How to Make Squeal Soup

Flickr photo by Virginia Hill

As any hog farmer will tell you, when you raise and butcher hogs, you use everything but the squeal.

What they won't tell you is that the squeal is the special ingredient used in an old-fashioned slow-cooked soup recipe that's a closely guarded secret among hog-farming families. The stuff of rural folklore and rustic legends, Squeal Soup is served only in farmhouses and in out-of-the-way mom-&-pop country diners in pig-farming communities, where it's served only to locals who know what to ask for because you won't find Squeal Soup on the menu.

For years I had heard whispered rumors of "squeal soup" when stopping at back-road barbecue joints throughout North Carolina, but I had yet to find anyone willing to confirm its existence, much less divulge the secret recipe or explain how one harvests a squeal.

Having recently moved out to rural Warren County, NC, I made it my mission to uncover the recipe for Squeal Soup, and to obtain a squeal to make it.

Obtaining the squeal proved to be the biggest challenge. You can't just saunter into a butcher shop or Piggly Wiggly grocery store and ask for some squeal. That will immediately give you away as an interloper from the city, or worse yet, a food blogger.

No, you need access to a live pig if you want to make genuine Squeal Soup.

According to local lore, a squeal must be harvested before butchering the hog, while it is still fat and happy and oblivious to its future fate. Dead pigs don't squeal.

To harvest a squeal, you need a curious, usually homemade, contraption that slides effortlessly, safely, comfortably and snugly over the pig's snout, and you need to be able to slip it on and off the pig quickly at exactly the right time:  On just before the pig squeals, and off -- tightly shut to trap the squeal --  before the hog realizes what's happened.

An experienced hog farmer can harvest a squeal in a matter of seconds, but that's after years of practice and sometimes the loss of a finger or three. Not having years of practice nor any extra fingers to spare, I opted to find a willing hog farmer and something to offer the friendly farmer in exchange for a fresh squeal (the selling of squeals to outsiders is seriously frowned upon among hog farmers, but it's sometimes possible to barter for a squeal).

Luckily, I was able to find such a farmer at the Piggly Wiggly one morning, when I overheard a mud-splattered, bedraggled and apparently henpecked fellow lamenting to a stockboy that his wife was demanding a bottle of something called "EVOO" after watching hours of cooking shows on the Food Network soon after they signed up for Dish TV. The stockboy had never heard of "EVOO" either, and both were at a loss when I walked up with a plan.

"I can give you a big bottle of EVOO for your wife, and you don't have to give me any money for it," I announced, immediately getting the farmer's undivided attention as the relieved stockboy slipped away to resume stacking cans of shad roe and hominy on Aisle 3.

The farmer eyed me suspiciously and asked, "What do you want for the EVOO?"

"The recipe for Squeal Soup," I replied, and before the farmer could object I added, "AND a freshly harvested squeal."

The farmer stood motionless and silent, mulling over my offer and weighing his options: Whether to risk the wrath of his newly-enlightened foodie wife or the ostracism of fellow farmers should they learn that he had disclosed their secret recipe AND supplied a squeal to an outsider.

Sensing weakness, I took a gamble and turned to leave when I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. He had made his choice, and chosen the lesser of two angers.

"Meet me in the parking lot here right after the store closes and bring your EVOO, and I'll have what you want," he whispered harshly and scurried out the door.

Having only a half-empty bottle of extra virgin olive oil back at the RV-Q and just enough time for the round-trip to Durham, I jumped in my car and raced straight down I-85 to the first supermarket I found in northern Durham, and purchased their largest bottle of EVOO.

I rushed back to the Littleton Piggly Wiggly, arriving just as the manager was locking the doors. A dusty pickup truck rattled into the parking lot. The farmer stepped out and looked furtively in all directions before reaching back into his truck and handing me an oddly-shaped, ominously shaking wooden container and a rumpled piece of paper. He thrust those at me and gruffly demanded, "Where's my wife's EVOO?"

I handed him the bottle, which he cradled in his arms as if carrying a treasure as he hurried back to his truck. I stared down with trepidation at the vibrating contraption in my hands and carefully placed it, along with the scrap of paper, in the passenger's seat of my car.

Back at the RV, I uncrumpled the paper and found the following crock pot recipe for Squeal Soup scribbled out in a shaky hand:

Ingredients

1 pound cooked country ham, diced
1 smoked ham hock
1 squeal
1 small sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can corn kernels, drained
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1 can green beans, drained
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Dump everything in your crock pot and cook on High for half a day (start at lunchtime), or on Low all day long (start at breakfast time).

