Oh sure, Shore Fire has its share of vegetarians. We’ve even had a vegan or two pass through our ranks over the years. But there’s also a, uh, healthy meat-loving contingent here. Mark Satlof is the king of this group, with his mail-order bacon and tales of Chinatown mystery meats. Michael Lavigne is also a card-carrying member. He loves tripe and isn’t afraid to admit it.

I like to think I’m part of the carnivores’ conversation too, and this Thanksgiving I had a meal that would’ve done Mark and Michael proud. Instead of the usual dried out turkey, we had a mind-blowingly delicious Turducken, courtesy of Langensteins, a super-cool little market in New Orleans that’s been around since the ’20s. Their turduckens are so popular that they stop taking orders for them the weekend before Thanksgiving. Just look at this thing! What a beautiful bird(s). A neopolitanic smorgasbord of turkey, chicken and duck! A taste trifecta! Did I mention it was stuffed with cornbread and crawfish? Even my daughter Emma was speechless at the sight of it.

For the second year in a row, my wife’s North Carolina relatives hosted a full-on pig pickin’ on their gentleman’s farm north of Wilmington for Thanksgiving. In a pig pickin’, in case you didn’t know, the pit master barbecues a pig (in this case, half a pig), then brings it out on location in a trailer/smoker. They turn the heat back on, unload the sides….and then you literally start picking the pig apart, usually w/ tongs but with your fingers here and there if need be. Uncle Jerry (“the gentleman”) came over and whispered in my ear not to worry, the barbecue had been blessed by a rabbi!

Here’s what a piled on plate looks like. The greens were fresh picked from the farm garden.