Is Barbecue Healthy? Stop Pig Discrimination

Pork this, Pork that, are there unfair cases of pig discrimination unfair?

Today I'm not talking about beef barbecue, I'm talking about classic Pulled Pork BBQ.  Is it really healthy for you? According to this study over at Men's Health, pork contains less fat than chicken breasts and has good health benefits.  On the contrary, there are lots of folks who refuse to touch or even taste a succulent pork barbeque sandwich due to the fact it comes from a dirty, muddy, smelly, messy  pig! (Didn't they ever watch Charlotte's Web?) Oh well, thanks to this blog over at Food Network we can see that when compared: 

Pork Tenderloin          versus        Chicken Breast
Calories: 96 calories                    Calories: 142 calories
Total Fat: 3 grams                         Total Fat: 3 grams

SWINE WINS!

Truth be told there are conflicting reports on many websites, and sometimes pork is shunned merely because the word "bacon" and "saturated fat" comes to mind.  This should be called pig discrimination! If you ask any barbecue guru they are sure to tell you how many different parts are on the pig and how you can use pork rump, pork shoulder, or pork loin to make the pulled pork barbeque--which all poses more questions as to trying to find out exactly how many calories in a pork barbecue sandwich.

Does Mitt Romney have a problem eating Wilbur?

Would Michelle Obama agree that pork is healthy?

In a generic "pulled pork bbq" search for calories, Livestrong website indicates there are "90 calories in 1/4 cup, with 1.5g of fat."   Sounds great huh--but not really. Who eats only 2 ounces of pork barbecue on their sandwich? Not me or most guys I know!  I would think an average bun in the barbecue world may yield you four or even as much as five ounces and that's not including the slaw piled on top or bbq sauce dousted on (if you swing that way).  Now a a sub roll at Big Fat Daddy's may yield you almost ounces of pulled pork topped with slaw,  (not counting the bun!) So now what?

Bottom line, anything you eat should be in moderation.  Consider a nice sized pork barbecue sandwich topped with slaw a good meal.  If you are worried about your weight, skimp on dinner. You can do low fat fish or steamed veggies (or kabobs) to offset the whopping six ounces of pork you just consumed.  Look up sites like Diet Foods to help you make menu plans and stay trim.

In a nutshell I get tired of people assuming just because it comes from a pig, it's bad for you.  Do the math, try some swine. Not to mention a whole world of pork barbecue out there, when never do two taste exactly the same, that you are missing! 

Pork Lovers: They are Everywhere.

If you like pork, make sure to visit the Hogging Up Barbecue Festival page that will be coming to Virginia real soon!

Pigs Are Dirty Warning Not For the Vegetarian

I have to say those cute little pigs can be real dirty creatures. Sure, grilling pigs is a dirty job. I get asked a lot if I do whole hog (I would but the wife does not like looking at their little faces.) I guess it makes her feel better for me to get giant pieces of pig ass and grill those.

Now grilling pigs gets messy because of all the pork fat . For me, it drips down through my grate onto the wood fire and causes a lot of flare ups. If not careful I can really have a big meltdown.  This is where the Texas Brush comes into play, to clean the grate real good.  I don't mind because I'm cooking the fat right out of that sucker.  The pork fat actually helps keep your wood burning, as the fat that drips down is as good as kindling.

For those of you who think most pork overall is high in fat and sodium, you are right. However, when the pork loin, shoulder, or butt is braised and cooked properly, low and slow over high heat (and on a smoker you can indeed cook a good portion of the fat right out of that bad boy), you would be surprised at the updated  PORK Nutrition Facts right here. 

No two pork barbecues are the same.

Who can refute the glory that happens next? Pull it, add your spices and sauce and savor the flavor on a great pig old pork barbecue sandwich. No two taste the same, so why not try everyone's?  Mine is not your traditional southern vinegar based but more of a hickory sweet. I rarely pull mine but often slice or process mine into thin layers, simmering into a hickory sweet sauce that melts in your mouth, not in your hand. What's not to love?