Note: You can make this soup without the squeal, but then it's just a smoky ham soup and not the elusive, legendary Squeal Soup.

My next quest: Capturing a snipe for the Roast Snipe recipe I've been hearing about.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Random Ramblings from Week 3 of RV Life

Happiness is seeing horseshoe tracks instead of graffiti on my morning run.

A bracing winter wind whipping through my hair as a front moves in can have a powerfully mind-clearing, soul-cleansing effect.

The locals no longer look baffled by the almost-daily appearance of a (presumably crazy) woman running down the road while muttering to herself.

I'd love to sit down with an old-timer from these parts to hear the stories behind Preacher Joe Road, Doc Thompson Road, and my favorite, Beef Tongue Road.

A previously mundane, mindlessly simple household task, i.e., doing the laundry, can suddenly turn into an epic saga spanning 3 towns, almost 100 miles, a possible death threat and over 2 hours of driving (stay tuned for Adventures in Laundromat-Land in a future post).

If anyone knows of any useful ecological purpose served by chiggers, or any reason why they should not be eradicated from the face of the planet, kindly please enlighten me.

To my surprise, living full-time in the RV-Que (aka The Silver Sausage) is proving to be far more relaxing and enjoyable than merely vacationing in it, because I don't resent having to spend time on work and I don't feel guilty when I'm not working.

I have an uncanny knack for always sitting downwind of a campfire. Too bad that's not a marketable skill.

After spending over 3 weeks in an RV with cats that are allowed to roam free outdoors during daylight, I am confident that my cats really are smarter than your honor student.

Remington appeared at the RV door carrying a vole in his mouth and was quite perturbed when I refused to permit him to enter with it. After I explained my lack of recipes or sauces for vole, he deposited said rodent carcass next to our grill and trotted off to find Greg. If any readers happen to have a recipe for vole barbecue, please post in a comment below.

I didn't realize just how much of a "regular" I had become at the Sheetz station in Henderson until the night I was standing in a long line to pay for my M-T-O peppermint mocha and the employee who made it came from her station to hand it to me without first calling out my order number or waiting until I had paid.

I'm getting used to my new GPS, which Greg kindly programmed with the addresses I need but for which he wickedly selected the not-quite-authentic southern female voice. If "Clarabelle" says "bless your heart" the next time I deviate from her suggested route, I swear she'll find herself pitched out my car window.

My new cell phone has great reception at and around camp, can take pictures, and possesses a comfortingly mediocre intelligence (I'm avoiding owning a "smart" phone for as long as possible). Unfortunately, its memory is now full of unintentional, inadvertently-taken photographs of my thumbs and my feet. Perhaps it's time I read the manual....

Some people can stare for hours at a fish tank watching the fish swim. I'm captivated by the hypnotic dance of lively flames and glowing coals within a womb of blazing logs.

On clear nights, no matter how cold the temperature or how late the hour I'm arriving back at camp, I cannot help but spend a few minutes gazing upwards in breathless wonder at the countless multitude of stars shimmering against the infinite blackness of the sky. #LivingTheDream.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company

RV Life: Pithy Observations from Week 2

When it comes to RV housekeeping, there is "Greg clean," and then there is "Gloria clean." The secret to peaceful coexistence and marital harmony is finding that elusive middle ground that both parties can achieve and accept. We're still searching for it....

A fully-functional, properly draining (and no longer leaking under the floor) shower with hot water & enough pressure to wash my hair thoroughly makes me a very happy camper.

Any man that can fix the plumbing & random ceiling leaks, install new laminate flooring in the RV, rig up a "tech center" with wireless internet that's faster & more reliable than what we had in Durham, smoke competition-quality pulled pork BBQ & chicken for dinner, and surprise me with a box of fancy chocolate truffles from his trip to Chapel Hill is a keeper in my book.

Tick "season" is year-round out here.  So is spider season. Thankfully, the same is not true of snake season. Hopefully we'll move before that one starts.

The local Laundromat is every bit as entertaining as an urban DMV office.

There is a special place in Hell for people who don't empty their pockets of candy & gum before washing & drying their clothes at the Laundromat.

There is not a single bottle of EVOO to be found in any grocery store for many, many miles (yes, I know, #FirstWorldProblems). But there's some mighty fine BBQ to be enjoyed if you're not afraid to visit the local joints, especially the ones that look rundown and forgotten by time.

All the sweetener in the world won't make almost-gone-sour milk taste any better. And while one shouldn't cry over spilled milk, it is perfectly acceptable to cry over a ruined latte when you used the last of your coffee to make it (yes, another #FirstWorldProblem, but caffeine withdrawal is an ugly thing).

