Porktastic nation spreads far and wide and includes citizens who may not know it by name, but certainly know their way around. Like a friend who recently raved on Facebook about a recipe for Hollywood Pork Chops. Before you start freaking out that because they’re named “Hollywood” they must be flashy and over the top and way too complicated just pause, take a deep breath, and digest the fact that this no fuss recipe from fellow blogger (and we can only assume fellow Porktastic citizen) Fast Fabulous Foodie has only 3 ingredients: pork chops, sauerkraut, and sour cream.

Hollywood Pork Chops

Ingredients

Boneless Pork Chops

Sauerkraut, well-drained

Sour Cream, room-temperature

Hungarian Paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brown chops in a little oil, about 3-4 minutes per side. Salt and pepper them and place them on a baking or cookie sheet. Top each chop with a heap of sauerkraut and then blob on a lot of sour cream, at least 1/4 cup of each – more is better. Spread sour cream to pretty much cover the kraut and then sprinkle with lots of Hungarian paprika. Bake 20 minutes end enjoy your trip to the Hills!

The world’s best athletes have descended and everyone from Bermuda to Uzbekistan is glued to their TV to watch them compete in sports that we only hear about every four years. That’s right my fellow Porktasticans, the Winter Olympics are upon us. Since we’ve never been Olympians ourselves, we don’t know for sure, but we have a hunch that eating pork is an important part of the training program.

We’re sure that if you asked every gold medalist what they ate, they would say pork. Now we haven’t scientifically proven it, but we strongly hypothesize that it’s true. Pork is loaded with many essential nutrients like protein for muscle health, B-vitamins for energy and important minerals like phosphorus, potassium, zinc and iron.

Protein is a basic building block of all life that helps repair injuries and promotes healing and, honestly, have you seen some of the injuries these Olympians have come back from? B-Vitamins, like the ones found in pork, unleash the energy in the food you eat. If you get tired running from the fridge to the couch, you can only imagine the energy Olympic athletes need to do backflips on skis. Eating just one 3-ounce serving of pork (a portion about the size of a deck of cards) gives you almost 50% of the protein and 1/3 of the B-12 most adults need to consume each day.

So whether you’re training for the Olympics or just watching them, pork helps get you to the top of your game.

Today is a very important holiday, that’s right it’s the Chinese New Year! Bet you were thinking Valentine’s Day, but no worries, this post is all about love – of pork of course. This time of new beginnings and fresh starts is celebrated by the Chinese and pork lovers all over the world.

Why are pork lovers celebrating? Because China is the place where pigs were first domesticated of course! Around 4000 B.C. the emperor of China made a royal decree ordering the Chinese people to raise and breed hogs. We owe him so much. The ancient Chinese loved pork with a passion that could rival our own. They hated to be separated from fresh pork so much that when they died, they were sometimes accompanied to the grave with their pigs. This Porktastic infatuation hasn’t gone away, and today China is the #1 producer and consumer of fresh pork in the world.

So get the whole family together to commemorate our pork-loving friends with Chinese Pork Dumplings and Chinese-Style Spareribs, two dishes full of Asian flavors and of course pork. Don’t forget the fortune cookies!

Sunday night is the Big Game, the grandaddy of them all, the Super Bowl. But while everyone will be watching to see if the Saints will be victorious in their first Bowl appearance, we at Porktastic will be focused on the Super Bowl of Food. This tasty competition has been going on at the U.S. Senate cafeteria’s American Grill, where, for the past couple weeks, restaurant goers have been getting a taste of what each team is made of – literally. Working with staff from New Orleans and Indiana, they cooked up sandwiches based on hometown favorites.

So who are the star players competing in this Porktastic display of culinary excellence? Representing New Orleans and the Bayou we have the Shrimp Po’boy. And for Indianapolis and the Heartland, our personal favorite, the Pork Tenderloin Sandwich.

It just so happens that the Hoosier State’s 3,000 hog farmers marketed more than 8 million pigs last year, making Indiana the 5th largest producer of pork in the US. With stats like these, we think this deep-fried delicacy is a Porktastically perfect way to represent the team and the town. And since the Colt’s are so well-fed, our money is on them to win it all. Go Colts!

All we have to say about this….FORK MORE PORK and you might find you’re steamin’ up more than just pork ribs.

