Flying Pigs in Porkopolis

Don’t you just love it when two great things come together…bacon and eggs, pork and beans, Flying Pigs and Porkopolis. Ok, the last one might be new to you but it’s definitely one of our favorites.

The first weekend in May runners and race fans flock to the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati, Ohio for an entire event centered around our favorite member of the animal kingdom. At this Porktastic event, you’ll see spectators, volunteers (better known as “grunts”) and participants all decked out in pink pig garb along the course. A word of advice If you decide to head out to the Flying Pig next year: don’t forget some earplugs, because when runners start crossing that Finish Swine (seriously, that’s what it’s called) the crowd gets louder than a barnful of pigs at feeding time.

Of course it’s only natural that the Flying Pig be held in Cincinnati, seeing as the city was nicknamed “Porkopolis” back in 1863 because so much pork was processed there. Maybe the abundance of pork was motivation for the Flying Pig founders. The meat’s lean protein is part of a healthy runner’s diet and perfect for refueling tired legs after 26.2 miles. Even if you’re not training for the Pig, you can make pork part of your healthy diet so go ahead and pig out!

Coupon Geek’s Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

Ever had the urge for a pork tenderloin sandwich, but didn’t want to leave the comforts of your home to go in search for this sandwich.  Coupon Geek has the perfect option for you!  Go and check out the easy step by step directions to making the perfect pork tenderloin sandwich and impress your family.  They may never want to go out to eat again!

Patio 101: Getting to know Your Grill

The weather is starting to get nice and my patio/porch/deck is getting more and more appealing. Does anyone know the difference between them because I always confuse them?

My grill has been neglected since fall and is hiding in the corner of my garage behind the snow shovel.  It is time to start getting it ready for a new season of pork chops, ribs, and roasts and put that snow shovel away for good.  (At least for the next 7-8 months… hopefully.)

You can check out how to grill fantastic pork chops on a previous post.  You may be asking yourself what is the difference between grilling and barbecuing.  This can get as confusing as the patio/deck scenario.  Well here’s the low down and you will never use them interchangeably again.

Grilling– High heat, direct method cooking meat over live flames.  Which is why you are able to get those pork chops done so quickly.

Flames= High temperature= grilling

Barbecuing– Long, low heat, smoke-cooking method using coals, smoldering logs or chunks or wood.

Your meat will cook fast with grilling so go ahead and use that for your chops and kabobs.  Patience is a virtue when it comes to barbecuing.  The cooking times can extend to 10 hours with temperatures as low as 225 degrees F.  This is great for ribs and pork shoulder.

How about we discuss barbecuing later, because I feel it deserves it’s own post.

Does Bacon Grow On Trees?

I have found a new Bacontastic discovery that needs to be added to the Porktastic repertoire.  Introducing…

Bacon

Ta-Da

Okay just kidding, it’s not just bacon… bacon and chocolate…. Wait don’t leave yet! It’s not the normal bacon and chocolate, it’s Bacon Bark.

Is it bark, bacon, or chocolate?

Sounds like something straight from Willy Wonka and kind of makes me want to lick the nearest tree.

It seems to me that there are endless things you can do with this strangely delicious food.  So, while I’m outside testing all the trees for bacon goodness, here are a few things…

1)      Eat it with eggs for breakfast (c’mon there is bacon in it so it’s clearly a breakfast food)

2)      Eat it on top of ice cream (chocolate= dessert food)

3)      Add some Bacon Bark to eggs on your ice cream… okay stop making that face, I’ll stop now!

4)      Buy 100 pounds and begin the to eat to your hearts content

I’m going to buy my own 100 pounds and begin eating!  That is once I finish getting all the splinters out of my tongue…

FREE Ham?!?

Yes that’s right free ham and you thought there was no such thing as a free meal!  To all of our Porktastic fans out there whose mouth starts to salivate at the thought of eating tasty morsels of pork this is your opportunity.  The Ohio Pork Producers Council has challenged Stretching a Buck to make as many meals as possible with a single ham.   She has conquered the challenge and has created four delicious meals!   To top it all off they are now giving away five hams for FREE!   But you have to hurry, because you only have until 10 pm TONIGHT!! Now go and win that trophy of pork pride!

Porktastic is Joining Twitter!

I dove into the world of Facebook and found friends!  The question is am I ready for the entrance into Twitter or better yet, is Twitter ready for me and my love of ham, bacon, pork chops, pork loin, and… bacon (Did I say that already?).  Well, ready or not I’m going to share my love of pork and all its goodness with Twitterers (Is that even a word? I have so much to learn)!  Come and join me!