The gentle patter of a steady rain on the RV roof is a more powerful sleep aid than any pill or tonic.

Always let sleeping cats lie. At least they're not wreaking havoc in tight quarters.

Even the quietest of cat toys is startlingly and unacceptably loud at 3:47am.

Hungry cats are more reliable and effective than any mechanical alarm clock. Unfortunately, the feline ones aren't equipped with snooze buttons, cannot be unplugged, and are unable to differentiate between work days, weekends & holidays.

Keeping the litterbox fresh is very important a moral imperative matter of human survival when sharing an RV with cats.

Happiness is ending the day sitting by the campfire as we watch the sunset and listen to the hauntingly beautiful, mournful song of distant coyotes while we savor a glass of wine or bourbon and share a fine cigar from Greg's stash. #ThankfulForMyBlessings.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company

RV Life: Lessons Learned in Week 1

1.  Neither a GPS nor a husband is infallible when it comes to driving directions. Only one of them, however, will say "I told you so" when you end up lost after disregarding their advice.

2.  Regardless of which service provider you use, you won't have cell phone reception when you discover you're going the wrong way late at night and have no clue where you are (is that banjo music in the distance??)

3.  UPS will deliver packages addressed to "Silver trailer at top of hill." Query whether that will work with pizza delivery...

4.  You don't have to worry about stepping in dog poop when out on a morning run along a country road. You do, however, have to look out for bear poop.

5.  A leaky RV roof is still better than an unheated, bathroomless tent.

6.  No matter how handy you/your spouse may be, your local RV repair guy will soon become your best friend.

7.  Go ahead and start your day by making a to-do list. At least then you'll know everything you WON'T get to that day.

8.  Don't forget to turn off the water pump after filling the RV tank.

9.  If a cat's head fits, the rest of the cat will follow.

10.  When sharing an RV with cats, NEVER leave anything out to thaw, no matter how solidly frozen it is or how well-behaved you think the cats may be.

11.  There is such a thing as one too many cats in an RV. Sometimes that number is one.

12.  There's no such thing as having too many quarters on laundry day.

13.  Speed limits and no-passing zones apparently don't apply to locals driving after dark on winding two-lane roads.

14.  Sometimes an angel drives up in a Jeep equipped with a winch -- this is especially fortuitous when your 3/4 ton truck & attached utility trailer are stuck in the mud up to their axles on the side of a steep hill (I'll let Greg explain this one if/when he chooses).

15.  There will be rain. And mud. And dirt. And spiders. Deal with it. It's camping, after all.

16.  There will also be glorious sunrises, majestic sunsets, velvet-black night skies strewn with millions of glittering diamond-like stars, and other breathtaking moments. Take the time to enjoy them.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Happy Mother's Day!

To my Mom and all the Moms out there, the Carolina Sauce Company and I would like to wish you a very happy and zesty Mother's Day!

Heartfelt thanks for all the little things (and of course the big things, too) that you do, your selfless caring and compassion, your unwavering love and support, and all of your hard work.

May today and every day be filled with beauty, light and love.

Sincerely,
Gloria

Jalapenos, Bacon & ECU Pirate Pride at the NC Steak Cook-Off

Mr. Steak

The inaugural North Carolina Steak Cook-Off was held a few weeks ago in Winterville, NC, and I was able to stop by for a couple of hours before heading off to another commitment.

In addition to vying for the title of Best-Tasting 16oz Steak, teams could also compete in two other categories: Appetizers, and Showmanship. Although I had to leave the Cook-Off before the steaks hit the grill, I did get to watch many of the teams preparing and cooking a mouthwatering array of "apps" -- in the food world, that means appetizers and not new programs for your smartphone. And much to my delight, the competitors were happy to offer up samples for me to taste -- maybe I looked hungry, as I never asked for a bite and yet was regularly offered food!

In addition to popular grill favorites like chicken and sausages, a surprising number of teams prepared apps featuring stuffed jalapenos and bacon, and often both. Everything I tasted was excellent, from the tangy-sweet spicy-hot grilled chicken to the smoked pancetta and grilled pork neck made with a secret Italian marinade. I suspect the judges had a deliciously difficult time selecting the winner from among all the zesty entries.

Among the judging criteria for Showmanship were the design & decoration of the "pit area" for each team, the hospitality of team members, and entertainment. Many teams displayed their support for the ECU Pirates, which made sense given that Winterville is just outside of Greenville, where East Carolina University is located.  But there was at least one team sporting Duke Blue and proclaiming their love of Duke football. For entertainment, one team brought a "Wheel of Fortune" you could spin to find out your "steak personality." Another team included a member dressed as Mr. Steak, who graciously allowed me to take his photo even after I warned him that I wanted to post it on the internet.