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina’s president recommended pork as an alternative to Viagra Wednesday, saying she spent a satisfying weekend with her husband after eating barbecued pork.

“I’ve just been told something I didn’t know; that eating pork improves your sex life … I’d say it’s a lot nicer to eat a bit of grilled pork than take Viagra,” President Cristina Fernandez said to leaders of the pig farming industry.

She said she recently ate pork and “things went very well that weekend, so it could well be true.”

Argentines are the world’s biggest per capita consumers of beef, but the government has sought to promote pork as an alternative in recent years due to rising steak prices and as a way to diversify the meat industry.

“Trying it doesn’t cost anything, so let’s give it a go,” Fernandez said in the televised speech.

President Cristina Fernandez

At Porktastic we’re usually so consumed with our favorite form of sustenance that we often fall behind on what’s hip and now. So when we took a giant leap for Porktastic kind and checked out The Food Channel’s Top Ten Food Trends for 2010 we were shocked and pretty proud to find out that we were already doing them all!

1.  Keeping It Real

Scientists may be making meat in test tubes, but around here we’re all about the real thing. Recipes like Pepper Pork Chops turn simple everyday ingredients into delicious homemade meals in minutes.

2.  Experimentation Nation

It’s all about trying new things and what’s more Porktastic than that? In the past eight months we’ve introduced you to new ways to have your pork on the go, bacon gumballs and jelly beans, and the Porktastic Nine. If you haven’t tried all of these yet, what are you waiting for? Get out there and experiment!

3.  More in Store

Porktastic is when every grocery store has every ingredient you need, for every recipe, right where you expect it to be. And what about those recipes that call for special cuts of meat no one knows? What is a paillard anyway? Well many grocery stores are bringing back the butcher who can help put these meat mysteries to rest and package pork to your exact specifications.

4.  American, the New Ethnic

You’ve always heard that America is one big melting pot of cultures, well now so is our food! We’re taking food ideas, flavors, and techniques and combining them to make something that is totally American like this Crispy Oriental Pizza.

5.  Food Vetting

In case you haven’t noticed, more people are getting their food from the grocery store and less are growing it themselves. This has led to wanting to know where your food comes from, which contrary to popular belief, isn’t just from the grocery store. Pork today is safer and healthier than ever. Thanks to new technologies farmers can raise pigs indoors, protecting them from disease spread by birds, rodents and bugs. The barns provide a stable environment so the animals don’t have to deal with weather extremes – would you want to stand outside during snow storms, scorching heat or thunder storms? Didn’t think so. Pigs are also getting more individual attention and diets designed for the highest level of nutrition at each stage of their life on farms that are owned and operated by families. With all these improvements, today’s pig farms may not look like Old MacDonald’s, but they are making it possible for you to enjoy food that is among the safest in the world.

6.  Mainstreaming Sustainability

Sustainability is the buzzword of the year, but farmers have been focusing on sustainability from day one. They grow the crops that feed the pigs that make the poop that feed the crops – it’s all a big cycle. A healthy environment is key for productive land to grow the crops that feed the pigs that feed us. Why would farmers want to mess that up when they’re living on the same land and eating the same food?

7.  Food With Benefits

I don’t know a food that has more benefits than pork! Six of the most common cuts of pork are 16% leaner and have 27% less fat than they did 20 years ago. And ounce for ounce, pork tenderloin is just as lean as skinless chicken breast. Pork is also full of protein and a great source of B-vitamins, phosphorus, zinc and potassium. In fact, cutting calories but including more protein (like six delicious ounces of lean pork a day) let you keep more muscle mass than just cutting calories alone. Plus higher-protein diets also help you feel fuller after meals so you’re not raiding the cupboard for sweets an hour later. Seems pretty beneficial to me.

8.  I Want My Umami

Umami is that elusive fifth basic taste that makes our food delicious. Ok, so I still don’t get what it is, but this trend is basically mixing flavors and putting formal and relaxed together. And what is the king of this trend? Bacon! This meat candy has made its way into actual candy and desserts, like bacon baklava at Brown Hotel in Louisville, bacon flavored cupcakes in Chi-Town, bacon chocolate crunch bars in LA, and bacon brittle in NYC. We always knew bacon was special, it just took the rest of the world a little while to catch up.