Go Green: St. Patrick’s Day and National Agriculture Week

Hold the phone St. Patty’s Day!  It’s National Agriculture Week and we are trying to do all we can at Porktastic to embrace the spirit!  So wear all those shamrocks and go ahead and drink the green bee… well, whatever the beverage of your choice may be… but go ahead and tip that beverage for the farmer too.  Here are some ways to incorporate a little pig power into your dedicated Irish celebration.

1. Stop chasing that pot o’ gold.  Pigs were a sign of prosperity in Emerald Isle back in the day, so try to grab onto a curly tail instead!
2. And like we do for every holiday, here are some ways to decorate yourself and your home with pig paraphernalia (pig paraphernalia…say that five times fast).  Decorate with this pig poster or strut your stuff with this pig and St. Patty’s Day shirt.
3. Add a little bacon to your corned beef and cabbage.  Go ahead, get a little crazy.

Do a little celebrating of St. Patty’s Day, National Agriculture week, and of course our curly tailed friend all in one feel swoop.  And may you have the luck of the Irish all week!

Pork Chops and Bacon, My Two Favorite Animals

Today we would like to take a few moments to salute television’s biggest fan of bacon and everything else pork, Homer J. Simpson.

Ok, so he doesn’t know that pork comes from pigs, but he sure has eaten a lot of it and is quite possibly responsible for keeping all of Springfield’s invisible hog farmers afloat. And since so many pork lovers tune in to watch their kindred spirit, we’re pretty sure Homer’s eating habits are the reason for the show’s success.

Since Homer doesn’t know the most basic thing about pigs and pork (one becomes the other) we’re guessing he’s not up on other facts of modern hog farming either. Like how pigs are raised in state of the art barns that provide a stable climate year round and protection from predators and disease, or that they eat feed that has been specially formulated to meet their needs at every stage of growth. He probably also missed the memo announcing that pork is leaner than ever and that pork tenderloin is just as lean as skinless chicken breast. But we can forgive him for not knowing all that as long as he remembers farmers are doing what’s best and keeps right on eating pork!

So, Homer keep baconing up your sausage, ordering your smiley-face breakfasts with bacon noses, bacon hair, bacon mustaches, five o’clock shadows made of bacon bits and bacon bodies, and enjoying the wonderful, magical animal that gives you pork, bacon and ham, and we’ll keep watching your show for another 20 years.

Piglympics

You can stop flipping from channel to channel to looking for some obscure Olympic sport. The games are over. Gone for another two years. Like you, we’re looking for something new to entertain us and keep that competitive spirit alive – at least until March Madness starts. In typical Porktastic fashion, we looked to our porcine friends for inspiration and came up with the perfect solution for our Olympic withdrawal: Piglympics!

Turns out someone already thought of that – both Russia and China. But since we can’t find any record or mention of the games (or the Federation of Sport Pig Breeders for that matter) since 2006, we’re bringing back the games and making them even better!

Cheer your favorite porkers as they go for gold with grueling displays of Piglympic spirit in events like: 25 Meter Piggy Paddle, Piggy Polo, Svineball (or soccer as we call it in the US), 66 Meter Hurdles, 66 Meter Dash, and new to the games this year: the Flying Pig Jump.

So grab some pork rinds and set the DVR because you won’t want to miss a minute of the Porktastic action of the 2010 Piglympics!

The Most Important Day of the Year

Today is the most important day of the year. It is a day to stay home from work. It is a day of celebrating with family and friends. It is bigger than Thanksgiving and Christmas and New Year’s and the Fourth of July combined. It is a day to honor the reason there can be delicious bacon and pork chops and swine inspired doo-dads and even a nation of Porktastic. My fellow Porktasticans prepare yourselves because today is National Pig Day.

My friends, we will be grilling, baking and slow roasting all of our favorite forms of pork throughout the day, not to mention watching our favorite famous pigs like Babe, Porky, Gordy and Miss Piggy. So come party with us! We’ll be easy to spot since we’ll be the ones decked out head-to-toe in true pig style – nose, ears and of course curly-q tail.

But, if for some crazy reason your boss won’t let you off to celebrate this holiday of holidays, we have a few ideas to help you take the party to work with you:

1. Choose your favorite pig tie or jewelry to commemorate the day.
2. Hang a string of pig lights around your office or cubicle.
3. Grill up some pork loin chops and bring enough to share with your coworkers, remembering they want to be home celebrating just as much as you.
4. Get a pig piñata filled with bacon candy.
5. Wear your favorite pig inspired tee underneath a button-up dress shirt. When everyone complains about missing Pig Day rip your top shirt off like Clark Kent and set up a completely awesome celebration of pigs and pork.

Have a Porktastic day holiday and be sure to tell us how you celebrated National Pig Day by emailing stories or pics of your celebration to Mr.Oinkers@gmail.com.