If you'd like to see my photos from the first annual NC Steak Cook-Off, visit the Carolina Sauce Company on Pinterest, where you'll find my board dedicated to the event.

This Saturday I'll be in Lexington, NC, for the BBQ Capital Cook-Off, an event I've been wanting to attend for years. Stay tuned to photos and a report from that event in the near future.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  If you're in the mood for a juicy steak, make sure you have a good steak seasoning to season it with, such as Montreal Steakhouse Seasoning or Stubb's Steak Spice Rub -- and if you enjoy a nice steak sauce with your steak, you'll find plenty to choose from when you browse our selection of Steak Sauces you won't find at your local supermarket.

The Great Yeast Revival Experiment (Part 1)

Yeast from 1996

What's the oldest food or ingredient you've found in your kitchen, and dared to eat?

The other day while cleaning out a spice cupboard I discovered two strips of yeast packets that had been long forgotten behind seldom-used items like a seed sprouter and a broken garlic press that I previously couldn't bring myself to throw out (it's now gone). While finding yeast packets might seem rather unremarkable, these packets were "special" in that they had best-by dates from 1996--which means the packets were at least 16 years old, and probably closer to 17 years.

While the practical side of me wanted to throw them out, the "mad scientist" side was morbidly curious and wanted to find out if this relatively ancient yeast might still be alive and usable. Reluctant to waste a batch of flour, milk and other bread ingredients on what was likely to be a lost cause, I turned to my friend Chef Jenni of Pastry Chef Online to ask what she would do if she were in my shoes.  Sharing my morbid curiosity, she promptly suggested a third option I hadn't considered: Proofing 1 packet of the old yeast.

At this point I must confess that I rarely proof my yeast before baking. Well, ok... I NEVER proof my yeast. And in all the years I've been baking, I've never had bread fail due to "dead" yeast. But I was familiar with the concept of proofing and this was precisely the sort of situation in which one would want to proof yeast before using. I assembled my materials for the Great Yeast Revival Experiment:  1 packet of vintage January 1996 Fleischmann's Rapid Rise Yeast, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon sugar, a Pyrex measuring cup, whisk, kitchen thermometer and a timer.  And a notepad, pencil and camera to document the event.

I heated the water to 120°F (below the suggested temperature range of 125-130°F on the packet), dissolved the sugar in the warm water, whisked in the yeast, and set the timer to go off in 10 minutes after which I would pronounce the yeast dead or alive, based on whether it had bubbled up a frothy foam and released that unmistakeable yeast aroma that I enjoy.

Upon hearing the timer, I returned to the kitchen to discover that the yeast was, in fact, alive and bubbling, albeit somewhat less enthusiastically than fresh, young yeast still in its prime.

Thinking that this elderly yeast would benefit from a little more time to feast on the sugar water, I reset the time for another 5 minutes. After a total proofing time of 15 minutes, I was delighted to discover that the yeast had produced a very respectable head of foam:

Unfortunately, I did not have enough time to use the proofed yeast in a bread recipe prior to heading out for an evening commitment. Not wanting to kill my newly-revived old yeast, I turned again to the ever-helpful Chef Jenni to ask for advice. On her recommendation I whisked in a little more sugar and a bit of flour to give the activated yeast something to work on overnight and then stored it in my refrigerator to use the following morning.

In the morning I removed the proofed yeast from the refrigerator and placed it on a counter to come to room temperature over the course of a couple of hours.

When I was ready to bake, I pulled out my simplest, most familiar bread recipe: Easy English Muffin Bread. Having halved it many times before when I wanted to bake only 1 loaf, I knew this would be the right recipe to see what the old yeast could do.

Because the yeast had been proofed in 1/2 cup water with over a tablespoon of sugar, I had to modify my recipe accordingly. I heated 3/4 cup milk to 120°F and then whisked in the proofed yeast liquid. I poured this into the combined dry ingredients (I added only 1 tsp sugar to the dry because the yeast had already received over 1 Tbs) and then continued with the recipe. This is what the dough looked like before I covered it with a towel and placed it in my oven with light on to rise in a warm environment:

My recipe calls for 45 minutes for rising and normally the dough doubles in size in that time. But in this case it had only risen a little, which was consistent with Chef Jenni's advice that refrigerated proofed yeast, especially very OLD yeast, would take much longer to rise:

After another 45 minutes the bread still hadn't doubled, although it was continuing to make progress:

I was running out of time and patience, so this time I set the timer for only 30 additional minutes, for a total rising time of 2 hours. The dough *almost* doubled by then, but not quite:

I removed the bread from the warm oven, preheated the oven to 400°F and baked the loaf for 25 minutes as usual.  When it was done, it looked quite similar to bread made with fresh yeast:

I transferred the bread to a cooling rack for a few minutes:

When I cut into the bread, I noticed that it was a little denser than usual. Had I let it keep rising longer than two hours, I suspect it would have produced a lighter crumb. Nevertheless, it was delicious.

