuts of pork, other than ribs, though, too. Think of that nice peameal roast you're going to do for Father's Day. The OPP recommends indirect heat of a nice size roast, while direct heat is best for smaller cuts like your peameal slices.

Hear are some other tipes for good barbequing or grilling:

• Always clean and lightly grease the grill before using it
• Preheat the grill before cooking
• If you're using indirect heat, preheat the grill with all burners lit (for propane), set one side of the grill to medium, and shut off the other side (if using charcoal, pile all the coals to one side of the grill). Place meat to the "off" side of the grill and close the lid.
• Use tongs to turn the meat. Don't pierce it with a fork.
• And finally, follow one of Gord's golden rules...use a MEAT THERMOMETER (155- 160 degrees internal temperature for your peameal roast)

Happy peameal eating! Comments are always welcome at Gord's!

See you next month,

Gordette

A Celebrity Among Us

There's a new book in town and it's called

Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon by Ari Weinzweig.

Our very own Gord's Bacon is mentioned in the book!

Quite exciting! You can order both the plain hardcover

version, or a special pigskin-covered version (for a meer $300.00 sawbucks)

at http://www.zingermans.com/Category.aspx?category=books

Enjoy your bacon this month. Comments are always welcome at Gord's!

See you in June.

Gordette

Pork on a Bun

It's that simple... there's a national holiday for pork in/on a bun. April 26 is National Pigs in a Blanket day. A sausage by many other names (weiner winks or kilted sausages) would still taste as good.

Of course the 4th Earl of Sandwich in the 1760's is credited with the "sandwich", slapping roast beef between two slices of bread in order to continue gambling and avoiding greasy fingers. And so 'fast food' was born.

Fast or slow, though, sandwiches are tasty! Think of all the great pork on dough of some kind:

• pigs in blankets (look into Wikipedia for more than you've ever wanted to know about pigs in blankets)
• 
  
• tenderloins (you know it...if you're from Iowa...see some of the best...www.porktenderloinsandwich.com)
• 
  
• hot pork loin sandwiches (comfort food...porkloin, white bread, mashed potatoes, gravy...)
• 
  
• peameal sandwiches ( for great pictures and fun Toronto food reading, check out http://closetcooking.blogspot.com)

Enjoy your pork on a bun in April and we'll see you in May.

Comments are always welcome at Gord's. See you next month!

Gordette

National Pig Day...

March 1st is National Pig Day! It seems that Ellen Stanley, a Texas art teacher created the day in 1972. Her intent was to be thankful for pigs as the intelligent, domesticated animals they are. Lot's of ways to celebrate...heck, celebrate the whole month! Here are some ideas:





1) Of course, eat a lot of pork...preferably peameal bacon from Gord's





2) Who ever thought bacon could be so entertaining? Check out You.tube for Addicted to Bacon- A Sizzlin' Rap Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXxFbp5rY_o

3) How about celebrating by reading literature with pigs as central caracters or with a theme about pigs? Try:

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Charlotte's Web by EB White

Piglett by AA Milne

Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter

That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx

4) Listen to the Beatles song, Piggies.

5) Watch the movie Babe, or any of the Muppet movies, for, of course, Miss Piggy!

6) Check out the journal article, Western Culture and the Ambiguous Legacies of the Pig at
http://doc.lib.purdue.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1137&context=clcweb

Have fun on National Pig Day, and all March! Comments are always welcome at Gord's.

See you next month!

Gordette

Everybody Likes Bacon in Bits and Pieces

February...what's not to like. Life has slowed down a little after the holidays, you know Spring is coming, and it's still cold if you're into Winter.

Here are a some bacon bits for you to chew on over the month:

• According to the science section of several news sites on the web, progress is being made in transplanting pig lungs. They're already doing us a service with heart valves...


• Maple Leaf, a Canadian meat packer, has developed the Republic of Bacon, an entertaining website at www.republicofbacon.com. Be sure to read the Gazette and stop by the Red Light District.

In case you were busy over the holidays, you might have missed the new product that came out called Baconpop...yup, bacon popcorn. However, don't be distressed, you can still buy it, or better yet, make some up with this recipe from allrecipes.com. We wish you could make it with Gord's peameal bacon, but it's just too darn lean! You might want to get the okey dokey from your doctor before you make this! :-

1/2 c bacon grease

3/4 c. unpopped popcorn

1/2 t. seasoned salt, or to taste

(optional) 3 T bacon bits, 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Measure the bacon grease into a 6 quart pot and place over high heat. Add one or two popcorn kernels as testers. When the test kernels pop, add the popcorn and cover with a lid. As the popcorn starts to pop, shake back and forth constantly to keep the unpopped kernels on the bottom where they can pop. When the popping slows down, remove the pan from the heat and let it finish popping. Pour the popcorn into a large paper sack (it will ablsorb excess grease) and season. Add bacon bits and cheese if desired.

Happy February! Have a good Valentine's Day and order peameal for your sweetie! Comments are always welcome at Gord's.

Gordette

Happy New Year!

Best Wishes from all of us at Gord's Bacon!

Comments are always welcome at Gord's!

See you next month,

Gordette