Summer pork deals are here! (Plus an easy pulled pork recipe)
Author
Published
6/26/2023
Over the last month, I’ve been delighted to see many of my favorite pork cuts on sale at the grocery store. (Seriously, when you’re a parent, you get excited over grocery deals.)
I’ve saved money on high-quality Iowa Chops and – I’m giddy about this one – bacon! Oh, how my family loves bacon!
No kidding, whenever my daughter smells bacon cooking, she stops playing and runs into the kitchen for visual confirmation.
We can expect these pork deals to continue into the summer grilling season, economists say.
An ample supply of pork – including pork bellies (or bacon) - is lowering prices at the retail level.
Unfortunately, it’s also lowering the prices Iowa farmers earn for raising pigs. At the recent World Pork Expo in Des Moines, economists confirmed that pork farmers will likely lose money this summer due to unprofitable hog prices and higher feed costs.
However, we as consumers can help Iowa farmers – and save money at the same time – by taking advantage of summer deals on pork.
It’s a great time to grill pork chops at your next summer cookout or boost your breakfast with bacon.
And because of today’s modern farming practices, pork today is more tender, flavorful and safer than ever. And pork is a high-quality protein containing essential vitamins and minerals for health, such as thiamin, niacin, vitamin B6 and B12 and more.
Thick-cut Iowa Chops, in particular, are a fool-proof pork cut to prepare at home. No need to marinade ahead of time; just season with salt and pepper, and cook until the chops reach a food-safe internal temperature of 145 degrees. It’s OK if the pork is still pink, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
If you’re looking for more pork recipe ideas, here are a few family friendly recipes to try this summer:
Learn more about how Iowa farmers work each day to raise nutritious, delicious and safe pork at “Real Farmers. Real Food. Real Meat.”
Learn more about author Teresa Bjork here.
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