This past weekend, I went to a magical place called Pig Island.   As if in a dream, I was surrounded by chefs doing what they do best – creating culinary delights that tantalized the palate.  But these weren’t just any creations – they were all centered around one of my favorite meats (besides duck) – PIG.  Pulled pork, pork and beans, sliders, and bacon….oh, the bacon.  There were will be no words that I can write that will adequately describe the droolworthy nature of that day – so I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves.  Intrigued?  Please, read on…

80 Pigs + 20 Chefs = NoshGirl’s dream come true.

The smoky aroma of pig done well permeated the air –

Samples galore –

Booths upon booths manned by experts on all things porcine –

A pig head or two….

Some good ole’ pork & beans greeted me:

Just take a look at that luscious pork fat – oh yes, it was devoured!

We had pulled pork in fresh made tortillas –

And one of my personal favorites – some may find it polarizing, but I just call it heaven on a fork.  How can you go wrong with such thick-cut bacon – just look at it!

Dipped in chocolate – sweet and salty, my favorite combo.  Bacon + chocolate = taste EXPLOSION (in a good way). Amazingness.

There were sliders galore:

And an oh-so-refreshing pork on a fresh made corn tortilla with a onion and fruit slaw – loved this one!

Not to be outdone, I encountered and subsequently devoured a bratwurst patty with melted swiss, onions pickles and mustard on rye. The mustard did the trick. Deeelish.

Every dish was my favorite until I got this one. My FAVORITE favorite.  Bacon cookie. Oh yes.  I wanted 20 of these. I settled for 2.

Cookie, meet Blondie. Blondie, cookie.  Bacon blondie was also amazing.  Could have gone for 20 of these as well. Sadly, again, settled for 2.

Back to the savories – in the case pork adorned with a sweet maple banana sauce and plantain:

More pork fat – OH YES.  This time accompanied with a rich pate and pickled vegetables.

But wait, did you say there would be pork at this event?  Mmmmmm….

Thick-cut bacon, cheese, cracklins….. so many things RIGHT with this dish:

This soft, white, pillowy bread reminded me of Peking Duck buns – what would make that better? Ah yes, the addition of pig.

The guys at Dinosaur BBQ did their thing:

Which resulted in a pulled pork slider with sweet & sour slaw for me! Yessssss….

A little wave and shaka from Terry French, and I wrapped up what was a thoroughly delicious and gut-busting event.

Stuffing yourself silly might not be the first go-to thought on a sweltering summer day, but if it is, let me know – I think we’ll be good pals.

Which one of the above dishes would you most like to try?