www.PassionforPork.com
Bacon Day Dinner at LUX -Sept 1 & Ribs on the Patio at MKT Beer Market
Bacon lovers of Edmontonit’s time to unite! International Bacon Day (observed on the Saturday of the Labour Day weekend) means it is time to celebrate the one thing in life that helps make everything taste better: bacon.
On Saturday, September 1, you can enjoy a three-course meal of epic pork proportions at LUX Steakhouse & Bar. Corporate Chef Paul Shufelt and his culinary team plan to go out for LUX’s 3rd Annual Bacon Day Dinner by surpassing last year’s 1lb per person pork quota. It’s not just about the bacon; they’ve partnered with Alan and Nicola Irving of Irving Farms and will be serving up a Berkshire pig in any combination of ways.
Served family style, diners will be able to help settle the score as Chef Paul Shufelt and Chef Andrew Cowan go head to head in the bacon dessert cook off. (Chef Cowan took the first year with an ice cream, and Chef Chufelt took year two with a savoury treat)
Tempted by the thought of savoury and sweet bacon bits? Tickets are $65 and $20 from every ticket sold will be donated directly to The Royal Lepage Shelter Foundation, which helps to prevent violence against women and children in our community.
Click here for more information
http://bacondaydinner.eventbrite.com/
MKT- Fresh Food – Beer Market
I got some hints on what to expect at the Bacon Day dinner when I met Chef Shufelt at the newest member of the Century Hospitality restaurant, MKT, which opened on June 14th.
Taking over the former Iron Horse onWhyte Ave meant MKT would be home to the best patio on Whyte. But I knew that offering a boat load of beer options and some sunshine on the patio wouldn’t be enough – patrons would expect the same culinary experience as LUX, Hundred and Century Grill.
The extensive menu is a mix of genuine pub food with German, British, and Canadian influences, but with an upMKT twist. Of course, some of the hottest dishes on the menu are pork.
Chef Shufelt’s personal favourite (which he polished off right before we met) are the Pulled Pork ‘Street’Tacos with a little heat, but a little sweet. With pulled pork being a hot item on everyone’s menu these days, Shuleft goes through 12 – 16 shoulders a week.
Chef Shufelt shared that he eats a lot of pork at home. “It’s more reasonably priced, and pork is so versatile. I grew up having a family pork roast every Thursday night and we would all fight over who would get to eat the hocks.” While putting a pork chop on the menu a few years ago may have been a hard sell, Shufelt has seen Edmontonians start embracing different pork cuts, and pork-filled comfort food is a great fit on the new menu at MKT.
The Bavarians have long proved that pork and beer go well together, and ‘BUCKET of BONES’ (Slow roasted St. Louis ribs, apple jack BBQ beer sauce, salt & pepper) and ST. LOUIS STYLE RIBS (Full rack of ribs, stout glazed BBQ sauce, fresh cut fries, creamy coleslaw) are an easy sell on MKT Beer Market menu.
Chef Shufelt let
me take a peek in the kitchen as he ordered me a gluten-free serving of the St. Louis Style Ribs. Apparently the order only costs $22 – which is crazy because he presented me with a hungry-man style serving of epic proportions. I barely got through 5 ribs before I had to tap out, savouring every inch of the sweet and tangy BBQ sauce. Thankfully MKT has takeaway containers. I whole-heartedly recommend the ribs… but make sure you bring your appetite, or a friend to help you clear the plate.
A huge thanks to Chef Paul Shufelt, Chef Ben Weir (Executive Chef at MKT) and their culinary team to serving up the best rack of ribs I’ve had this summer.
