Varmint

Yes. It does sound as though the "alliances" had been formed -- which, as we all know -- is so critical to these "survivor" experiences. But I guess no one got voted off, did they?? Jaymes: No one needed to get "voted" off. We'd all just wander off from time to time and collapse whimpering in the corners and pass out. Then we'd wake up from see-sawing on our bloated little bellies! Katie, if I correctly recall that scene of you in the corner of the living room, propped against the air mattress, you were the only one to "pass out." Correct??????

Of course you didn't, elyse; you're too much of a lady!!!

i've already got dibs on this one, so don't even think about taking it. tommy, it's you. Damn, we knew you were a pussy, but a dick head, too???

Russ, I'm a bit brain dead after a weekend pig pickin', so I thought I'd throw this semi-whimsical question your way: What do you think Arnold Schwarzenegger entering office will do for the California agricultural and restaurant industries?

Sounds great, and a nice antidote to porcine excess. I don't know about the other stuff, but I recognize the garlic -- that nice hard-neck stuff from the farmer's market? -- and basil from G's hangar steak app? I still have one hanger steak left. I made up two steak salads for lunch yesterday. My law partner who provided one keg of beer helped me take the kegs back. I had some romaine, some carrots, some 3 year Canadian Cheddar and then whipped up a nice vinagrette with 12 year old balsamic, basil, garlic, and some of Jim Dixon's olive oil. Salt and pepper was all that was needed to have a most incredible lunch. Thanks again for leaving those, g-man!

I sauteed it in butter, shallots, garlic, capers, parsley, basil and white wine served over angel hair last night. It was still tasty, but past its prime. The sauce was incredible.

You'll get some fine hospitality, Al Dente, but, Suzanne, don't make me choose!!! Remember, 3 Heartlanders made it down and only 1 New Yorker (although =Mark from Jersey also came). Not that numbers mean anything!?

I also want to bring up again the type of pork we were eating. Much of this information comes from a March 12, 2003 article in the Raleigh News and Observer, written by Susan Houston. Ms. Houston led me to the Niman Ranch pig farmer, from whom I purchased the pig. A professor from North Carolina A&T in Greensboro wanted to help small farmers of North Carolina, particularly those who had lost their tobacco allotments. Using money from the Golden Leaf settlement and inspired by an article in Ed Behr's "The Art of Eating", this professor, Chuck Talbott, contacted a Niman Ranch official and initiated a pilot program for farmers to raise Niman Ranch hogs. In the 90s, NC pig farmers were receiving 10 cents a pound for their hogs. This means that I would have had to pay $20 for the 200 pound pig used in the pig pickin'. Niman Ranch, on the other hand, pays at least 40 cents a pound. Mr. Wade Cole lives in rural North Carolina and had been raising soybeans, corn and other produce after he stopped growing tobacco. He previously raised hogs, but got out of that business when the market bottomed out. He received 12 Niman Ranch sows and 2 boars. He has plenty more, now. These animals are free range, fed a Niman Ranch-prescribed diet, and are treated humanely (they get to keep their tails)! Up until last week, Wade Cole had never had the chance to eat one of these pigs. His first chance came several days before I picked up our pig. Ed Mitchell, the famed barbecue master of Wilson, North Carolina, had cooked up one of Mr. Cole's pigs. Mr. Mitchell's reputation is national, having been featured in an episode of Tony Bourdain's Food Network show as well as a thread on this site: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?act=ST...710&hl=mitchell. When finalizing the logistics of picking up the pig, Mr. Cole started getting a bit inquisitive regarding how I was going to cook it. He asked when I was going to start it and when I expected it to be done. There was then silence at his end of the line, followed, by a quiet, halting question: "Would you mind if I came to your pig pickin'." Of course, I told him I'd be honored for him to come. Well, he arrived with his lovely lady Margaret early enough sample a rib. Then some unseasoned pork. He nibbled on the tail. He then sampled the chopped pork. Then some crunchy skin ("pork brittle"). Finally, he tried some chopped pork with cracklins and skin mixed in, along with the sauce. He walked away grinning ear to ear. About half an hour later, after my frantic chopping had slowed down, he came back to chat with me. He said, "Dean, I've eaten a lot of pig in my life. I had one of my pigs cooked by Ed Mitchell himself. But I've never had any barbecue taste nearly as good as this, and I thank you for letting me come today." The man's eyes were almost filled with tears, and mine are certainly that way just thinking about that moment. There are a lot of great people in this world, and I am proud to have met and to have fed as decent a man as Mr. Wade Cole.

Just make sure you brine that sucker, too!

After rubbing up against everyone at every pass, those of us that weren't already "friendly" were practically family Thanks, Katie. I couldn't figure out a way to say that, but you got it perfectly. And y'all know how we treat family down here in the South!!!

I told everyone well in advance how crappy my kitchen was. How maze-like it is. How impossible it might be to have more than a couple people working in it. As it turned out, everyone exploited the one positive aspect of this kitchen: the counter space. I have a butt load of counter space, and it was fully utilized. Other than that, the kitchen still sucks. The quality and quantity of food put out by that kitchen astounded me. I think we should just open a restaurant with that kitchen. What do y'all think??

