Inspired Farewell to “The Other White Meat”

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Porky LeSwine
A tip of the snout to alert reader John “Shave That Swine” Shaver, who tipped me off to the latest news from the National Pork Board.  Gone is the two and a half decade “The Other White Meat” ad campaign, which focused on comparing pork to chicken.  The Board’s new, improved slogan? “Pork: Be Inspired.”
An Associated Press article on the inspirational new campaign notes that the average American eats roughly 50 pounds of pork per year (I have always thought of myself as above average and this statistic does nothing to dissuade me).  That’s about half a hog’s worth of pork.  
Almost 70 percent of the pork consumed at home in the U.S. can be attributed to just 28% of households, undoubtedly many of which are located in North Carolina and other southern states.  
Ceci Snyder, the National Pork Board’s vice president of marketing, is quoted by the article saying: “The overall goal is to move sales of our product.  We want to increase pork sales by 10% by 2014. To do that, we needed to make a stronger connection, a more emotional connection to our product.”  Snyder goes on to say that targeting existing pork eaters is the strategy for increasing pork sales.  In case you are reading this article, Ms. Snyder, I am already doing my part but I promise to redouble my efforts.

Filed under: BBQ in the News | Tagged: , , | 4 Comments »

The Oath

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Recently I became a Certified Barbeque Judge, according to the Kansas City Barbeque Society. I’ll write more about this life changing experience in the future, but for now enjoy this behind-the-scenes photo of new certified judges taking the KCBS oath in Lexington, NC.

What is the Certified Barbeque Judge oath? I’m so happy you asked: “I do solemnly swear to objectively and subjectively evaluate each Barbeque meat that is presented to my eyes, my nose, my hands and my palate. I accept my duty to be an Official KCBS Certified Judge, so that truth, justice, excellence in Barbeque and the American Way of Life may be strengthened and preserved forever.”

Filed under: 'Cue Culture | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Porky’s Pulpit: Sauce Bottle Etiquette

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Porky LeSwine

Shake it!

Inevitably newcomers to the world of North Carolina barbecue, and even seasoned veterans, encounter the following dilemma: the bottle of sauce on the table has a pour spout that doesn’t allow shaking without spilling, and putting a finger over the spout seems uncouth. 

Why not just pour the sauce without shaking?  Well, the signature element of traditional NC BBQ sauce is the hot pepper flakes and (sometimes) other spices mixed into the vinegar that is sauce’s primary ingredient.  Unfortunately, spices settle at the bottom of the bottle rather than floating up top where they could pour out easily.*  How should a BBQ eater pour sauce so that spices come out along with vinegar?  Shake it, of course, but how?

To shake a “classic” NC BBQ sauce bottle (like the one pictured to the left…roughly), you have two standard options: shake the bottle without covering the spout at the risk of spraying vinegar on yourself and those in your vicinity, or put your grubby finger directly over the spout and risk spreading germs or offending those watching you.  Luckily, the sophisticated BBQ eater has other options:

1) Remove the spout from the bottle and shake it freely, giving everyone around you a vinegar shower. What could be better than being covered in barbecue sauce?

2) Put your grubby finger over the spout and shake, shake, shake to your heart’s content. Remind anyone who glares at you that vinegar is a pretty good disinfectant.

3) If you want to be classy for a change, pick up a napkin (a clean one, you lout!) and place it over the spout before shaking.

4) For a higher degree of difficulty than the napkin trick, use a clean teaspoon to cover the spout when shaking the bottle. The teaspoon trick is not a 100% effective splash control method but avoids the potentially embarrassing issue of bits of napkin getting stuck to the spout.

5) Eat your barbecue without sauce. Everyone should eat barbecue completely unadorned from time to time.

*Note that this issue is more common in Eastern North Carolina but occurs in joints serving Lexington-style ‘cue too.

Filed under: Porky's Pulpit | Tagged: , | 4 Comments »

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