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Bacon lollipops, sheep heads and more meat treatsBy Sarah Spigelman
Even the heat wave couldn’t keep meat worshippers away from Meatopia, an annual festival to celebrate every edible (and even inedible) bit of America’s carnivorous affections.

The event, held on Saturday, June 23 in New York City, brought out celeb chefs like Floyd Cardoz (of “Top Chef Masters” fame), Aaron Sanchez, Michael White and Ludo Lefebrve (of “LudoBites”). Writer and food adventurist Sarah Spigelman went out, fork in hand, ready to try some of the craziest creations. Here, she shares her top picks.

Best intro to offalBBQ chicken hearts, chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo

Sarah Spigelman
This preparation of chicken hearts totally took me by surprise. Chicken hearts usually have a tender texture and subtle taste, but this was an in-your-face flavor explosion. The charred edges gave a pleasantly bitter contrast to the smoky eggplant puree and the mild, almost sweet flavor of the meat. This is a great way to introduce someone to chicken hearts -- not scary in presentation or taste.


Best fried creation
Crispy Mangalitsa pig's head torchon with green beans and horseradish, chefs Eduard Frauneder and Wolfgang Ban

Sarah Spigelman
Imagine if you were eating bacon, but from the face of the pig -- around the ear, the eye socket, the nostrils … well, you get the picture. That's what this was -- a conglomeration of pig meat, skin and fat that was taken solely from the head. Underneath a crunchy golden shell lay a decadent mosaic of fat and meat. The fat melts pleasantly on your tongue, not unlike the Italian lardo. Mixed with shreds of salty pork, and served with a horseradish sauce and snappy green beans, this was one of my favorite bites of the night.


Best use of meat jell-o
Head cheese terrine with McClure's spicy pickle relish, chef Yuhi Fujinaga

Sarah Spigelman
There is no way to make this sound as good as it tastes, but it’s kind of like meat jell-o. It’s a terrine made of different parts of the pig -- tongue, heart, feet, the part around the ears and face -- that is then set in aspic and sliced. It is kind of like luncheon meat, if your luncheon meat was almost as soft as pate, tasted as rich as a pork chop and was made from parts of the animal that you preferred not to think about.


Best use of inedible parts of the animal
Carolina whole Ossabaw hog BBQ with field pea and ramp chow chow, cooked over wood embers and pig bone charcoal, chef Sean Brock

Sarah Spigelman
This whole pig was impressive on its own, but consider that the animal was cooked over its own charred bones mixed with wood. It isn't just about eating and cooking for these chefs; it is about respecting the circle of life and using every part of the animal, to ensure that it did not die in vain.


Best use of face
Spit-roasted whole sheep, chef Seamus Mullen

Sarah Spigelman
The meat for this dish might not have come from the face, but seeing the animal's head there was a pretty good indication that what I was getting was fresh and it was cooked on the bone -- on all the bones. As a result, the sheep (a lamb that is older than one year) was incredibly flavorful. It tasted aged and slightly funky (in the way that steak on the bone is when compared to steak cooked without a bone), and even a little bit wild. I loved it, but if you are not a fan of lamb this is not for you.


Best intimidation tactic
Greek lamb offal mixed grill, chef Michael Psilakis

Sarah Spigelman
There were no bells and whistles on this. Just plain old heart, liver kidney and brain, skewered and grilled to perfection. The most surprising: the brain. Instead of being mushy or grainy like I had feared, it was gelatinous, a bit toothsome and creamy inside. The lemony sauce served alongside added clean, bright notes.

Most impressive display of beefiness
Black angus whole-roasted donley steer, Pat LaFreida Meat Purveyors

Sarah Spigelman
The whole 850-pound cow, from teeth to hindquarters to hooves, roasted to pink, juicy perfection in the open air. It seemed incredible that such a massive display of meat would be reduced to such tiny sandwiches, and yet, served on a soft bun with a kick of creamy horseradish sauce, it was robust, tender and incredibly...well, incredibly beefy. I have never had a better piece of beef.


Best meaty dessert
Mangalista pork lollipops, Lee Anne Wong

Sarah Spigelman
These bacon pops were made of Mangalitsa pork, which is not just your everyday swine. These pigs, which come from Eastern Europe, are directly descended from wild boars. Their name comes from a Serbian word meaning "hog with a lot of lard," and the name fits! The majority of this bacon-pop was pure, creamy fat that melted on my tongue. It was mellow-tasting and almost sweet in comparison with the salty bacon at the top of the 'pop. This treat was fat with a side of meat; all it needed was my mouth.

Funkmasterr wrote:Weee, passed midnyte for the number 10 spot for posts on vv.

The search is on in Bavaria for an Austrian cow named Yvonne who has been on the loose since May when she escaped from the farm where she was being fattened up for slaughter.

The wily runaway has become a local celebrity of sorts in the southern German state. She has outsmarted police officers and has become known for grazing at night, like a deer. But her days of freedom might soon come to an end, as officials in the Mühldorf district have decided that, for security reasons, she can be shot.

