Taylor Pork roll

[Rail Paul]

My aunt recently relocated to the Vancouver WA area after living in NJ for most of her life. Although she enjoys the area, she greatly misses the Taylor pork roll she would often have in NJ. She used to buy it in three pound rolls

Does anyone know where (if?) that product is available in the Portland area, or, better, if there is a similar, local product? She's getting desperate, her cholesterol has dropped 20 points already.

(Taylor pork roll is a sausage, lightly spiced product, typically about six inches in diameter, and about 18 inches long. The generic name is Lebanon balogna, I believe. It's often sliced for use with grilled cheese sandwiches, or with eggs, etc. On an English muffin, it will usually extend slightly over the sides)

Thanks

[Sandra Levine]

Oh no, Paul -- Taylor Pork Roll is not Lebanon bologna. Both items are sui generis. The spicing of Taylor Pork Roll is aggressively salty and sweet. I seem to remember that it is usually, if not always, heated on a griddle before being placed in a hamburger bun. Lebanaon Bologna is a much more typical dry sausage.

Mail order Taylor Pork Roll

[Rail Paul]

Thanks, Sandy.

PorkRollXpress pricing is somewhat more reasonable than the service we used as a housewarming present. We paid about $150 for 10 pounds, IIRC.

I was hoping she could locate a source locally, but the product may not be available in the PNW

[Schielke]

You can get taylor pork roll at De Laurenti's (spelling) in Pike Place Market here in Seattle. A bit of a drive, but for pork roll...mmmmmmmmmm.

Ben

[Rail Paul]

You can get taylor pork roll at De Laurenti's (spelling) in Pike Place Market here in Seattle.  A bit of a drive, but for pork roll...mmmmmmmmmm.

Ben

merci, that means somebody must do wholesale in the PNW

she may do the drive, I think she's in extreme withdrawal

Anybody know of a local (Portland area) equivalent to a salty/sweet pork roll before she takes to I-5?

[Kim WB]

'taylor Porkroll is the definition of regional food!

I was on a segment of the Rosie show, two years ago. We wee to film a segment of the new Family fued, with Louid Anderson. It was Rosi'e team vs. our NJ chub club. The clue was______roll. Rosie's team took it: Swiss, hanburger, we were to steal the last place, we choose Pork. There was total silence in the audience. Rosie and her staff said "WHAT??" Us 4 central NJ girls could not believe that they had not heard of it. The entire segment was a bust, they never aired it.

2nd Pork Roll story: My first day at NYU, I graduated HS early, so I was not quite 17, away at college in NYC. Went to a deli in the mornign, ordered Pork Roll and Cheese..they had no idea..I clarified, Taylor Ham and Cheese..I got a boiled ham and cheese sandwich. Oh. Dorothy, I thought, we're not in kansas ( or the other side of the tunnel) anymore!

[tommy]

i don't know if i would have survived as many drunken nights, not to mention hungover mornings, if it had not been for pork roll egg and cheese sandwiches. whatever you do, find it. make it. eat it.

[Jim Dixon]

There's a sub shop/pizza joint called Legends on NW Kearny just east of 23rd (Portland) that used to carry Taylor pork roll (or was it Taylor ham? or are they the same thing? My wife is from NJ and has that same craving every so often).

I think they ship it directly, so there may not be wholesaler in town. And I don't think there's a local equivalent.

Jim

[201]

I always knew this product as Taylor Ham, but then again I never tried to buy it for my home. It was just the sort of thing I'd get on an egg and/or cheese sandwich, but never outside of that context. Apparently it's very difficult to find outside of Jersey, but it's not the sort of thing I'd really miss.

"My aunt used to buy pork rolls" just sounds indecent, no?

[tommy]

"pork roll" and "taylor ham" are interchangeable in these parts. i believe taylor is a company tat makes the product, and it would seem that they're not know for much else around here. kinda like kleenex is a generic term for tissue.

[Blue Heron]

So if I find this product at De Laurenti... my next question is, how do you make the sandwich? What type of cheese do you use? When you say egg, do you mean egg salad? Do you make it on a hamburger bun? How thick do you slice the pork roll, or do you use several slices? What condiments generally go on it? My curiosity is really piqued now, and it's a good excuse to go to De Laurenti at Pike Place Market, which I love going to anyway.

[Schielke]

My favorite thing to do was to cut a few slices off the roll and fry them up. (you need to make a few cuts perpinducular to the edges so they dont curl into a bowl shape)

I would then place the pork roll on a piece of bread and then top with some sharp cheddar cheese, some durkee's sandwich spread (worth discussing in another thread) and then another piece of bread. This was then toasted in the oven so the cheese was just starting to melt.

Drool...

Ben

[201]

So if I find this product at De Laurenti... my next question is, how do you make the sandwich?  What type of cheese do you use?  When you say egg, do you mean egg salad? Do you make it on a hamburger bun?  How thick do you slice the pork roll, or do you use several slices?  What condiments generally go on it?  My curiosity is really piqued now, and it's a good excuse to go to De Laurenti at Pike Place Market,  which I love going to anyway.

