Most people would look at that list of ingredients on the triple pork poutine photo and cringe. “Heart attack on a plate” (or in a bowl) might even come to mind. Not real foodies, though. We know that where we get these ingredients and how we prepare them is what's important. All those saturated fats don't scare us a bit, because healthy fats from pastured animals provide us with a huge amount of nutrients! These nutrients are what bodies all over the world are starving for, especially those who have been duped into thinking that the “fat-free” craze is still legit. It's not. It's dangerous. It's made many of us sick and depressed and infertile. Read more at my Healthy Fats post.
Or get my friend, Sarah's new book for your Kindle: Get Your Fats Straight. (No Kindle? Get a free reader for your phone, tablet or computer by clicking here.) In case you can't tell, fats are what I'm most passionate about when discussing health with people.
Pastured pork or lard (pork fat) provides vitamin D, and is much higher (as much as hundreds of times higher) in vitamin E and “good fats” like omega-3s and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid – a powerful cancer fighter), than conventional pork. Pastured animal fats also raise our ‘good' cholesterol and is protective against all the other stuff we might put into our bodies that cause inflammation, which is the real cause of heart disease. (Things like vegetable oils and trans fats, sugar – especially high fructose corn syrup, and other super processed fake foods.)
Here's where to get pastured pork or lard if you don't have a good local source.
So hopefully you'll appreciate this recipe and enjoy it like we do!
Maybe you didn't know this either: apparently Poutine is a traditional Canadian dish, normally made with just fries, brown gravy and cheese curds. Kent and our oldest son went to Toronto a while back for a soccer game. “Football” actually. Their favorite team, Liverpool, was playing Toronto, and it was their first time in North America in a long time. They ate this at a restaurant, and Kent knew he could recreate it here at home, only with better ingredients. I love how his mind works!
So here's how he did it…
Pork Poutine
Ingredients
- Homemade French fries – here's how we make homemade French fries. A few tweaks in how you make them and especially what you fry them in makes a big difference in how good they are for you. I love using beef tallow in our fryers.
- Beef gravy. Note: The best time to make this recipe is a day or two after you've made a pot roast so you have leftover gravy. Here's my pot roast recipe with instructions for making gravy. Otherwise, if you have some beef broth in the freezer, like I normally do, just make gravy from that.
- Cheese curds – We got them at the store and I'd never used them in recipes before but they're called just that, “cheese curds”.
- 1 pound of bacon fried and crumbled. We get this from our local farmer.
- 1 pork loin 2-3 pounds – you can use this pork loin recipe to cook it on the grill, but don't use the jerk seasoning that it calls for. You could also just put it into a crock potin the morning. We get this from our local farmer, too.
- Barbecue sauce – Here's our favorite barbecue sauce recipe.
Instructions
Now all you need to do is assemble your ingredients:
- Put a handful of fries into a bowl or on a serving plate
- Next top it with hot gravy
- Sprinkle on some cheese curds – a small handful
- Sprinkle bacon on top
- Next put on some pulled pork
- Last, put on some pulled pork mixed with barbecue sauce
YUM! Let us know what you think or if you make pork poutine differently?
- More main dish recipe ideas: beef, pork, poultry, meatless, seafood, Mexican, Chinese, soups & stews
- Read here about why fast food is so dangerous
- If you're in need of quick meal ideas, check out this post
Commenter via Facebook says
Not appropriate, Karen, as there are many in the world who follow that “religious hooie”.
Commenter via Facebook says
Religious hooie.
Commenter via Facebook says
Exactly!
Commenter via Facebook says
Most definately the yucky supermarket chicken!
Commenter via Facebook says
I jsut said basically the same thing!
Commenter via Facebook says
My husband and I have had several dicussions on this topic. The law didn’t change, but after it was fulfilled, God did tell Peter not to call something unclean that He had made clean. We choose to raise our own pigs and eat just what we’ve raised. We’ve committed to no more pork from industrially raised animals. I think this is one of those things that has to be a personal decision, as it doesn’t affect salvation. It doesn’t affect another’s salvation either.
Commenter via Facebook says
I say that if you don’t eat pork you shouldn’t eat chicken. At least not either raised on pasture. Our chickens will eat the same things our pigs eat.
Commenter via Facebook says
My sister sings this pork and shrimp tune. Gets old.
Commenter via Facebook says
Kristin Mize- good WiTH gravy! 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
Chickens are the filthiest animal on the planet. Will eat anything, even each other. Pigs are no more “dirty.” Just people who’ve never raised both think pigs are any different feeding wise.
Commenter via Facebook says
Supposedly so are shrimp, lobster and crab but you would (to paraphrase a stupid but famous quote) have to “pry my bacon and shellfish from my cold dead hand!” ROTFLMAO
Commenter via Facebook says
If you think God is telling you to not eat pork, then by all means don’t. But remember, we’re living under the NEW covenant.
Commenter via Facebook says
If Joel Salatin raises them, I’m good with it. We buy pasture-raised pigs and eat it sparingly. Cured our bacon in a salt sugar brine, and had a ham brined and smoked. It is GOOD! We raise chickens. They’ll eat ANYTHING, even rodents if they find them. Most folks eat chicken. Even the gross yucky supermarket chicken. So you tell me what’s worse.
Commenter via Facebook says
Maybe that is why it is traditionally served with sauerkraut in Germany and mustard as well.