The decision came after Yvonne jumped in front of a police cruiser, stunning the officers who were then unable to capture the bovine bandit. Because of the danger she poses to traffic in the area, Yvonne must be removed, the local officials decided. Two officials are now reportedly searching for her with tranquilizers and guns.

But concerned animal rights activists hope they can find her before the police and spare her life. The Gut Aiderbichl Animal Sanctuary has purchased the cow for €700 ($988), and has since been combing the area with all-terrain vehicles.

Unable to corral the cow, the activists have even armed themselves with an infrared camera, says Hans Wintersteller, manager of the sanctuary near Salzburg, Austria, which houses hundreds of rescued cows, horses, goats, sheep, deer and other animals.

Appealing to her Maternal Instincts

The group had called for a massive search for the brown cow, but because of the rainy weather on Thursday, just 14 people came out to support the task. The group hasn't ruled out using tranquilizer darts to capture Yvonne, but they hope a new, more humane tactic might encourage her to emerge from the woods.

Wintersteller and his colleagues have purchased Waltraud, a former stall-mate of Yvonne's, and a calf named Waldi, and hope the cow will see them and be drawn to them by a need for companionship. They also hope to appeal to Yvonne's maternal instincts.

"After all, she has had a calf herself," Wintersteller said. But so far the bait hasn't worked. "We'll keep trying," Wintersteller added.

"Luna is constantly following the horses around, but the horses don't seem to be interested," says Mayer. The other cows in the stall appear not to like Luna, and even kick her now and then.

masteen wrote:I ate at a Brazillian steakhouse last night. Right now I have roasted lamb, lamb chops, skirt steak, filet mignon, bacon-wrapped filet, bacon-wrapped chicken breast, roasted chicken, parmesan-crusted pork loin, pork sausage, and one other cut of beef I'm not even sure of inside me. And a MEAN case of the itis.

masteen wrote:I ate at a Brazillian steakhouse last night. Right now I have roasted lamb, lamb chops, skirt steak, filet mignon, bacon-wrapped filet, bacon-wrapped chicken breast, roasted chicken, parmesan-crusted pork loin, pork sausage, and one other cut of beef I'm not even sure of inside me. And a MEAN case of the itis.

Funkmasterr wrote: they have a huge salad bar with tons of good shit

miir wrote:

Funkmasterr wrote: they have a huge salad bar with tons of good shit

Fuckin' veg.

Funkmasterr wrote:

miir wrote:

Funkmasterr wrote: they have a huge salad bar with tons of good shit

Fuckin' veg.

FUK U!

masteen wrote:Braza Lena. I don't even know if they have a menu. They have dudes dressed as gauchos walking around with swords with grilled meat and stuff on them. They slice the sizzling meat directly onto your plate. You have a little pog with red on one side and green on the other. When you want more meat, green side up. When your plate is full or you're full, flip red up.

Spang wrote:I challenge each and every one of you to watch this documentary and this speech (begins at 1:48).

Spang wrote:I challenge each and every one of you to watch this documentary and this speech (begins at 1:48).

Fairweather Pure wrote:Yeah, that speech is a challenge alright... comparing animal slaughter to rape, child molestation, and the Holocaust.

Canelek wrote:Thanks sputnik...you do realize that is akin to an evangelical CHALLENGING a crowd to JUST WATCH THIS AND BELIEVEZLOL! Pastor Bobbo tells the truths!

Spang wrote:

Canelek wrote:Thanks sputnik...you do realize that is akin to an evangelical CHALLENGING a crowd to JUST WATCH THIS AND BELIEVEZLOL! Pastor Bobbo tells the truths!

Well, sure, if you think facts and scientific data are equivalent to Biblical nonsense.

Fairweather Pure wrote:

Spang wrote:Well, sure, if you think facts and scientific data are equivalent to Biblical nonsense.

He starts his speech by using the bible.

Aslanna wrote:I'm curious as to how you came to decide to cast off the evils of meat eating. Did you arrive at that on your own doing or were you beaten over the head with how much of a bad person you were until you finally just gave in?

Aslanna wrote:Why do you fee the need to 'convert' everyone or show them how much they suck?

Canelek wrote:Fast Food Nation.... Wow, you are more gullible than I had originally thought. Good job! Not endorsing fast food, but wow.

Canelek wrote:And if being proud of yourself for the ability to link someone else's thoughts as "debate" is just silly. Is that all? "I agree with link."?

Canelek wrote:Cows are tasty and nourishing.

Canelek wrote:You are probably a big Michael Moore fan too, eh?

Canelek wrote:You are a rather large champion of our health while calling us "you people".

Canelek wrote:Are you racist?

Spang wrote:

Canelek wrote:Cows are tasty and nourishing.

Tasty, yes. Nourishing, no. Unless you consider heart disease, diabetes, strokes and Alzheimer's nourishing.

Sylvus wrote:Why haven't I heard your facts before?!

Spang wrote:I do, however, enjoy a good debate.

Sylvus wrote:I won't deny that there may be some correlation between people who eat meat, fish, dairy, poultry and eggs and a higher (read: greater than 0) incidence of those diseases you mention, as long as you won't deny that vegans aren't immune to those diseases.