For the typical Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwich (again, I'm not an expert or even a huge fan, just an occasional consumer):

Standard round deli roll (poppy seeds optional)

Fried egg (1-2)

Taylor Ham slices (1-3 slices)

American cheese (1-2 slices)

Salt, pepper, and ketchup

Available pretty much anywhere they serve breakfast in Jersey. Personally, I NEVER get ketchup on mine because the idea of ketchup on eggs disgusts me, but they always seem to offer it as the standard presentation.

I also like to get a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato and Taylor Ham slices from time to time. More often I'll have tomato and bacon or plain cheese though.

When I was in high school they used to serve Taylor Ham sandwiches which were nothing more than a few slices of Taylor Ham on a hamburger bun. I never considered that to be the ideal presentation, but most kids seemed to love it.

[tommy]

So if I find this product at De Laurenti... my next question is, how do you make the sandwich?  What type of cheese do you use?  When you say egg, do you mean egg salad? Do you make it on a hamburger bun?  How thick do you slice the pork roll, or do you use several slices?  What condiments generally go on it?  My curiosity is really piqued now, and it's a good excuse to go to De Laurenti at Pike Place Market,  which I love going to anyway.

the taylor pork roll is pre-sliced. probably about 1/16". in a frying pan like bacon for a minute or 2 on each side (a little brown around the edges is a good thing).

american cheese. don't even think of getting fancy.

two over easy eggs, or lightly scrambled if you don't want to get messy.

on a hard roll with poppy seeds.

so people put ketchup on this sandwich (i don't like ketchup and eggs). i just put some fresh ground pepper on it. oh yeah baby.

[tommy]

hehehe. 201 and i just posted pretty much the same thing at the same time. clearly we grew up not far from each other.

i take exception to the salt though. the pork roll is salty enough for me. other than that, 201 is a genius. of course.

[201]

hehehe.  201 and i just posted pretty much the same thing at the same time. clearly we grew up not far from each other.

i take exception to the salt though.  the pork roll is salty enough for me.  other than that, 201 is a genius.  of course.

That was hilarious!!

[Rail Paul]

Standard round deli roll (poppy seeds optional)

Fried egg (1-2)

Taylor Ham slices (1-3 slices)

American cheese (1-2 slices)

Salt, pepper, and ketchup

A variation of this recipe uses a toasted english muffin, preferably by Thomas's, with all those nooks and crannies to hold the melted butter and cheese.

Thanks to everyone for their continuing suggestions. Pike Place Market is still a hike from the Vancouver / Portland area, so I'll send her over to Legends. Thanks, Jim!

[Jim Dixon]

Blue Heron,

At the risk of offending everybody in NJ and NY who grew up eating and loving Taylor ham, I have to say that it's pretty much just Spam dressed up and without the can.

My wife and the rest of the Jersey in-laws would go on and on about Taylor ham and how great it was, blah, blah, blah...so when I saw it at Legends (which used to be called something else, but I can't remember what...the owner's a body builder from Philly and does make a decent eggplant parm sandwich as well as a good meatball sub) I bought some and brought it home. Just like Spam, a sort of pressed roll of pork product, but without all that jellied stuff.

If you didn't grow up eating it, Taylor ham doesn't have too much appeal.

Jim

[tommy]

oh it doesn't taste like spam silly.

you're not my friend anymore.

[Jim Dixon]

You're right, tommy...Taylor doesn't have the S piced part of Spam...I was referring more to the 'chopped pork product' qualities.

And because the sellers out here ship it by FedEx or something, it costs quite a bit. I think I paid $14 for a roll or chub or chunk or whatever the terminology is...in Seattle, that would buy me a lot of salami at Salume, and even here in stumptown I can get imported mortadella.

Jim

ps...but I would still go to Jersey just for Corrado's Market in Paterson

[tommy]

You're right, tommy...Taylor doesn't have the S piced part of Spam...I was referring more to the 'chopped pork product' qualities.

from what i remember of spam, they don't taste very similar. the texture, also, is much different. i would hesitate to compare either of the products to hotdogs, although it's often a chopped pork product.

still not you friend,

tommy

[WHT]

At the risk of offending everybody in NJ and NY who grew up eating and loving Taylor ham, I have to say that it's pretty much just Spam dressed up and without the can.

That is like comparing unagi to whiting! Pork roll is more highly spiced, smoked and has a fine grain texture. Spam is bland, chunkier and is full of gelatin.

[tommy]

spam doesn't really taste all that much like pork roll. different texture. different flavor. different ingredients.

[=Mark]

For the typical Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese sandwich (again, I'm not an expert or even a huge fan, just an occasional consumer):

Standard round deli roll (poppy seeds optional)

Fried egg (1-2)

Taylor Ham slices (1-3 slices)

American cheese (1-2 slices)

Salt, pepper, and ketchup

Available pretty much anywhere they serve breakfast in Jersey.

I like a slice of raw onion on mine...

[TerrelK]

I remember Taylor Pork roll sandwiches from a little spot on the Atlantic City boardwalk. By the time we got them down to the beach they had a little sand in them (for fiber) and we washed them down with birch beer. Nothing since has ever been as great a lunch. (It was a woody, dark place with split log benches on the side.) Lebanon bologna & spam -- good grief!