Okay, I promised to tell you all about All the Way Dogs and Taylor Ham. For those of you reading my blog out there, I’m sure you just can’t wait to hear what they are! The BBQ was fun and we got to meet some more people. We hope to see them again before too long. All the Way Hot Dogs are simply hot dogs with mustard, chili sauce and onions. The kind of chili sauce you use makes a world of difference. Whatever kind Kim used was really good, so I’ll have to ask her if she made it herself or bought it somewhere. I remember as a kid growing up in Hyde Park there was a place called Texas Lunch that had the best hot dogs in all the world. My Mom has been back to eat there, but says it’s not as good as it was back in the 60s. She said they’ve changed the sauce. See, it’s all in the chili sauce. They also have restaurants here called Texas Wieners which I think are similar. We need to check those out. Hot dogs are really a big deal here. But I wonder how “Texas” style hot dogs came into being in New Jersey and New York??
Taylor Ham is more of an enigma. The best I can come up with is it’s something like Canadian Bacon. It comes in a roll that you slice and it’s made from ham. I was wrong in calling it Hamburger Plate, as they are called Hamburger Combos when you add a slice of Taylor Ham on top of your hamburger. Very tasty! They tell us that a real New Jersey breakfast is a slice of Taylor ham topped with cheese on a hard roll. Yum! I bet it’s good! For those of you wanting a better description of Taylor ham, here is the Wikipedia excerpt:
Wikipedia
Taylor Ham
Taylor Ham is a type of sausage-like pork product made from ham, developed by John Taylor of Trenton, New Jersey late in the 19th century. It is often called pork roll due to the “roll” or tube-like sack in which it is traditionally packaged.
Taylor is the brand name for pork roll made by Taylor Provisions, Inc., of Trenton. Taylor also manufactures pork roll under the Trenton brand. Trenton by Taylor has been an advertiser on the outfield wall at Mercer County Waterfront Park in Trenton since it opened in 1994. Other companies making pork roll include crosstown rival Case Pork Roll Company and Kohler Provisions and Loeffler Gourmet.
The product is generally eaten sliced and grilled, like Canadian bacon. A common preparation is to add to each slice 4 radial cuts from the outer edges, inwards about 3/4 of an inch to an inch towards the center, evenly spaced around the circumference. These cuts allow heated air to escape, preventing the pork roll from ballooning in the middle, which would cause it to cook unevenly. With these cuts, the cooked slices, because of their shape, are affectionately referred to as fireman’s badges. A slice fits neatly on a round hard or “Kaiser” roll, and it is frequently eaten as part of a breakfast sandwich, most often also including egg and cheese.
Pork roll generally comes in one-, three-, and six-pound sizes, as well as six-ounce boxes containing eight single-thickness slices or four double-thickness slices. The product is seldom available for retail or restaurant sale outside of New Jersey and adjoining areas like Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. However, there are also marketers selling pork roll on the internet and shipping it around the United States.
Taylor ham is mentioned in Kevin Smith’s movie Jersey Girl.
Posted by Lynne on 05/31/2006 at 05:25 AM
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Life in New Jersey