Pork will be at the center of the plate for many, including our family, this Easter Sunday. Among the major proteins, Material Plus reports consumers are most likely to consume pork at Easter.
Smoked ham sales during Easter have been on the climb each of the last three years with sales valuing $197.1 million in 2022, according to IRI data. Additionally, data shows consumers spend more overall during Easter when ham is in their cart and consumers typically choose to shop in the store for this holiday.
“Pork is the hero of that dinner occasion at home with family and friends,” says Neal Hull, director of domestic market development at the National Pork Board. “It’s exciting to see that ham continues to grow.”
Ham is always the favored meat at our Easter dinner. We love serving it with a Shike tradition – Grandma Doc’s Mustard Ring (see below).
During an AgriTalk segment with Chip Flory, I was quick to point out that I know it’s a little weird. Mustard ring is like a creamy, solid Jell-O that melts like butter when you put a scoop on your ham. Admittedly, garnishes are typically not a draw for our kids, but they all love this family favorite.
I think it’s delicious, but more importantly, I love that it causes us to pause and think about our family members who prepared this for so many years for us that are no longer with us. It’s one way we can keep those memories and stories alive with our children. They may not have been able to know Grandma Doc, but they get to enjoy the memories.
Flory puts a different twist on Easter dinner. His choice for the center of the plate is smoked pork loin.
“I am responsible for smoking the pork loin that we have on Easter. We made that change a couple of years ago. Before that it was ham. But with everybody’s schedules like they are and trying to get to multiple celebrations in a day, we just decided let’s make this as portable and as convenient for everybody, so that when we do get together, we can eat now or we can eat later,” Flory says. “I know ham works in that way, too.”
An added treat is what Flory’s family uses to complement the smoked pork loin.
“We do red cabbage – sweet and sour red cabbage – on the side,” he says. “It’s one of those Flory traditions that actually started with my grandmother on the Ingwersen side. It’s become our tradition now. My sister-in-law, Julie Flory, has taken over the responsibility of having this at our family gatherings. That combination of smoked pork loin with that sweet and sour red cabbage on the side, it’s an unbelievable combination.”
Agritalk Producer Joe Stachler pointed out that one of the best sides to any Easter dinner are classic deviled eggs (see below). According to USDA’s latest Egg Markets Overview, retail grocery promotional activity featuring shell eggs for the holiday are beginning to appear in store ads but the extent is more subdued than in recent Easters – giving the traditional Easter egg hunt a whole new meaning for consumers this season.
“Following Easter, there are fewer opportunities to stimulate consumer shell egg purchasing which may allow prices to retreat to more shopper-friendly levels,” the report notes, so it may be a good time to stock back up.
We both agreed that the second-best part of Easter dinner are the leftovers. Both ham and pork loin offer incredible opportunities to enjoy the main dish again in a new way.
Hull says he likes to chop up ham leftovers to use in omelets the next day – that may be a use some people don’t think about.
Check out my colleague and friend Karen Bohnert’s amazing Ham, Cheese and Potato Casserole below. It’s simple and an easy way to make leftovers more interesting.
No matter what you feature at the center of your plate this Easter season, may the day be filled with opportunities for you to enjoy time focusing on what matters most with your loved ones.
Here are some recipes to consider adding to the mix:
Grandma Doc’s Mustard Ring
Recommended by Jennifer Shike, Editor of Farm Journal’s PORK
Ingredients:
4 well beaten eggs
¾ cup sugar
¼ tsp. salt
2 tbsp. dry mustard
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup water
1 envelope plain gelatin
2 tbsp. cold water
½ cup whipping cream
Directions:
1. Combine beaten eggs, sugar, salt, mustard, vinegar and 1/3 cup water in top of double boiler.
2. Dissolve gelatin in the 2 T. cold water, add to egg mixture and cook over hot water until thick and creamy, stirring constantly.
3. Cool.
4. Whip cream and fold into cooled mixture and pour into well-oiled ring (or I just put it in a glass dish).
5. Refrigerate until firm.
Source: Shike Family Cookbook
Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage
Recommended by Chip Flory, AgriTalk host
Ingredients:
1 head red cabbage, sliced
1 large white onion, sliced
1 tsp. salt
8 slices bacon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup brown sugar
Directions:
1. Cook cabbage and onions until tender with 1 tsp. salt.
2. Drain and save juice.
3. Cook 8 slices of bacon, save the grease.
4. Mix flour, vinegar and brown sugar. Thicken with bacon grease and 3/4 c. cabbage juice.
5. Mix altogether with cabbage and onion and bacon.
6. Serve hot.
Source: The Flory Family
Classic Deviled Eggs
Recommended by Joe Stachler, Radio Producer at Farm Journal
Ingredients:
6 eggs
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. yellow mustard
1/8 tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Smoked Spanish Paprika, for garnish
Directions:
1. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan and cover with enough water that there’s 1 1/2 inches of water above the eggs. Heat on high until water begins to boil, then cover, turn the heat to low, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and leave covered for 14 minutes, then rinse under cold water continuously for 1 minute.
2. Crack egg shells and carefully peel under cool running water. Gently dry with paper towels. Slice the eggs in half lengthwise, removing yolks to a medium bowl, and placing the whites on a serving platter. Mash the yolks into a fine crumble using a fork. Add mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well.
3. Evenly disperse heaping teaspoons of the yolk mixture into the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve.
Source: Food Network
Ham, Cheese and Potato Casserole
Recommended by Karen Bohnert, Editor of Dairy Herd Management and MILK
Ingredients:
3-4 cups chopped, cooked ham
5 potatoes, cooked and cut up into bite size
Cheese sauce
Directions:
1. Make cheese sauce.
Melt 3 tsp. flour and 3 tsp. butter and once the rue is made, slowly add 1 ½ c. of milk. Let it thicken up, stirring occasionally. Add 2 cups of shredded cheese of your liking (I personally like Cheddar).
2. Pour mixture over ham/potatoes.
3. Cover and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes.
Source: Karen Bohnert