Alternative to Pigs: 

Still disgusted?  Then I guess you'll have to eat Vegan Barbecue which is just something I found over at  Almanac of Eats.  Every day with them is a National Food Holiday!

Holy Vegan Cow, check out these vegetarian Spareribs!

There's National Spaghetti Day, National Whiskey Day, even a National Caviar Day! Almanac of Eats is celebrating with fun food facts, giveaways, and recipes. Come eat the year!   Please follow their Facebook Page or Twitter, we like their style!

Beef and Pork for Breakfast

Okay, maybe I'm an old school country boy at heart but I don't see anything wrong with eating some beef or pork for breakfast.  They say that you are supposed to have so many servings of meat per day, and they also say that your breakfast is the most important meal of the day. So why not get one of those servings of meat out of the way for breakfast?

There are various things you can do to incorporate beef or pork into your breakfast.

Beef

• The old Steak and Eggs breakfast is a surefire way to get your protein on first thing in the morning. A small piece of steak pan grilled with some eggs on the side is great. 

•  Leftover steak can be cubed and thrown in an egg omlette. Nothing like a Steak and Egg Omlette. 

• Use 3 ounces of angus ground beef fully cooked in your egg omlette. 

Pork

• Everyone loves having a few links or a patty of pork sausage.  

• Bacon on the side is still pork. 

• A small piece of country ham on the side of your eggs is no joke. 

Eggs or French Toast

I've already told you how I eat my eggs, here's my egg post right here. I try to get free range eggs whenever I can.  Scrambled, sunny side, you name it, I'll eat it.

Of course I sometimes enjoy delicious french toast and nab some of the styling recipes off the French Toast Recipes
website.  That's still a way to get your eggs, and is still a  yummy for your breakfast.

Pork BBQ Grilling Tips Be a Grillmaster

Depending on who you ask, there may be a "right way" or "wrong way" of home grilling or experimenting with your pork barbecue. Now granted, I'm not talking competition because rules do apply. I'm talking home cooking for your family, friends, or even trying to market your own style pork BBQ. I'm here to tell you there is no right and wrong.

Certainly we must give credit to Memphis Style and traditional Southern Pork Barbecue, but today, there are so many styles of "barbecued pork" throughout the US and abroad that if you took a lifetime you could not try them all. Certainly one could make a living eating and reviewing everyone's pork BBQ because, chances are, no two will ever taste exactly alike.   Some will indeed make your tongue slap your brain.

You have the sweet and tangy.
You have the bitter yet brown sugar honey-fied.
You have the vinegar based sweet succulent.
You have the spicy and red sauced.
You have the hickory smoked sliced bbq pork.
You have the pulled that melts in your mouth that you can't describe.
You have the soy based pork bbq.
You have the kind that sets your mouth on fire.
You have the kind that falls right off the bone.
You have the kind that's been processed into fine little bits.
You have the sliced and diced kind.
You have the kind they cut up old Southern Style with a small axe.
You have the one you can't quite put your finger on what it is but it's damn good.

Be Daring.

At home you are your own grillmaster. Do it up right. Sprinkle some love. Put a dab or this and a pinch of that and see where it takes you.   Should you get bone in or bone out? That's up to you.   Smoke it. Bake it. Broil it. Boil It. Do whatever the hell you want to your butt of pork.   Season it, baste it, taste it, pull it,  shred it, cut it, chop it, mutilate it, it's all good.  

If I lived by the rules of doing it "this exact way" or "that particular way" I would never have had my own hickory sweet tastin' pork bbq that is not duplicated by anyone because it's my own recipe.  Some people will say hey, that doesn't look pulled like traditional bbq.  Others may say "hey, pork isn't supposed to be smoky or taste like apples and hickory." That's when I make them a sub and they shovel it into their mouth bite by bite. Yum.

 

I have spent lots of time at barbecue festivals tasting other's pork bbq and I have to say that no two have ever tasted alike to me, but I could spend the day eating it all as there are so many ones that are delicious.   So what I'm advising is be daring. Try something new. Don't be scared to add that pinch of brown sugar or touch of Tabasco. It's all you.  It's YOUR PORK BBQ.

