Cooking with pork highlighted at Canadian Western Agribition

By Lynn Redl-Huntington

The largest livestock show in Canada returned to Regina on Monday, November 28th and Sask Pork was on-site all week with ag education, cooking demos, and a charity partnership.

Over the course of the week, Canadian Western Agribition opened its doors to approximately 120,000 attendees, including 1,200 international guests from 63 countries, and around 10,000 school children from urban and rural areas across Saskatchewan.

“It was special to see their eyes light up when the kids walked through the barns,” said Canadian Western Agribition CEO Shaun Kindopp. “We truly value the educational component of Agribition and want to encourage younger generations to learn the importance of where their food comes from.”

Canadian Western Agribition’s Education Program returned after a break due to Covid-19 for a week of hands-on learning experiences about agriculture and its value chain.

“Education is a core pillar at Agribition,” said CWA President Kim Hextall in early September, “We can’t wait to welcome back thousands of school kids and to give them an opportunity to learn about their food’s journey, from farm to plate.”

Sask Pork also partnered with Agribition’s charitable partner, STARS Air Ambulance, by providing a $5,000 match for the 50/50 at the rodeo final on Saturday evening. STARS Air Ambulance raised nearly $250,000 throughout the week-long event.  

Sask Pork also hosted several cooking demos in the Ag Education Pavillion, with Sask Pork’s own Jessica Podhordeski who showcased Pick Pork Saskatchewan’s Thai Fry and Saskatchewan media personality Mark Loshack, host of Mark Loshack of ShawTV’s “Cooked with Shack”. Loshack cooked up Beer Braised Pulled Pork and Smoked Ham Lentil Soup, which attendees had a chance to sample.

Canadian Western Agribition (CWA) is considered to be one of the best beef shows in North America and the largest livestock show in Canada. The show is anchored by beef cattle, features a variety of livestock, an agribusiness trade show, pro rodeo performances, Indigenous culture, food demonstrations, and live music.

Mark Loshack’s Smoked Ham Lentil Soup

1 smoked ham hock

1 package of bacon cut into ¾ inch pieces and fried

2 cans of lentils

I litre chicken broth

1 onion chopped

I clove garlic, minced

2 celery stalks, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese (topping)

Mark Loshack’s Beer Braised Pulled Pork

 2 tablespoons salt

About 40 grinds black pepper

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground mustard seed

Braise

 12 ounces amber or dark beer

4 cloves garlic, chopped

½ litre chicken stock

1 – 5 pound pork butt

¼ teaspoon liquid smoke

Directions

1.       Combine rub ingredients in a bowl and mix well, then put the pork and dry mixture in a Ziplock bag shake till the pork is covered and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or as long as overnight. 

 2.       Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Unwrap pork and place in a roasting pan with sides about 2 inches high. Cook 30 minutes until dark browned and even blackening in places. Remove from oven. Lower oven to 300 degrees F. Pour beer braise until it is about an inch from the top of the meat. Cover tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil or twice with regular foil.  Cook pork butt 3 hours longer until so tender that it comes away very easily from center bone. 

 3.       Place the meat on a plate and pour the pan juice (there will be plenty) into a saucepan.

 4.       Reduce the juice by about ¾.

 5.       While the juice is boiling down, pull apart the pork with 2 forks. Pour the sauce over the pulled pork and work through until fully absorbed, but use conservatively, it will be very condensed and quite intense.

 6.       Combine all ingredients in a bowl and place tenderloins into a large Ziplock bag.  Pour the marinade into the bag with the tenderloins.  Zip it shut and let cool in the fridge for 24 hours.

 7.       Barbeque or oven roast the tenderloins. If roasting in the oven, set temperature to 375 degrees and roast till desired doneness, roughly between 30 to 45 minutes. If barbequing, set temperature to high and let tenderloin cooked for 5 minutes, then turn a quarter turn. Repeat till tenderloin is cooked to desired doneness.