Thus concludes Part 1 of the Great Yeast Revival Experiment, proving that "teenaged" yeast can still be used to bake bread. Because the overnight refrigeration added a second variable to this experiment, a second test is warranted and will be conducted on a day when I can bake with the proofed yeast immediately instead of refrigerating it overnight. So stay tuned for Part 2, coming soon!

Please leave a comment below to share your story of the oldest ingredient or food you've found and dared to eat.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria
Carolina Sauce Company, Inc.

Happy Father's Day from Carolina Sauce Company!

Flickr photo by rockinfree

Happy Father's Day to all Dads, from your friends at the Carolina Sauce Company!

May your day be filled with fun, friends, family and your favorite foods and activities--including lazing on a hammock if that's what you wish! Just make sure it's your own, however...

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

How to Make Spicy Bacon Moonshine

Flickr photo by Daniel Krueger

Bacon vodka has gained some notoriety among baconistas and others who enjoy their bloody marys, caesars and other drinks with a touch of bacon flavor. Also popular, although perhaps not as notorious, are chile pepper infused vodka and tequila. As far as I know, however, no one has infused alcohol with both bacon AND hot peppers, nor has anyone used moonshine (the legal stuff available in liquor stores) to make either a bacon or a chile-infused liquor. The following recipe remedies this glaring omission from the panoply of baconalia.

Admittedly, I haven't tried making this spicy bacon moonshine--yet. But when I do, this is my plan. And I will post my review on this blog after I've made it.

In the meantime, if you are brave enough to try this recipe, or if you have your own recipe for making a bacon-infused spicy moonshine, vodka, tequila or other such liquor, please do share your thoughts or recipe with us in a comment--and photos are welcome, too!

You'll need a quart-size canning jar (e.g., mason jar) or two pint-size canning jars for making this concoction, and then another quart or liter-sized (or two pint size) sterilized glass bottles or jars for storing the finished product.  You'll also need cheesecloth and possibly also a paper coffee filter or two for straining the liquor.

Ingredients

Buy NC Bacon

6 slices bacon
14 dried cayenne peppers or other small/thin dried red chiles
1 quart or liter of moonshine (legal, although we won't tell if it's not), or vodka or tequila

Fry the bacon, then drain on paper towels, blot off as much grease as possible and allow to cool.  Place the chiles in the sterilized jar.  Add the bacon--if using pint jars and the strips are too long, simply break in half.  Pour in the alcohol, close tightly with lid, and store in a cool, dark cupboard for 3 weeks.

After 3 weeks, place the jar(s) in your freezer overnight to solidify the bacon fat. When it's solid, remove the jar(s) from the freezer and remove the solidified fat plus the bacon strips (tongs would make this easier). Discard the fat and the bacon--from what I've read in other recipes, it won't taste good so there's no point in saving it.  Cover the top of the jar with a double layer of cheese cloth and then carefully strain into the sterilized storage bottle(s). Discard the peppers and any other strained solids. You can repeat this process using a coffee filter to strain more finely if desired.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Top Ten Weirdest Bacon Products

Our partner Bacon Freak sells some mighty good bacon in a variety of styles and flavors. But they also offer some mighty strange bacon products, both edible and inedible (the latter sometimes unintentionally). Here's my list of the top ten weirdest bacon products, counting down to number one:

10. The Bacon Wallet: This wallet gives new meaning to the expression "bringing home the bacon." Put your money where your bacon is, in your hip pocket. This whimsical bacon wallet measures 4-1/4" x 3-3/4" (10.8 cm x 9.5 cm) and is made of faux leather (you didn't really think it was made from real bacon, did you???), and has plenty of pockets to hold your hard-earned cash, driver's license or ID, and plenty of plastic (credit or debit cards, club/discount cards, etc.). Get one for yourself, and send them as gifts to fellow bacon fanatics--Gift boxes available, too.