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Italian Sausage Ferrante Wins

My wife is super picky about our sausage.  She is Italian so she makes me buy the best stuff around. Unlike some food vendors I don't serve slop.  We have tested and sampled tons of sausage.  Just recently we were given a sample from Roma Foods who made a rope just for us.  The taste was out of this world but the amount of grease and fat coming from it would have surely been heart attack in a bun.  So, we nixed it.

Here is a photo of us testing two different links. On the left is original Nick's Sausage Ferrante' Brothers brand, now made by Hatfield. On the right is Hatfield's own brand called Prima Porter.   As you can tell, the Prima Porter is bigger, but in this case bigger is not necessarily better.  My wife pointed out the Prima Porter was more fatty, had more gristle, and less fennel flavor.  Nick's won hands down. Looks like we are sticking with this sausage again this year folks!

Nick's Sausage was proudly made in Baltimore where I was born and bred, and we've been using this exclusively for many years now.  They have sold out and it is now made by Hatfield.  I wanted to make sure the taste was the same, because sometimes once a big conglomerate gets their hands on it, the recipe changes.  Believe it or not, we are extremely happy with it still.

Yum Yum.

Got pork?

A shot from the HTC phone my tiny smoker loaded with pork butt smoking all night for my pork bbq down in  Shenandoah.

Fully Cooked Barbeque Grill Jumble Ribs PORK Galore Big Fat Daddy's Style

Big Fat Daddy's Open Flame Hickory Smoked Grill

What you see is fully cooked ribs pigs, pigs and more pigs. The ribs are actually not really done yet although they are at internal temperature of 165 degrees. This is because I subject them to special tender-i-zation techniques which is part of my FIVE STEP GRILLING PROCESS. As you can see on the second shank from the left, a small sample has been quality tested for assurance and they are just grand ♥

Big Fat Daddy's Riblets : Big Fat Taste in a Little Popper Package

These are Riblets.  

They break all my rules.  You see, here at Big Fat Daddy's it's all about Big Fat sandwiches or subs, but in this case, these wee little poppers make a sweet exception. They are gourmet mini pork rib poppers with a great big ass taste. Grilled to perfection on my hickory smoke pit while basking in my dry rub seasoning, then add my top secret BBQ sauce blend, when you stick these little puppies in your mouth they melt like butter. 

Four95 Blog shows pork in it's entirety.

All that's left is tiny little bone, which makes for less waste if you ask me.   I serve these with fries, and they are a special item. If you are on the East Coast, go to your fair board and ask if Big Fat Daddy's is at your fair.  If so, come over to my stand to see if I have these succulent items.  If not, shouldn't I be?  

Big Fat Daddy's Pork Chop -n- Bacon Brussel Sprouts Dinner

Once in awhile I take a break from the BBQ pit and let wifey cook.  She's all about dinner in a jiffy, so she whipped me up this in 30 minutes or less, and here's how you can too.

Pork Chop and Bacon Brussel Sprouts

You will need:
1 tsp Chicken base or 1 can Chicken broth
Steamer
Fresh Brussel Sprouts
Bacon bits or 2 previously cooked bacon strips, chopped
4 Pork chops, bone in
Small casserole
Ground Pepper
Small Ladle

Pre cooking/Marination:
Pork chops should be marinated in low fat italian dressing and thawed in fridge overnight. 

Cooking Instructions:

STOVE-CHOPS
Cook chops on 350 in oven until internal temperature is 165 degrees. Our chops were thin and took about 22-28 minutes.  Thicker chops may take up to 45 minutes. Cooking on higher temperatures may make meat tougher.

STOVETOP-SPROUTS
Meanwhile, fill bottom of steamer pot with chicken broth or chicken base and water.  Place brussel sprouts and bacon bits or cuts of previously cooked bacon in top part.  Steam up to 30 minutes or to desired tenderness of sprouts.

AUJUS and PEPPER
Ladle out a few tablespoons of chicken broth from bottom of steamer atop your chops and sprouts. Fresh ground pepper to taste.

Enjoy!