Grilling up enjoyable on the Iowa Pork Producers Tent

Mother Nature tried to place a damper on the Iowa State Fair yesterday, spending a lot of the morning tossing thunderstorms our approach. Nothing extreme, however sufficient to maintain the early crowds in examine. By the time I arrived for my 11 a.m. “celebrity chef” shift on the Iowa Pork Producers Tent, the lunch crowd was simply beginning to choose up. The Cass County Pork Producers had been there lending a hand, the grills had been fired up, and the odor of pork grilling was already drifting by the air — smoke that, for as soon as, wasn’t from Canada and was greater than welcome.

This was my second 12 months serving to on the tent, nevertheless it was the primary time I received to put on my very own personalised embroidered apron. Last 12 months, I simply used a plain, unnamed one, so this felt particular. It’s one thing I’ll have the ability to deliver again yearly, and I plan to maintain returning for a very long time.

The grill setup on the Pork Producers Tent is not any small operation. The grill I labored on is large enough to deal with greater than 100 gadgets directly — about 50 or extra pork burgers on one half, and not less than that many pork chops on the opposite. There had been all the time six to eight folks across the grill at any given time, flipping burgers, checking temperatures, and shifting meat round to totally different warmth zones so the whole lot cooked excellent. My focus for the day ended up being burger obligation. I did get a number of chops on the grill, however I saved gravitating again to that wall of scorching burgers, working by three full rounds throughout my shift.

The different “celebrity chefs” on the schedule had been fellow Iowa media of us — no main stars, however loads of hometown character to go round. The crew working the grills had the identical straightforward camaraderie you’d discover at a yard cookout. There was good-natured ribbing, a number of jokes tossed forwards and backwards, and loads of laughs in between the extra severe enterprise of retaining the meals transferring.

Out in entrance of the tent, the gang was in good spirits and desirous to dig into their honest favorites. The large buzz merchandise this 12 months was the brand new Hawaiian Sandwich — shaved pork loin topped with pineapple, coleslaw, and Thai chili sauce. Each order got here with a Hawaiian lei, and it was getting loads of consideration from fairgoers. I made certain to attempt one later within the day, and it was even higher than I anticipated — candy, tangy, and full of taste. I additionally sampled one of many pork burgers, which was each bit nearly as good as I remembered.

Talking with fairgoers is all the time a spotlight. Many folks shared how visiting the tent is a long-standing custom for his or her households, a part of what makes the Iowa State Fair such a particular expertise. It’s all the time enjoyable to attach with listeners and allow them to put a face to the voice they hear on the radio. Those conversations remind me that, for all of the variations between Iowa’s corners, we share plenty of frequent floor — particularly a love of excellent meals and good firm.

The climate saved us on our toes. After the morning rain moved out, the solar started to interrupt by. At one level, we had an umbrella arrange for shade, however the wind turned it right into a spinning high, so it needed to come down till the solar took over. Between the warmth, the gang, and the smoke, it was precisely what you’d count on from a day on the grill. Whenever the smoke blew in my face, I relied on a Minnesota trick — say “I hate rabbits” thrice, and supposedly the smoke drifts away. Whether it really works or not, it gave me amusing in the course of the warmth.

By the top of my shift, I used to be smoky, happy, sore, and drained — but additionally grateful. It’s a novel expertise to work facet by facet with pork producers, to listen to what’s on their minds, and to assist feed 1000’s of hungry fairgoers. Once my time on the grill was accomplished, I headed again to work on the Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network sales space, nonetheless carrying the aroma of a day effectively spent over the grill.

If you haven’t stopped by the Iowa Pork Producers Tent but this 12 months, I extremely suggest it. Between the primary tent and the satellite tv for pc areas across the fairgrounds, there’s no scarcity of scrumptious pork to take pleasure in — and also you may simply discover me behind the grill once more subsequent 12 months.