9. Bacon Scented Candle: Fill your kitchen--or any room--with the intoxicating aroma of bacon cooking on the stove, but without the splatter or the dirty frying pan, and it's fat-free, cholesterol-free and has zero calories, too! Enjoy your bacon without having to eat it when you burn this long-lasting (75+ hours) candle that's made in the USA. Every "man cave," game room, hunt camp and clubhouse needs one of these babies for "mood lighting." This bacon-scented candle makes a great gift for guys and anyone else who loves bacon but really shouldn't eat it every day.

8. Bacon People: Weirdly charming, each little "bacon person" is unique and eager to be your lifelong buddy and traveling companion on all your adventures. Bacon people make the best friends: they'll never let you down, nag you, spread nasty rumors, or spill the beans. They'll listen to your problems, let you watch what you want on TV, and accept you just the way you are. Lovingly handmade in the USA, bacon people are approximately 6 inches long by 2 inches wide with bendable arms and legs. Each bacon doll comes adorably packaged (it's perfect for gift giving!) with an artistic license and bacon birth certificate.You'll never be lonely again when you have a bacon buddy by your side!

7. Bacon Drink Tabs: These effervescent tablets add fizzy bacon flavor to water and any other liquid you drop them into. Bored by plain milk? Make bacon-flavored milk with these Bacon Drink Tabs! Want a bacon-flavored ice cream float? Yep, these tablets will help you concoct one.  How about a bacon-flavored iced coffee or iced latte? Sure! Let your imagination be your guide when you create all sorts of bizarre bacon-flavored drinks by adding Bacon Drink Tabs to water, juices, soda, iced tea or coffee, and any other liquid. Just imagine the pranks you could play on unsuspecting coworkers, family members, colleagues, roommates, frat brothers or sorority sisters, and anyone else taking an unsuspecting swig... Makes a great Christmas stocking stuffer or bachelor's party novelty, and gift box packaging is available, too.

6. Bacon Dental Floss: No more excuses for not flossing daily. Use this bacon-flavored dental floss and you'll happily floss every day (heck, more than once a day!), guaranteeing to impress your dentist at your next check-up. They say that bacon makes everything better, so why not dental floss? Enjoy the mouthwatering flavor of crispy, perfectly-fried bacon while taking good care of your pearly whites. Dental hygiene never tasted so good! Each 2-1/2" (6.4 cm) tall plastic dispenser contains 27.3 yards (25 m) of waxed bacon-flavored floss, and comes with an illustrated blistercard. Order bacon floss for every bacon-loving member of your family, and keep a dispenser in each bathroom, plus one in your travel bag, another in your purse (no more parsley between the teeth after lunch!), in your desk drawer at work, etc. Bacon dental floss makes a fun gift for your favorite dental hygienist, dentist or other dental office professional.

5. Bacon Frosting: No doubt you've already heard of chocolate-covered bacon and bacon cupcakes, right? So why not bacon frosting? This dark red bacon-flavored frosting is a bacon-loving cake decorator's or baker's dream come true. Keep a tube of Bacon Frosting on hand to finish off a dessert masterpiece, add a sweet smoky garnish to any dish, or indulge in a delicious squirt right onto your tongue (don't worry, no one's watching and we won't tell). Decorate any cake, cupcake, brownie, cookie, or even a bowl of ice cream with some bacon frosting for a sweet & savory treat. Squeeze it onto pancakes or waffles, or even into a bowl of oatmeal or other hot cereal, for bacony flavor at breakfast without having to clean a frying pan or the splatter of frying bacon. Rumor has it the astronauts have been asking for bacon in a tube for decades, but you can enjoy it at home! Each tube of bacon frosting is 5" tall by 2" wide and holds 2.1 oz (60g) of frosting.

4. Bacon Soda: Admittedly, this one pushes the limits of palatability. But if you've always wanted to have your bacon and drink it too, then bacon soda might be just what you need. Bubbly, a little bit sweet, and startingly bacony, this soda is either pure genius or utter madness--you decide. There have been other bacon-flavored sodas on the market, and they've been less-than-favorably received, but rumor has it that this particular brand from Bacon Freak is far superior (I confess I haven't tried any of them, so don't look to me for a personal review). Bacon soda is available in single bottles and also by the six-pack at a discount. If you decide to try it, please leave a comment on this blog to let us know if you like it, what it really tastes like, and anything else you'd like to say about bacon soda.