9.  Will Trade for Food

In a time where money is tight, people have brought back the ways of the early days of the old frontier. That’s right my friends bartering. People are using websites like Craig’s List to trade and sell everything, even pork. You heard right, pork. In fact, we just came across a Craig’s List ad where a guy was willing to trade a big ol’ hog roast shindig for a covered trailer. Hog farmers are taking the same cue and are looking to international trade as another market to sell their product. I guess you could say it’s working pretty well, since trade is one of the biggest things that has helped keep the industry alive amid all its economic hardships.

10.  I, Me, Mine

It’s all about you. What you want – the size, the flavors, the ingredients. With pork it’s amazingly easy to get what you want. Pork goes well with most flavors so it can be a part of practically any dish and can be substituted into your favorite beef and chicken dishes almost seamlessly. The possibilities are bordering on endless.

As if being mouth wateringly delicious and one of the leanest cuts in the meatcase wasn’t enough, we find out that pork tenderloin is bargain priced too! We have just received word that there are a limited number of $1.50 OFF PORK TENDERLOIN coupons at www.ohiopork.org! But wait! There’s more! They’re even throwing in free recipe booklets full of healthy dishes that are sure to tickle your taste buds!

Don’t worry about sending in 3 easy payments of $0.4999 – all you have to do is head over to www.ohiopork.org and the Porktastically awesome Ohio hog farmers will send you your very own coupon and recipe booklet for free! It really is that simple.

So don’t delay – get your pork tenderloin coupon and recipe booklet today!

It’s a New Year and therefore time for new goals.  This year we decided the new goal is to shed those few extra pounds we have been carrying around.  With swimsuit season a few months away, now is not the time to be adding that winter insulation!  So we developed a few plans of action:

Plan #1: Bought a yoga ball to encourage exercise.

Result: Almost took out both the television and the dog.  The yoga ball now stays safely in the closet so that no one else gets hurt.  We figure this is for the good of all humanity.

Plan #2: Went to get hypnosis for weight loss

Result: Not sure if it’s working correctly.  Every time someone snaps their fingers we find ourselves thinking we’re conducting an orchestra to the tune “Old McDonald”.  This has created a few awkward situations in the workplace.

Plan #3: Eat More Pork

Result: Working great!  We discovered that the pork tenderloin is just as lean as a skinless chicken breast and only has 2.98 grams of fat per 3 ounce serving.  Also, research shows a diet rich in lean protein helps dieters feel full, which may lead to eating fewer excess calories.

Ergo, this has inspired our Porktastic Nine Number 3. With only 151 calories, it’s sure to be a winner (and hopefully help us become a loser)!

Southwest Grilled Pork Tenderloin

2 whole pork tenderloins (11/2 pounds total)

5 teaspoons chili powder

11/2 teaspoons oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Cooking Directions

In small bowl, mix all ingredients except pork. Rub mixture over all surfaces of the tenderloins. Cover and refrigerate 2-24 hours. Grill over medium-hot fire, turning occasionally, for 15-20 minutes, until meat thermometer inserted reads 160 degrees F. Let tenderloin stand 5 minutes before slicing. Slice to serve. Serves 6.

Enjoy!

Go ahead and indulge in the king of breakfast, the sultan of brunch, and the czar of porktastic mornings.  Just be careful if you are enjoying your pork like this!

“I enjoy having breakfast in bed. I like waking up to the smell of bacon, sue me. And since I don’t have a butler, I have to do it myself. So, most nights before I go to bed, I will lay six strips of bacon out on my George Foreman grill. Then I go to sleep. When I wake up, I plug in the grill. I go back to sleep again. Then I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. It is delicious, it’s good for me, it’s the perfect way to start the day.”

- Michael Scott – The Office

In our never-ending search for the good, the bad and the ugly in the world of pork, we came across the story of a Sacramento mom, her two sons and one lone pork chop.

According to our sources (and they’re pretty reliable), one mom got so upset when her teen sons ate the last delicious pork chop that she grabbed a knife and chased them out of the house. While we certainly understand her frustration at being deprived of the chop’s succulent meaty goodness, we can’t help but point out that she didn’t exactly handle herself in a Porktastic way.

In an effort to make sure that families never again get torn apart by something so wonderful, we have decided to share our secret to keeping everyone happy at the dinner table.

Drumroll please.

Always make extra pork.

Try a Porktastic Nine recipe and make a little extra.   Since pork is just as great the second time, you get the added bonus of eating pork twice!