John Taylor's Pork Roll, 'Taylor Ham'

John Taylor's Pork Roll, 'Taylor Ham'
Christmas/Hanukkah in August

It must be the case that I'm being a good boy this year for, not only did Santa, Sinterklaas, the Weihnachtsmann and La Befana all visit me back in December and early January, but Hanukkah Harry has also remembered me well this year, first with some delicious Sicilian style pizza from Breukelen (Bruccalina) back during the winter holiday season...
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=57091#57091
... and now again this summer! This time, HH was so kind as to bring me one of the great culinary delights of my home state of New Jersey:



Taylor Pork Roll is chopped up bits of pork with a generous but not overly assertive bit of spicing -- no piquancy, though. When I was a kid growing up by the banks of the Aquackanonck River in the area the English called New Barbados, Taylor Ham was one of my favourite things to eat for lunch. Slice it up, brown it a little in a pan, make a sandwich with a little mustard and you've got a tasty little repast.



Taylor Ham, the pride of Trenton, is also happily accompanied by eggs.

Many, many thanks to Hanukkah Harry for bringing me this treat from the old country; the last time I had it was back in New Netherland, in a little lunch-counter place in Montclair in early August of 1996, so it had been a while (one doesn't forget).

Incidentally, HH stopped by our house in the middle of the night with two German speaking Kobolde in order to drop off the Pork Roll and he and his two trusty Knechte, once they were spotted by us, decided to stay and have a glass (or two) of wine. The last time I saw Harry, I observed that he bore a certain resemblance to Hungry Rabbi, and he does, though I would say Harry is a little better-looking.

Harry, hartelyk bedankt veur de lekkere ham uit Nieuw Nederlandt; 't was goed 's de kans te hê, 'n glas met jou en je knechtjes te drinken (hulle seyn grappige kerels!). Preps kennen julle nog 's langs komen, mebbie in December, om 'n borreltje (of twee) te drinken?

Antonius


P.S. Some time back, (y)OurPalWill reported seeing Taylor Pork Roll at a Treasure Island branch...
http://lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=12856#12856
... and I have a vague recollection of someone else mentioning having seen it for sale in the city but, alas, I haven't been able to find any such post through searches.

I love it. I grew up in NJ and was completely shocked when I moved to the Midwest that Taylor Ham was a VERY regional food. There was nothing better than starting the day with a nice Taylor Ham and egg on a kaiser role. Taylor ham and eggs over easy is wonderful as well.

ETA - I grew up in Cedar Grove, right next to Montclair. What lunch place were you eating at Antonius?

I grew up in Jersey as well (Medford) and have a Taylor ham in my freezer ready to be busted out.
Gotta love the band Ween for their odes to Pork Roll. Saw them in Madison a few weeks ago and when they played this song (they have 2 pork roll songs), I commented that I was probably the only one in the audience with Pork Roll in the freezer :
Jamie


Frank
(and vocal - David Williams)

Frank, give me a pork roll egg and cheese, if you please, with some gravy fries.
Sink into a greasy mega-weedge and I sneezed and it blew my mind.

Time: it's in the hand of God. Chew on turkey or some cod if you please.
Frank, give me a pork roll egg and cheese, if you please, with some gravy fries.


Pork Roll Egg and Cheese

When you've had your fun, and your work is done,
You must not succumb.
I can feel you breathe. It's like a mega-weedge inside.
Please don't hide.

So mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
On a kaiser bun.
Mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
On a kaiser bun.

When the guava's drained, Eddie Dingle remains.
But we must further ourselves on.
So dynamic is life, staring into the sight's
Not right, but wrong in a good way.

So mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
On a kaiser bun.
Mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
On a kaiser bun.

When you've had your fun, and your work is done,
You must not succumb.
I can feel you breathe. It's like a mega-weedge inside.
Please don't hide.

So mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
On a kaiser bun.
Mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
On a kaiser bun.
Mommy, if you please, pass me the pork roll egg and cheese, if you please,
Kaiser bun. Pork roll egg and cheese.

Wow, I didn't know Taylor Ham was the subject of song, though I'm not surprised.

Jaime: the song mentions kaiser rolls as the proper vehicles for TPR delivery and it's true. Back in the distant past, there were several excellent little German neighbourhood delis scattered around South Bergen and most of them sold great bread rolls... also to be had from several of the local bakeries...

My youth was in the time before the great American Cheese Explosion, and so I have no recollection of TPR and cheese being a usual combination (though I'm sure people have always put them together from time to time). But TPR and eggs are indeed a combination from way back and one that's hard to beat.

