On a recent trip to the Jersey Shore, I thought I had done my research, thanks to Snookie, Pauly D, the Situation, and friends, but I was caught unawares by the culinary popularity of one particular local specialty:  Pork Roll.

An article in a local magazine tipped me off to the treat.  I soon learned that a “jersey breakfast” is a breakfast sandwich of pork roll, egg and cheese.  Since the words “pork” and “breakfast” always go well together, it didn’t take much to convince me to try this exotic new food.

But it was lunchtime by that point.  So I headed to the boardwalk and ordered a porkroll sandwich.  I was asked whether I wanted “white” or “yellow” cheese with it (I chose white, assuming that involved fewer chemicals and less processing, but have no evidence for that theory).

The sandwich came on a non-descript white sandwich roll with four slices of grilled, circular meat, and a melted slice of said white cheese.  The meat reminded me of Oscar Mayer bologna in its thin, perfect circularity, but the meat itself, flecked with white bits throughout, more closely resembled Spam.

So cautiously, and slightly disdainfully, I took a bite.   The sandwich was delicious–like a souped up ham and cheese.  The meat was salty and flavorful and was perfectly balanced by the subtle melted warmth of the unidentifiable cheese.  I had to know more.

So I went to the local Stop and Shop.  There I discovered sliced pork roll in the sandwich meat section, packaged similarly to the other sandwich meats.   Then I went to the refrigerated section and found entire logs of pork roll, in various sizes—1, 1.5, and 3 pound logs about 4 inches in diameter, wrapped in muslin cloth and then sealed in plastic.

I picked up the 1 lb version and happily marched home.  Over dinner with several local New Jersey-ites that night, I learned more about this mysterious item.  Apparently, it’s referred to as “Taylor Ham” in North Jersey and “Pork Roll” in the South Jersey/Philly area.  My friends recalled eating it either pan-fried or grilled for breakfast, and on a sandwich of white bread and mayo for lunch.

The next morning, I took the locals advice, and pan fried some of the newly purchased roll.  I sliced each piece, scored the edges to prevent it from curling up, and dropped it in the sizzling pan.  In the meantime, we toasted the rolls with cheese (we used yellow American singles to re-create the authentic experience), scrambled some eggs, rested them gingerly on the other side of the bread, and placed the browned meat atop the sandwich.  After our first breakfast sandwiches, we each decided we needed a second one.  That was a mistake. We spent the rest of the day digesting on the beach.

After this anecdotal and experiential data, I was curious to find out how this product came to be.  I learned that the meat, perhaps based on an earlier product called “packed minced ham,” was first introduced by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey in the 1850s.  The item’s popularity was immediate and several competitors sprung up quickly.  Taylor sued one company for trademark infringement, but the courts ruled against him.  The official name is John Taylor’s Pork Roll, and the ingredients include Pork, Salt, Sugar, Spices, Lactic Acid Starter Culture and Sodium Nitrite.

The delicacy has garnered countless admirers.  There is a facebook page dedicated to the product.  In the music world, Neil “Porkroll” Taylor fronts a band called The Porkroll Project.  And alternative rock band Ween’s 1991 album The Pod included a track entitled “Pork Roll Egg and Cheese.”

I’ve since left the beach, and memories of the salty, meaty treat are starting to fade.  But as luck would have it, I might be able to experience this treat again.  1789’s  chef Dan Giusti recently tweeted that he “will attempt to make New Jersey’s famous Taylor’s Pork Roll….god’s work.”   Agreed, Chef, agreed.

-LMB
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