3. Mr. Bacon's Big Adventure Board Game: Yes, bacon is now a board game. What's next, bacon the video game? Or perhaps the interactive 3-D bacon adventure? Bacon Freak boasts that this is by far the most mouth-watering meat-centric board game ever created--and we can't dispute that claim, because we don't actually know of ANY other meat-centric board games. As you move your bacon character along the path through Meatland you'll have to navigate your way through areas like the Mustard Marsh, the Wiener Wasteland and the Sausage Sea. The first player to make it to the frying pan at the end of the trail wins the game! Mr. Bacon's Big Adventure Board Game comes with a gameboard with spinner, four game pieces with plastic stands, twenty-four game cards, and alternate rules that turn the game into "a gluttonous meat feast" (their words, not mine). The game comes in a 18-1/2" x 9-1/2" x 1-3/4" (47 cm x 24.1 cm x 4.4 cm) illustrated box and is shrink-wrapped. Perfect for the entire family, this old-fashioned board game will provide hours of wholesome fun for bacon-loving kids of all ages.

2. Bacon Perfume: According to an old saying, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. If he loves bacon, then presumably he'll find you irresistible if you wear bacon perfume. And apparently some women find bacon-scented guys irresistible as well, because Fargginay's Bacon Classic Fragrance Spray is designed for use by both men and women (unisex perfumes and colognes are all the rage these days, so I guess this qualifies as a "cutting edge" fragrance).  The "Classic" bacon perfume is described as "a sophisticated spicy maple fragrance with just a hint of bacon, and the fun is in finding it. This artisanal Classic formula is lovingly crafted with the pure essential oil blend of bergamot, orange, lime, grapefruit, black pepper, cedar wood, vetiver, guaiacwood and two pinches of Bacon salty goodness." But wait, there's also another version, called Fargginay's Bacon Gold Fragrance Spray, which is also designed to be worn and enjoyed by both women and men. This one is described as "a memorable sizzling citrus aroma with an ever so slight hint of bacon, and the fun is in finding it. This artisanal Gold formula is lovingly crafted with a pure essential oil blend of mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit, lemon, nutmeg, pimento berry, black pepper & a touch of sweet, a smidgen of savory, and one pinch of Bacon salty goodness." If the scent of frying bacon makes you or your beloved swoon, or if you want to catch the eye (or nose?) of a bacon-loving hottie, choose one (or both!) of these bacon-scented perfumes to make an unforgettable impression.

1. The Porky Pooper: Frankly, I'm at a loss for words about this truly bizarre and not exactly appetizing bacon product. But then again, if folks will spend big bucks to drink coffee brewed from beans pooped out by a civet cat, then why not offer an inexpensive toy pig that poops out bacon-flavored jelly beans??? Described by Bacon Freak as "Oinking good fun," this little pink plastic pig trots out "tasty treats" when you flick his tail (I'm guessing it's a male pig...). The Porky Pooper is perfect for any bacon-lover with a twisted sense of humor, and makes an amusing holiday stocking stuffer or any-occasion gag gift.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

Play the Crock Pot Game & Win FREE BBQ Rub!

It's the first of the month, which means it's time for our monthly Crock Pot Game on the Carolina Sauce Company Facebook page!

Grandma Gert is our trusty old crock pot (shown in the photo on the left), and she's feeling a little mischievous today so get ready for a challenge with today's game.


This month's prize is a bottle of Bone Suckin' Hot Seasoning & Rub, from the makers of Bone Suckin' Sauce, one of the most popular barbecue sauces from North Carolina. Don't be intimidated by the name: This all-natural, savory-sweet BBQ dry rub and seasoning is only a little bit spicy (more peppery than hot) and won't burn your tongue. And it adds finger-lickin' good flavor to ribs, pork butt (shoulder), steaks, hamburgers, chicken, shrimp, veggies, and even shrimp.


Here's how to play the April Crock Pot Game:

*Go to the Carolina Sauce Facebook page (make sure to "Like" us if you're not already a fan, and add us to your news feed) to find TODAY'S wall post announcing the April Crock Pot Game, then leave a comment with your guess as to what Grandma Gert has up her sleeve (or in her pot, to be more specific).

*Entries will close at 11pm EDT today, and sometime after that we'll randomly choose a winner from ALL the folks who commented (it might be as late as midnight, so please bear with us). You don't have to guess correctly to have a chance at winning; you merely need to leave a comment with your best guess--but if anyone guesses correctly, we'll definitely point that out in a comment and we'll be impressed!

To help you guess, here are three clues:

(1)  This is a photo of what's in Grandma Gert:

(2)  The prize is NOT related to the answer.

(3)  Think outside the crock pot (so to speak) and check your calendar.