Commenter via Facebook says
Pigs are omnivores; in situations where where they might ‘have’ to scavenge of course they will scavenge including waste from other animals including human; the same can be said of many animals under stress. BUT when grown on pastures, with access to woodland, with good grasses, and modest amounts of grain (especially sprouted) pigs are exceptionally clean creatures – they love to be washed in the hose, picky about what they will eat and they make fine nutritious food. Our two pigs raised last summer and fall put close to 400 lbs of meat in our freezer and were raised on good food, grass pasture, clean water. Pardon me, but ‘alternative cancer clinics in Europe’ have not a clue and should nt be used as guidelines for what regular folks eat.
Commenter via Facebook says
Pork meat (not the fat) will change the way your blood cells behave, making them “clumpy” (science word from the Latin, “clumpicus!”) If you marinate it in vinegar, it seems that it won’t have this effect, and there is a study being conducted on this now….at least participants were called in a recent issue of Wise Traditions. We raise our own pigs and control what they eat. Acorns are a favorite and are free in suburban neighborhoods! We either marinate the meat, or have an antioxidant-rich wine such as home made elderberry with it. Antioxidants have the opposite effect on the blood.
Commenter via Facebook says
Well, what’s a chicken??? If it’s pastured, that is.
Commenter via Facebook says
Even our holistic chiropractor tells us to avoid pork no matter the source. But we still eat uncured bacon from pastured pigs. Yum 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
Actually the Law didn’t change….Jesus just fulfilled it. That does not mean that there are not reasons for doing or not doing things from a health stand point. Certainly the pork raised today would differ from wild pigs that were scavengers. Salvation is by grace…not works…but…our health takes a bit of work to maintain!
Commenter via Facebook says
Pork did not change. The law did.
Commenter via Facebook says
Pastured organic pork is a gift from the gods.
Commenter via Facebook says
I agree. They retain toxins. I avoid most of the time but occasionally indulge. Turkey bacon has come a long way if you get the best kind and I prefer turkey pepperoni. Yum!!!
Commenter via Facebook says
I think there is something to this, as well as “bottom feeder” fish, they tend to take in more toxins, etc. Even Sally Fallon’s book mentions that, for reasons basically undetermined, eating pork temporarily changes your blood chemistry (!). That said, we love bacon and eat it fairly regularly, but don’t really eat any other pork.
Commenter via Facebook says
Bacon good mmmm
Commenter via Facebook says
Disagree. Not unclean. I do believe, just as with anything else, moderation is key. If you know it is fattening (higher fat content), eat less.
Commenter via Facebook says
To each their own. My only concern was that you put the gravy on too soon – have to put it on TOP of the curds so they melt. 😀
Commenter via Facebook says
Oh good gravy…
Commenter via Facebook says
Homegrown, organic pork is a different animal. 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
Although I do not believe the pork we have today is the same as what was spoken of in Scripture, I do believe there are reasons to limit if not totally avoid it. I know one woman who gave up pork and her arthirtis went away…. I have also heard that pork spoils from the inside out and you may not know it is spoiled as readily as beef.
Commenter via Facebook says
Agreed- people need to look into why alternative cancer clinics in Europe forbid it.
Commenter via Facebook says
Pigs are so misunderstood.
Commenter via Facebook says
Assuming the ingredients were all home grown I would have no problem at all!
Commenter via Facebook says
Very French. They cook different meats together and plenty of sauce.
Jana says
Oooh this looks amazing! As Canadians (well, DH is, myself and son, soon-to-be) we LOVE poutine, even if we do live on the West Coast. I cannot wait to make this, only I think I will use pastured pork shoulder slow-roasted for the pulled pork part. Thanks for posting this! Yum! 🙂
Commenter via Facebook says
I don’t have a problem with any of the things in it, just maybe not all together. lol Or maybe everything minus the gravy. lol But for sure, I am not afraid of fat or REAL food.
Commenter via Facebook says
The only problem I have with this recipe is that I really don’t like pork. Or gravy. Or barbecue. Because my tastebuds are weird.
Commenter via Facebook says
Fat may be good in moderation, but this is too much fat! I don’t eat pork because pigs are scavengers and unclean.
Denise says
Combining high carb (fries) and high fat will put weight on. Wouldn’t do it too often. But it looks yummy! I would have it and leave out the fries – which is probably illegal in Canada!
Commenter via Facebook says
It only scares me because we have a nightshade sensitivity and I don’t know if those cheese curds are pastured and raw. lol
Jani says
Oh yes.. and its more traditional to pour the gravy on last.. so the fries don’t get soggy so fast and the cheese gets all sqeaky and melty!
Its a dish of texture as much as flavour. Kids around here LOVE it more then pizza!
😉
Jani says
Not to be rude.. but I am Canadian, from Quebec and this is a traditional french canadian dish. It is not uncommon up here to have poutine (no s, its like saying spagetti or shrimp) with smoked meat (kind of like pastrami). There are all kinds of variations of it, its like a national passion! There are traditional recipes but yes, more often then not the eateries serving it are actually PROUD they fry in canola (crapola) oil or some other nasty junk. I make it here in a t-fal actifryer with beef tallow (saves major time and not to mention pastured tallow is $$$), homemade beef stock gravy, curds or even whatever cheese I can shred that is laying around and often whatever leftover meat I have- plus BACON- but anything from chopped up sausages, roast, steak… Its yummo!
😉
KitchenKop says
You’re not rude at all! I fixed the title of the post! I’ll have to fix the picture later. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the scoop!
Kel
Soli says
oh that looks so very good. Do you ship? 😉