In Praise of Porksgiving
Sure, it’s turkey’s time to shine, but don’t discount the other white meat. We’re hog wild for these new porcine treats, each of which deserves a spot on your Thanksgiving table.
Cure All
Do more than just bring home the bacon—bring on the ultra-savory bacon jam, fat-rimmed pancetta and hickory-smoked sausage, too.
Blackberry Farm Bacon Jam. Cooked with Tennessee whiskey, the bacon in this jam takes on an extra-smoky flavor and will add an umami punch to any leftover turkey sandwich. $16 for 8 oz.; blackberryfarmshop.com.
Salume Beddu Pancetta. Bolster ho-hum kale salad with hunks of this cured pork belly, seasoned with warming spices like nutmeg and cinnamon, from beloved St. Louis butchers. From $59; goldbely.com.
Big Fork Bacon Sausage. Smoked over hickory and applewood, this breakfast meats mash-up will be the star of your stuffing. $12 for 12 oz.; baconfreak.com.
Mangalitsa by Møsefund Hickory Smoked Bacon. This New Jersey farm’s plump Hungarian breed is a favorite among chefs. The thick-sliced bacon is an inspired companion to roasted root vegetables. $16 for 12 oz.; mangalitsa.com.
Olli Salumeria Pre-Sliced Toscano. Give your cheeseboard some fat-marbled luxury with aromatic wild-fennel-inflected Italian salumi. $5 for 4 oz.; olli.com.
Fat Chance
After tasting jar upon jar of artisanal lard (there’s quite a renaissance happening right now), we found two worth their weight in gold.
Fatworks Leaf Lard. Achieve flaky piecrust perfection with this delicate, neutral-flavored lard from pasture-raised pigs. $17.50 for 14 oz.; fatworks foods.com.
Epic Pork Lard. Berkshire pork fat is rendered slowly in large kettles to create this superclean-tasting oil with a high smoke point, perfect for frying or just slathering on turkey skin. $9 for 11 oz.; epicbar.com.
Snack Attack
To keep you going until the main event, we suggest nibbling on these salty-sweet, bacon-fueled bits.
Black Pig Meat Co. Rodeo Jax Bacon Caramel Popcorn. You know popcorn is a brain food, right? Add some grease to those gears with these perfectly popped kernels coated in porky goodness. $24 for three 5-oz. bags; blackpigmeatco.com.
Nosh This Bacon Crack. Founder Kai Kronfield combines his two loves—chocolate and bacon—in this Guittard chocolate–coated toffee nugget filled with applewood-smoked bacon. Yep. $15 for 4 pieces; noshthis.com.