“What,” I asked flatly “did you say?”
The elder brother replied. “May I try some of that also?”
…and then there were none. The morning smells of pecan – laced smoke, caramelizing onions, malt vinegar and muscovado sugar grafted to crispy taters and shredded porcine goodness had done the job. It was the nudge needed to bring him back to the Light of the Holy Bacon. The younger of the two brothers and I exchanged alarmed glances, shocked, knowing we both could not have mistaken his words.
I would like to say that this was accomplished with some sort of local, sustainably raised heritage Mangalitsa or Berkshire porker like Emile “Put your state on your plate” DeFelice raises up at Caw Caw Creek. One fed an endless supply of Coast Ale through a compressed peanut luge and hand massaged by 1000 maidens. The reality is pork butts were on sale at the Bi-Lo and I got a big one. Just like we do in restaurants, we had a couple big meals and it was time to cross utilize to keep the product fresh, inventory turned over and product cross utilized. The elder, nobler of the brothers had caved to a math exercise in reducing waste, and a tasty one at that.
But as usual, I’m letting the details run away with the story. And I’m trying not to pontificate, as I, too, was once a teenage vegetarian. I suffered a prolonged bout of 6 1/2 years before I came to the light. In my case (circumstances vary from patient to patient) I made a gradual transition. I remember almost the exact moment on a vacation to New England with my Dad, who almost without complaint had borne my illness for the bulk of that time, cooking separate meals and splitting batches of weekend cooking into meat / non-meat.
“I am in Maine,” my Dad proclaimed “and I am going to eat clams.” “You may stay in the car, or you may join me on the dock. I’m sure they have beer and they may have some crackers or something.”
And that is how it came to be after 6 1/2 years of not eating meat that I sat on a dock of a lobster shanty in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, getting tanked on pitchers of draft Moosehead with My Old Man and finally caved and said “Hey Dad – you mind if I try one of those?”
“What,” he asked flatly “did you say?”
Pulled Pork BBQ Hash
(serves 4)
- 2 Pounds leftover BBQ Pork, Well Pulled
- 1 Sweet Onion, Julienned
- 1 Large Russett Potato, Cooked & Diced
- Scallions to taste
- Brown Sugar, Cider or Malt Vinegar, BBQ Sauce (Optional)
In a good heavy frypan, caramelize the onions until soft, brown and very sweet. Remove and reserve. Add diced, cooked potato and allow to brown evenly. Add pork bbq and heat through. Return onions to the mix, add scallions and season as desired with sugar, vinegar or bbq sauce.
Killer with a couple of eggs, and the ideal breakfast to lure your vegetarian back from the abyss.