But I really enjoy the pure flavour of the TPR and have always liked having a thickish slice of the stuff with a wee touch of mustard. A good kaiser roll would be the finishing touch...

Thanks for alerting me to the pork roll songs...

Antonius

josh,

I just saw your note and question.

The place is (was) on the little shop-lined street that runs diagonally off of Bloomfield Avenue in downtown Montclair, off to the south/west. I think that's Church Street but I'm not positive anymore. It's a small lunch place -- I forget the name -- on the southside of the street, middle of the block, a little ways in from Bloomfield Ave.

Speaking of funny songs, I remember when I was last there -- lo, these many years ago -- they had little juke boxes by the booths and one of the songs available had one of the best titles I've ever heard: "Fax me a beer."

A

I am frying up some Pork Roll slices as I type
I always cut a slit in each piece on the radius to help prevent curling so it browns evenly.
My preference has always been an orange square of cellophane cheese on fresh Wonder bread with some yellow mustard. Unfortunately today it will be on Brownberry Soft Wheat bread with deli American and brown mustard. Sure it will still be good; I can hear it sizzling now
Jamie

Jamieson22 wrote:I am frying up some Pork Roll slices as I type
I always cut a slit in each piece on the radius to help prevent curling so it browns evenly.
My preference has always been an orange square of cellophane cheese on fresh Wonder bread with some yellow mustard. Unfortunately today it will be on Brownberry Soft Wheat bread with deli American and brown mustard. Sure it will still be good; I can hear it sizzling now
Jamie

Good call on the slicing of the edges... I forgot to do that with the slices in the picture above...

Sounds excellent!

(though I'd like a good kaiser roll. )

A

Forgot that Ween has a THIRD song that mentions Pork Roll. Sorry, I'm on a roll:

Awesome Sound

Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got a pork roll egg cheese and bacon.
Stop the tape here.
Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got some. Got some awesome sounds goin' down
Alright. Lay it on me!
Awesome sound goin' down.
Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got an awesome sound goin' down.
Got a pork roll egg cheese and bacon.
Oh. Oh yeah. Baby. Hit me again! Stop it.
Hit me again! Oh yeah. Hit me again! Stop it. Hit me again!
Oh! Oh! Hit me again! Hit me again! oh!
Got an awesome sound. It's goin' down.
Got this awesome sound. It's really goin' down.
Got this really fuckin' awesome sound.
Hit me! Hit me! Hit me again! oh! oh! Hit me!
One more time!
Oh, awesome sound goin' sound.
Awesome sound goin' down.
One more time. Hit me! Oh stop it! Hit me!

For you lovers opf Taylor ham (I was a Bergen County transplant who never developed a taste for it while living there), I have noted that Treasure Island on Broadway carries it with some frequency though they don't seem to always stock it. They keep it in the "deli" section next to the prepackaged deli meats.

Exactly what part of the pig is Taylor Ham?

Sincerely,

Jim Leff

Burlington County, here - and I know we had Pork Roll for school lunches, as well as other places.

I am not sure what part of a pig it comes from, but does it really matter since the portion size is so big?
Jamie

Yesterday, Treasure Island had the Taylor Ham in one pound rolls for $6.98 for those of you who are interested.

YourPalWill wrote:Yesterday, Treasure Island had the Taylor Ham in one pound rolls for $6.98 for those of you who are interested.

Will,

Many thanks. The pound I got from Hanukkah Harry is half gone; the other half in the freezer. But if it's regularly available at Treasure Island, no need to save it for a rainy day.

A

What goes around, comes around. Clearly, this is just one more wonderful product of Trenton (a place I've grown to really like after numerous business related trips over the past three years). Someone needs to index LTHForum.

JimInLoganSquare wrote:What goes around, comes around. Clearly, this is just one more wonderful product of Trenton (a place I've grown to really like after numerous business related trips over the past three years). Someone needs to index LTHForum.

I don't know that anyone has noticed it but I did include a link to Will's mention of a TPR spotting at TI in 2004; it's in the footnote.

Yes, Trenton is a fine town. Hungry Rabbi has sung in praise of its pizza and there is clearly a lot of us who appreciate the old pork roll. Let me add to the list the no longer available (it seems, alas) OTC cracker, the Original Trenton Cracker, which was one of the finest crackers in the world for use in soups or chowders.

Greetings from England...
Antonius

"Trenton Makes the World Takes"

leek wrote:"Trenton Makes the World Takes"

... and Hoboken bakes.

A

Noticed today that they had it at Casey's in Naperville. Not sure if they always carry it, but they had a few of them.

Antonius wrote:

JimInLoganSquare wrote:What goes around, comes around. Clearly, this is just one more wonderful product of Trenton (a place I've grown to really like after numerous business related trips over the past three years). Someone needs to index LTHForum.

