Flavor. Versatility. Convenience. The experts agree that pork wins on so many fronts when it comes time to prep your next meal.
As PORKtober wraps up, here’s a look back at four food influencers who proudly cook with pork and encourage others to do the same with enticing and delicious recipes featuring this versatile protein. From Pulled Pork Chili to Crispy Pork Belly Tacos and Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder to Better Than Gas Station Breakfast Pizza, these recipes are sure to please!
This Farm Girl Cooks: How a Farm Wife is Changing Lives Through Food
Deanne Frieders has always considered herself an introvert. So, if you would have told her she’d be a familiar face and influence in households across the country someday, she would have laughed at you.
However, in her late 30’s, she married her husband and left her corporate job so they could build their family of six on the farm in Waterman, Ill. Her new role included helping drop off meals, uncovering a passion that’s led her to start up “This Farm Girl Cooks.”
“Little did I know my role change would help hundreds of thousands answer the question, ‘What’s for dinner?’” she says.
She created a tribe of farm wives to connect with and life has never been the same. Read more and check out her recipe for Pulled Pork Chili.
Sizzlin’ Hot Crispy Pork Tacos by Woodfire + Whiskey Bring Out Pork’s Amazing Flavor
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Marco Antonio Sanchez decided he needed something to do with the extra time on his hands. For this Turlock, Calif., native, who has a passion for breakdancing, it was an opportunity to cook more.
Not only does he love to cook for people, but he enjoys pairing foods, especially pork, with whiskey – hence the name of his account, Woodfire + Whiskey.
“Pork belly is my favorite protein. I mean come on, its bacon,” Sanchez says. “Pork is so flavorful in its many forms, but my absolute favorite is crispy pork skin. When a whole hog is roasted over an open fire and then crisped up at the end, it’s just magic. I love that glassy red crispy pork skin fresh out of the smoker, too.”
One of the reasons why pork is such a great protein to cook with is its flavor, he points out. Read more and check out his recipe for Crispy Pork Belly Tacos.
Here’s Why So Much Food Star Says Pork is Her Favorite Protein
Former professional chef Jenny Goycochea-Marker spent 10 years in San Diego, Calif., running her own kitchens. But when she moved to San Antonio, Texas, seven years ago, she was looking for a new pace.
“I was at the point where I didn’t want to keep up with the hustle and bustle of kitchen life, but I still wanted food and cooking to be a large part of my life. I started a website to share my favorite recipes and since then it’s morphed into a successful business that I’m proud to call my full-time job,” Goycochea-Marker says.
“So Much Food” provides her with an opportunity to share her love for food with others in an even bigger way than before. She loves how food brings people together. Read more and check out her recipe for Apple Cider Braised Pork Shoulder.
Siegel Meteer Reveals Her Better Than Gas Station Breakfast Pizza
Farming is tough. For Jenna Siegel Meteer of Bement, Ill., creating her own cookbook was a little way she could help farm families thrive during planting and harvest and stock show families survive state fair season.
“Farming is emotionally and mentally draining,” Siegel Meteer says. “There is so much stress when it is go-time. To me, being able to showcase recipes specifically designed for this amount of chaos, is one way to release a burden from those trying to feed their families delicious meals with minimal time. We were also a sports family, and this cookbook has been designed for those on-the-go families, too.”
She admits the cookbook idea started from a place of service. Read more and check out her recipe for Better Than Gas Station Breakfast Pizza.
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