Good luck, thanks for playing, and make sure to check the Carolina Sauce Facebook page after 11 pm to see if you've won a FREE bottle of Bone Suckin' Hot Rib Rub!

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS:  We'll play a new Crock Pot Game on the 1st of each month, so be on the lookout for the next game on May 1st.

All Smiles at Lumpy's Ice Cream Grand Opening

Lumpy & me

Lumpy's Ice Cream is a North Carolina original, made with wholesome, all-natural ingredients including local hormone-free milk & cream, and featuring popular classics like chocolate and vanilla plus inspired flavor combinations (think Bourbon & Bacon or Banana Walnut) with whimsical names like Bohemian Banana and Wired Hippie.

After years of selling at the NC farmer's market, the state fair, and at numerous festivals & events around NC, Lumpy's recently opened their own ice cream shop in Wake Forest, NC.  Greg and I attended their Grand Opening on Saturday and had a grand time enjoying their fabulous ice cream and chatting with Lumpy and his hard-working gang. Despite the rain, their shop was packed with folks of all ages cheerfully indulging in single and double "lumps" (scoops) of ice cream served in cups, sugar cones, waffle cones, brownie sundaes and milkshakes.

Although my favorite flavor is their Bourbon & Bacon ice cream which I first had at last year's NC State Fair (you can read about it here), I opted for two other flavors in my double-lump waffle cone: Montezuma's Mexican Chocolate and Wired Hippie.

Bacon & Bourbon ice cream

The Mexican Chocolate was a velvety, sweet chocolate generously spiced with cinnamon and just enough pepper (I'm guessing cayenne) for a zippy, piquant finish, reminiscent of creamy-peppery Mexican hot chocolate. The Wired Hippie featured mellow coffee ice cream with nutty, chocolate-y trail mix blended into it, for an experience I'd describe as eating a crunchy frozen cappuccino. Both ice creams had a silky smooth mouthfeel and were less solidly frozen than typical hand-scooped ice cream. The softer consistency allowed the ice cream to yield readily to every lick of my tongue, letting the flavors develop on my palate without freezing my taste buds. And because there are no artificial ingredients, both ice creams were lighter in color than mass-produced commercial brands, sporting appealingly gentle shades of taupe and tan. The waffle cone itself was a pleasant surprise in that it recently come off the waffle iron and was still fragrant and warm to the touch, with just the right toothsome crunchiness, making my waffle cone ice cream experience a delight to all my senses.

Greg opted for a lump each of Butter Pecan and Cookies & Cream, and between bites he declared both flavors outstanding. That was all I could get him to say, as he was singularly focused on his ice cream. In fact, we were both so busy devouring our treats that we forgot to take photos of them. However, Lumpy was kind enough to open his frozen treasure chests so that I could take a couple of quick pics of his collection of ice cream jewels:

By the time we finished our ice cream, the joint was really hopping and folks were waiting for tables so we decided to say our good-byes. As we were getting ready to leave, however, there was a bit of a commotion at the front and we were shocked to see that Lumpy was being cuffed by a police officer who had come in to sample Lumpy's ice cream! Upon tasting the goods, the officer apparently had concluded that Lumpy's Ice Cream was simply too good to be legal.

Lumpy's Ice Cream: Too good to be legal?

Luckily for Lumpy, the good officer relented to pleas from the crowd and released Lumpy, much to everyone's relief (including mine, as I was getting worried that I might have to use my rusty lawyering skills to come to Lumpy's defense).

Lumpy's slogan: "A scoop away from a smile"

If you ever find yourself in Wake Forest or within driving distance, make sure to stop at Lumpy's Ice Cream for some of the best ice cream you'll ever have the pleasure of experiencing.  As their slogan boasts, you're just a scoop away from a smile--or a lump away, to use their term for a scoop. And don't worry, it's perfectly legal to indulge as much as you want in this decadent treat, even with flavors like Rum Raisin, Bourbon-Bacon, and Whisky & Clover.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria

PS: Although the Carolina Sauce Company isn't able to ship you some Lumpy's Ice Cream, we can send you other popular North Carolina products including Bone Suckin' Sauce (all four BBQ Sauce varieties plus other tasty Bone Suckin' products), Johnston County country ham (cured the old-fashioned way), and Scott's Barbecue Sauce (authentic Eastern NC vinegar BBQ Sauce). Visit our NC Products page to browse through our selection of genuine North Carolina barbecue sauces, spicy hot sauces, mouthwatering bacon and more.

PPS:  Just to be clear, none of Lumpy's ice cream folks (including Lumpy himself) were actually arrested or cuffed or injured in any way during the Grand Opening, and all was done in fun.