You didn't miss much. Maggie did know the words to the one Spike Jones cover song. Next year Dean is taking me to the airport. You mean the other Dean? My kids were terribly tormented by their being 2 Deans this weekend. I'll take you to the airport, all right. You'll get Weird Al.

TMBG rocks. The L'il Varmints love 'em, and we have called Dial a Song from time to time. I did get to sing a bit with Dave and was quite impressed. I will say that I have absolutely no voice today, and I blame that on 3 things: Too much pecan smoke ingested, the cold that won't go away, and singing the "Woo hoos" to Mummer's rendition of Sympathy for the Devil. Man, I had to squeeze my privates very hard to hit those notes.

Tee hee. That sums it all up. Believe it or not, I'm actually getting nostalgic already!

Marlene: Anything that tasted incredibly awesome this weekend was labeled as "not sucking." Your butter squares definitely didn't suck.

Tee hee, that's the son of one of my law partners. I've forwarded this photo to every attorney in the firm.

That's HungryChris and madams77 from Connecticut. They brought the Two Buck Chuck (which I never got around to sample ). The reporter is Susan Houston from the Raleigh News & Observer. I think she was sweet on =Mark.

Man, I didn't get to keep any.

That's very kind, Jaymes. I will say that when I fed my children some leftover chicken, one responded, "Daddy, do we have to eat meat with every meal???" Anyhow, it was a very fun but very tiring event. I'm not sure that I'll have the energy to do it again, however. I think I'd need a major corporate sponsor to underwrite it, too!!! Yeah, it was a lot more expensive than I anticipated, but it was worth it. I and my family will have very fond memories for years to come. Now if someone else wants to host it and get everything ready, I'll be happy to cook their pig!!!! I and others have sung her praises a number of times, but it bears repeating: Cella is an absolutely amazing woman. Here's a woman who doesn't eat red meat, she doesn't care for large parties or making small talk, and she has 4 little children to take care of. Not once did she complain. Not once did she nag. She supported this effort wholeheartedly, and I can't thank her enough. All this after forcing her to eat 3 times as much as she's used to in New York. I'm a lucky man. Some other thanks, and I'm sure I'll forget some: Wade Cole and Dallas Merritt for providing the most excellent pork. Dave the Cook for his VD Stew, mastery of the kitchen, and supplier of tons of cool stuff (including purchasing even more food). Heather and Scott Shorter for the supply of a nearly endless supply of paperware, sodas, and cool music. Extra kudows to Scott for watching the pit. =Mark and his bro Rich for being excellent firemasters and providing some great side dishes. Maggiethecat for her total support and assistance throughout the weekend. Malawry for the hush puppies, the jams, the slaw, the banana pudding, and for being a great egg. Edemuth for ditching her real family to provide tons of support in the kitchen. Aurora for her potato peeling, general prep work, and stories of talking grills. Guajalote for his pickles (including pickled heirloom okra), his steak and candied tomato dish, and for playing with my kids (that goes to a lot of other people, too!!!). KatieLoeb for the limoncello and other great concoctions. Mummer for his musical talent and wit. Marlene and Don for the butter squares and the beer! Al Dente for watching the pig and Dueling Banjos. Jaymes for the hotel booking. And thanks to everyone else who came from so far, who brought food and drink, and, last, but not least, to the Academy. I am humbled.

She's a family physician who also has a masters in public health. As a result, she's a public health physician who works for the county. You can just call her Cella.

The extended Varmint clan included 1 mother-in-law, 1 father-in-law, 2 sisters-in-law, 1 husband of sister-in-law, one former husband of sister-in-law, 1 boyfriend of sister-in-law, 1 nephew, 4 L'il Varmints, Mrs. Varmint's godmother, 1 godmother of L'il Varmint #3.

You mean you have dedicated your life to the perfect pig pickin? For shame. I have attained perfection. What more is there to do?

for some reason, i have this picture in my mind: 4:30 am. 4 or 5 drunk/stoned/full egulleteers sitting around on lawn chairs, with dueling banjos blasting out of the stereo, through the windows, on repeat for hours. It was earlier in the evening, but you're vision isn't too far off. Actually, it was quite funny how it was set up. Al Dente was waiting for me to come out of the house and had the CD player's remote in hand. As soon as I arrived at the table, the banjo playing started. The man is surprisingly quiet, but his sense of humor is priceless.

They weren't eGullet people yet, but one of them will soon be! They arrived with Pig Pickin' t-shirts and hats! They're from Skowhegan.

Jo, you'll have to do that commentary on the State Fair for me. I'm hoping our kids don't remember that the Fair is coming to town again. You'll find pictures of Al Dente posted above. He was indeed here on Saturday, lusting after Malawry's hush puppies. This was the day after he lusted after the raw pig. He's a lustful man, indeed, but a good man. And he did bring and play a CD with "Dueling Banjos" on it. I attempted a nice jig.