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Pork roll question

16 years ago

We sat down to lunch today and my DH fried some pork roll for us. As we were eating he asked Is Pork Roll a local treat or does everybody eat pork roll. I know it used to be made in Trenton NJ so my question is Does everybody enjoy pork roll or is it one of those local treats?

Joann

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Comments (14)

ruthanna_gw
16 years ago
Here in the Allentown PA area, about the only place we see pork roll sandwiches is on the menu of some of the traditional diners.

It is much too salty for my taste and I don't like the texture so I haven't had one for decades.
lindac
16 years ago
No it's local....and those of us who grew up in Taylor's Pork Roll country but moved west miss it a lot!!
Linda C
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I agree, the pork steaks have more fat marbling which yields a moister and more tender piece of pork. As LindaC and others noted, today's pork chops are from much leaner pigs, and so overcooking will yield you a tasteless, dry and tough piece of shoe leather that doesn't resemble a pork chop at all in either flavor or consistency. I don't like rare pork, so mine gets cooked all the way through but I'd far rather have a pork steak or pork roast than a chop. Heck, I don't even have Carl cut chops when I have a pig butchered because neither of the girls ever liked them either. And, as Rita noted, they are mostly full of "flavor enhancers" which are really only salt and water, so if you're watching your salt intake it's gonna jack that up there. I do brine loins in apple cider based brine and it adds a nice flavor but it also adds even more salt. Cook them for a much shorter time and they'll be better but they won't ever taste like a pork chop "used to". It's a different variety of animal altogether nowadays, nearly all commercial pork is from Yorkshire or Hampshire hogs, long and lean animals with good feed conversion rates. You can still get "heritage breeds" from local farmers, and you'll get the flavor and texture you used to get, but the small scale raising of hogs is expensive and labor intensive so it'll cost you more and the meat will be fattier than most people have come to expect. Annie
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caliloo
16 years ago
Definitely a local thing - I tried it once and that was enough for me. I'm with Ruthanna - too salty and odd texture to me too.

Alexa
bri29
16 years ago
Must be a local thing, because I've never even heard of it! :)
coconut_nj
16 years ago
Yup, local to us. I won't eat Taylor's though, too salty. We only like Case's. Get it right from their factory in Trenton. I like the texture better too although the fresh porkroll is the best. I can only find that at the Trenton Farmers Market and a market in Allentown NJ.
goldgirl
16 years ago
My Jersey-bred husband still tells the story of when he moved to Maryland and asked for Taylor ham, egg and cheese on a hard roll in a restaurant and got Canadian bacon. They had no idea what he was talking about. Fortunately, we're back in Jersey with real diners and pork roll. I don't eat the stuff though.

It was a tradeoff, however, because I can't find good Maryland-style crabs anywhere :(

Sue
lindac
16 years ago
Don't know where in new Jersey you are....but they have great blue crab in south Jersey along Barnegat bay.
I like taylor ham on a hard roll with lettuce onion tomato and cheese!
ghoghunter
Original Author
16 years ago
Lindac --I'm not in NJ I live right across the river from Trenton in Levittown PA. I am amazed at all the other Pork Roll fans! It is one of my guilty pleasures for sure. I can add it onto the other list of guilty pleasure like Scrapple! That I know is local PA Dutch but I didn't realize the Pork roll wasn't a National food!
Thanks for all the responses!!!
diane_nj 6b/7a
16 years ago
I would say Jersey and eastern PA local. I'm in east central NJ, Case is hard to find, but the store brand isn't bad. Now, I have to go to Acme to get my scrapple fix until I can get home to Philly and Reading Terminal Market!
Rusty
16 years ago
Would someone please describe just what a 'pork roll' is?

Just for those of us out here in the sticks that have never heard of it.

Thanks

Rusty
lindac
16 years ago
Taylor Pork Roll is classy and expensive Spam...in a loaf...or a chub rather than a can....and it tastes lots better!!!
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ghoghunter
Original Author
16 years ago
Here's a whole spiel on it from Wikipedia!

Here is a link that might be useful: The Secret of Pork Roll
becky_ca
16 years ago
No pork roll in California - the only time I ever had it was at a B & B in Lancaster County in PA. I think the owners were originally from NJ, and they were very proud to serve it to us for breakfast. Tasted like Spam to me... LOL.

Becky
JoanM
16 years ago
I had no idea what you were all talking about until I saw the words Taylor Ham. My Dad loved that stuff. We never called it pork roll though.

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