Monday, July 23, 2007

 

Some Pig!

I was in my local Food Dog yesterday doing some shopping. (Tune in tomorrow to see what I was shopping for.) I saw something in the meat department that almost caused my lunch to make an encore. I knew I had to share it with you, but I also knew you would demand pictures. This morning I returned, camera in hand, to document it.
I don't think I have ever seen a grocery store that is willing to sell an entire pig, let alone a suckling pig. With or without a head. I also don't believe I have ever seen a pig so happy to be sold. Or is it just sleepy? I realize that most people in the south have heard of whole hog barbecues, but never actually thought of buying the whole hog themselves. Now you're wondering, what are you supposed to do with a whole hog? Well, you butcher it, of course.
I am sure most folks have seen a diagram like the one above. If not for a pig, then for a cow. If you watch Alton Brown on Food network, I know you have. But here's the question no one ever asks. What about those parts "outside the lines?" Near the nose, and near the ground? This diagram neatly deludes you into thinking that the entire pig is used for the food we eat. Since we were little kids we were always told not to waste food. But there's a dirty little secret. Click here for a very in depth, and perhaps a bit gruesome step by step of the butchering process of a pig. (Without pictures, thank goodness!)
As I am standing in the pork section of the meat department, I glance down to see something I have never seen before in my life. One thing immediately came to mind:
That is NOT pudding!
I picked the package up to read the ingredients list and just as quickly set it down. For a brief moment I felt very very sory for the pigs. Then, again, out of the corner of my eye, I saw more:
"So this is what they do with the rest of the pig," I thought. Well at least the livers. And of course there's everyone's favorite pork product. No not, Spam. It's Scrapple! The name comes from the fact its made with the scraps left over after butchering a hog. (Not because it tastes like crap, as my vegan friends like to say.)
But what on Earth is that to the right, you may be wondering? It's Souse! Not to be confused with Sousa, the American Composer and "The March King."
This Souse was so amazing, I had to take a moment to write down the ingredients: pork tongues, pork snouts, pork ears, vinegar, water, pickles, salt, flavorings, and sodium nitrite. (What? No puppy dog tails?) Sounds simply yummy, doesn't it? Ask for it by name, if you can pronounce it, that is! And don't confuse it with Seuss my favorite children's book author.
I can be tough to find a good supplier of Sause. Thankfully, Neese Sausage delivers it fresh to my local supermarkets! (Note how their website never quite admits to what is actually IN any of their products.)
If you come to visit, I can take you up to Rocky Point, NC, and we can visit the Pender Packing Company. (Click the "Map it" link on the right side of the page to see how close they are!)
Just when you think all of the "scraps" are accounted for, you then run into this:
Once again, the tasty ingredients: pork stomachs, pork skins, water, salt, flavorings. What? No snouts? No feet/hooves? (lovingly called "trotters") Dang!
Oh yes, my friends, the people here in good old NC know what to do with their pigs. We haven't even scratched the surface of all the wonders out there. Pig knuckle, anyone?
In all seriousness, I get angry when people turn their noses up at Krystals without ever having tried them. You can't badmouth it if you haven't ever eaten it. Sadly, I haven't got a clue how to fix any of the above tasty treats. So if I can find someone to fix me some souse (aka Headcheese) or C-loaf, I'd try it. I have had chitterlings (aka Tripe) before and found them to be less than appealing. Perhaps if I hadn't been told what they were first. Oops! I guess I just told you what they were, didn't I? Sorry!
Krystal Lovers like it steamy.

# posted by JasonJ1052 @ 8:56 AM
Comments:
I have often wondered why there aren't more web sites out there that explain what chittlens, head cheese, Souse, etc are...now I know. Well I do know...

My experience here in the state of Georgia is that people eat a lot of things...things I wouldn't normally LOOK AT! "Waste not want not"...So I just dig in and don't ask questions. Usually, well I'll be honest, sometimes I am impressed with the taste. But, I try my hardest to not ask what is in it, only how it was made..."What makes this taste so good?" Usually the answer is "boiling it all day" and/or "salt with a lot of my own secret seasonings."

Surprised you didn't run into any of this in GA. I guess bein in Milledgeville, I am exposed to a little more rural delacacies. Hahahahha.

Back to my senses...From what I hear is: to buy your whole hog, or suckling and dig a hole in the ground, start your charcoal in that hole, lay the pig (head and all!) on top and then fill in the hole with dirt and let your pig roast for 10-14 hours. I hear there is heavan on earth, and it only happens when there is a pig in the ground.
# posted by Anonymous Anonymous : 7:20 PM
 
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