|
PORKSTOCK
March
kicks off one the greatest meat festivals of the year; far
better than any bratwurst convention. Dutch & Belgium
immigrants started the month-long “Tastes of Pork
Festival” in 1912. It was originally designed to drive
up the market price of pigs after the traditional post-Christmas
decline in meat sales. Pig farmers often refer to January
and February as 'the mill' or 'deadzone'. One out of every
five pig farms fail during these months and most pig ranchers
are hard-pressed to make enough money to cover their expenses.
New years resolutions, debt, and oversaturated meat pallets
are often blamed for the consumption decline every new year.
The "Tastes of Pork" celebrates all the many delicious
ways pigs can be prepared and processed. Supported by The
Transamerica Pork Council and Consolidated Pork Holdings
Ltd., the event has grown in popularity over the years.
Do you consider yourself a 'porker' or 'pighead'? Well then
this year, make a pilgrimage to Mecklenburg, Wisconsin;
the official home of the “2006 Tastes of Pork Festival",
located on the Mecklenburg County Fairgrounds.
On display in the 'Swinovation Hall' are vendors, from across
the world, that have assembled booths to show off all of
the recent inventions and technologies. These modern gadgets
will help you get the most from your pig.
Highlights
include:
-
Arkteck’s Bacon Press – Featuring a new
ergonomic Swedish design, built in clock radio, and
flip up DVD player.
-
Scyle's "Do-it-yourself” home fat-rendering
system – That promises to turn your leftover
pig fat and grease into a profitable in home business.
- Limwoorth's Hyper-Slotted Pig Slaughter machine
with a new flip down DVD player.
|
The
festival kicks off today with the unveiling of a new sandwich
named “The Mecklenburg”, after this year’s
host city. This colossal sandwich starts with both "down
east" vinegar-based minced barbecue and South Carolinian
"Maurice’s" mustard-based barbecue. On top
of that is a hearty layer of jack cheese, three slices of
honey-baked ham, a butterfly pork sausage and juicy rosemary
tenderloin. Served, ironically, between two thick slices
of Jewish rye bread, the sandwich weighs in at just less
than 64 ounces!
Pighead, Steven Pallmayer was the first lucky man to try
the sandwich. Steven, who sold 1,446 advanced tickets to
the festival, has been named this year’s “Man
of Pork”.
|