I don't know that anyone has noticed it but I did include a link to Will's mention of a TPR spotting at TI in 2004; it's in the footnote.

My prescription is old and/or you need to use a larger font, A.

tcdup wrote:Noticed today that they had it at Casey's in Naperville. Not sure if they always carry it, but they had a few of them.

It was there last night. 1lb rolls for $7.99

Last night was the first time I brought the B2B to Casey's. She grew up on the eastern edge of CT, and claims that she they don't have a butcher counter like Casey's anywhere out there (I guess that I should bring her to the local Chicago Meat Market on Ogden, or The grocery store formerly named Bobak's). I finally felt like my food fascination was rubbing off when her eyes lit up at the sight of 1/2 lb burgers with blue cheese already in the mix.

For me, I went with a few of their famous grillmaster patties.

Flip

Jamieson22 wrote:I am frying up some Pork Roll slices as I type
I orange square of cellophane cheese
Jamie

Take the boy away from Panic shows....but ya can.... meh you get the picture...

Ironically I'm on this thread to see if there is any thing else I should be making with the 3 boxes of Taylor pork roll that Jamie put in my grab back after the Super Bowl. Looks like sticking with the good 'ol egg-roll sammy is breakfast tomorrow.

I suppose this dates me/makes me lame, but everytime this thread is bumped, I think we're talking about the bass guitarist for Duran Duran.

Stagger wrote:

Jamieson22 wrote:I am frying up some Pork Roll slices as I type
I orange square of cellophane cheese
Jamie

Take the boy away from Panic shows....but ya can.... meh you get the picture...

Ironically I'm on this thread to see if there is any thing else I should be making with the 3 boxes of Taylor pork roll that Jamie put in my grab back after the Super Bowl. Looks like sticking with the good 'ol egg-roll sammy is breakfast tomorrow.

Taylor Ham is a damn near perfect accompaniment to eggs over easy. Of course, it's hard to beat a taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwich on a roll.

Stagger wrote:

Jamieson22 wrote:I am frying up some Pork Roll slices as I type
I orange square of cellophane cheese
Jamie

Take the boy away from Panic shows....but ya can.... meh you get the picture...

Ironically I'm on this thread to see if there is any thing else I should be making with the 3 boxes of Taylor pork roll that Jamie put in my grab back after the Super Bowl. Looks like sticking with the good 'ol egg-roll sammy is breakfast tomorrow.

Whomp up some biscuits and you are all set.

The Jersey Girl grew up in Red Bank. Her brother now lives in Middletown and the finest thing he ever did was to introduce me to the Pork-Roll-Egg-And-Cheese-On-A-Hard-Roll sandwich for breakfast.

Even a Chicago-Born-And-Raised fresser like me can appreciate this one. It’s right up there with Chicago hot dogs and Italian beef and (more recently) a cemita as one of the world’s great treats. Thanx to Antonius for starting this topic. Great reminder.

Here is a link to an interesting page about the pork roll concept. It includes this link to a page where you can order pork rolls, scrapple and other goodies.

This is really dangerous.

Matt wrote:Whomp up some biscuits and you are all set.

As I didn't have "Jack" in my kitchen this morning to make fresh biscuits, I just used a normal cheep hamburger roll for my pork roll, egg, cheese (Kraft brand "orange square cellophane cheese") and fried onion. The latter is essential to a proper egg breakfast sandwich in my opinion and, unless one possess and natural fear of bulbs, is probably a universal truth. I'm not sure that Taylor's pork roll will replace bacon, sausage, or good country ham as my breakfast sandwich meat of choice (and really, can anything replace bacon?) but it makes a very satisfying combination.

Onion on pork roll? Blasphemy!

There are two ways to consume:
1. Pork roll, egg and american cheese on a kaiser bun.
2. Pork roll, american cheese, yellow mustard on wonder bread.

In either case the pork roll is cut to look like pacman and pan fried in butter.

The slice of your pork roll looks very meager. Since I moved east I can now purchase pre-sliced Taylor Ham at my local grocery store; the slices appear to be about half as thick as the pre cut ones I sometimes buy. Otherwise, you sammich looks delish.

Flip

Flip wrote:The slice of your pork roll looks very meager. Since I moved east I can now purchase pre-sliced Taylor Ham at my local grocery store; the slices appear to be about half as thick as the pre cut ones I sometimes buy. Otherwise, you sammich looks delish.

Flip

The pre-sliced comes in packs of 4 or 8 and each weigh the same. That appears to be a slice from one of the boxes with 8 slices (which are thinner).

Jamie