Non-Ironic, Artisanal Spam at Carnivore

My dad would pan-fry Spam for breakfast. He came to love this “spiced ham” while in the Army during WWII. To him, a poor kid from Hamtramck, Michigan, Spam was what he rarely had growing up: meat. It was still, even years after the war, a favorite for him. One day maybe six years ago, I bought some Spam and made it for breakfast, much to the very verbal disgust of my wife and daughters. I called my dad later that day.

Me: “Guess what I had for breakfast?” [pause] “Spam! When’s the last time you had Spam?”

Dad: “I had it for breakfast this morning.”

Spam is a much-disdained food on the mainland, but in Hawaii, it’s beloved, as it is in the Philippines. Spam needs no preservatives, and it’s no surprise that it caught on among the military and Pacific island populations, both of whom were sometimes deprived of sustenance during wartime.

But why is Spam now so disdained? Prejudice and misunderstanding. A quick Google reveals this explanation of “why Spam is not good for you” – “A single serving of spam has about 53% of the recommended amount of sodium…it has no nutrients or vitamins.” [https://www.learnvest.com/2011/10/good-for-your-wallet-bad-for-your-health-5-cheap-foods-to-avoid]

Of course, Spam has nutrients; it’s meat: 100mg (about 3.5 ounces) of Spam yields 13 grams of protein, over a quarter of the daily requirement, and there are small quantities of minerals and vitamins. If salt is a worry to you, get the reduced sodium version (there are around twenty varieties of Spam on the market, including Spam with Black Pepper, Jalapeno Spam, Spam Boricua to please Puerto Rico and Spam Macadamia Nuts to further delight Hawaiians).

Then there’s artisanal spam, as prepared by hand, in-store, by Brad Knaub and his crew at Carnivore.



When I posted a pic of Hawaiian Spam musubi on Facebook, Knaub announced he would make some for his in-store luau last Saturday. I stopped by to get some.

“Spam has changed the course of history,” Knaub – clearly a fan – told me. For instance, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev said his troops would have died without Spam, and without battle-ready Russian troops, WWII might have turned out very differently.

Knaub is sincere in his efforts, explaining “There’s a lot of nostalgia around Spam, but I’m not making this for hipsters who eat Spam as if to say, ‘I’m so cool and ironic.’ No, you’re an idiot.”

And, of course, Knaub is not making Spam to be served during wartime (although, technically, I guess he is). Knaub is going for taste, saying “I want to make Spam that people want to eat, not Spam they need to eat.”

I tried Knaub’s Spam on several occasions, and, no surprise, it has a much finer taste than the Hormel original (more subtlety, less salt and fat). It’s basically high-quality pork shoulder and ham, with some salt and sugar. For those of us who grew up on Spam, it may not be crappy enough to hit the right taste memory buttons, but we (including Carolyn) really liked it for what it is: a non-ironic casing-free pork sausage that people will like.

You can pick up the best Spam you’ve probably ever had at Carnivore (while it lasts), $12/pound.

1042 Pleasant St
Oak Park, IL 60302
(708) 660-1100

David Hammond wrote:My dad would pan-fry Spam for breakfast. He came to love this “spiced ham” while in the Army during WWII.

Funny. My father would never eat another PB&J sandwich for the rest of his too-short life due to eating so many during his time in the Korean War doing air/sea rescue. He did take up and continue smoking.

I don't care for Spam but I do make a "hash" from the S.A. tinned corned beef and lots of chopped onions, shredded potatoes, and garlic that we like very much.

David Hammond wrote:My dad would pan-fry Spam for breakfast. He came to love this “spiced ham” while in the Army during WWII.

Hormel claims that the meaning of the name "is known by only a small circle of former Hormel Foods executives", but popular beliefs are that the name is an abbreviation of "spiced ham", "spare meat", or "shoulders of pork and ham". Another popular explanation is that Spam is an acronym standing for "Specially Processed American Meat" or "Specially Processed Army Meat".

Recently, for some reason, I have seen several different versions of a Spam dish that involves those dried seaweed sheets, like a slice of Spam -- maybe marinated in soy and other ingredients? -- then fried and wrapped in the seaweed sheet. These were on My Family Recipe Rocks as well as a Lunchbreak segment on WGN noon news, and somewhere on the internet news feed that I can't backtrack to.

These segments actually made Spam look like an interesting ingredient. I wondered if I could smuggle a can into the menu without getting caught. After all, I have managed to smuggle in Velveeta cheese since that 'horrible' ingredient now comes in individually wrapped little bricks the perfect size for a small pot of mac-n-cheese. The little bricks hide way in the back of the cheese drawer and have never been discovered.

But could Spam go undetected if it were on a plate looking up at you at breakfast? I hate outrage and horror at breakfast.

That being said, in our household, we stopped eating corned beef hash from a can because I could not convince myself that it was not akin to dog food. But, now that I think of it, the abandonment of canned corned beef hash happened in conjunction with my making corned beef brisket every March and freezing leftovers in packets for hash for a few months. Lately, brisketless, I have been thinking about a can of hash.

You have to appreciate an ingredient that come with its own hymn of praise:
Spam Spam Spam Spam...Lovely Spam! Wonderful Spam!

Joy wrote:Recently, for some reason, I have seen several different versions of a Spam dish that involves those dried seaweed sheets, like a slice of Spam -- maybe marinated in soy and other ingredients? -- then fried and wrapped in the seaweed sheet

Musubi. Very Hawaiian

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:

Joy wrote:Recently, for some reason, I have seen several different versions of a Spam dish that involves those dried seaweed sheets, like a slice of Spam -- maybe marinated in soy and other ingredients? -- then fried and wrapped in the seaweed sheet

Musubi. Very Hawaiian

=R=

Grocery store rendition . . .


Foodland - Kihei, HI - 18.0131


Foodland - Kihei, HI - 18.0131

A nearby restaurant, Da' Kitchen, does a deep-fried version, which they are somewhat known for.

=R=

I love Carnivore. They are always doing cool things there. I just hope it doesn't go the way of Marion St. Cheese Market.

Last visit I picked up some beef shanks for osso buco and leaf lard and hog casings for saucisson.

Made it to Carnivore for the first time last Sunday before that jerk wasted the entire Bears season. And I mean whoever kept Parkey on the roster, not Parkey himself. I can't blame him for taking the money.

Is this the only thread dedicated to Carnivore?
Is the lack of a list of what was crazy good because everything is generally crazy good, and that's just general knowledge?

As soon as I walked in, Brad HAD to notice my doe eyes, and in about ten seconds, we were engaged in a deep conversation about palates and salinity. He offered us a trial of Bologna, almost smugly knowing it would blow our minds.

I walked out only spending 80 dollars, and I did that on PURPOSE, so I would have reason to return and try more.

Curry Fish burgers
Currywurst
Weisswurst
Chicken/Apple snausages
Not sure what else.

I have a very good feeling that this place is going to be, at the very least, my one and only sausage purveyor. Worth the drive for me, though it's only one town over.

I was literally scared to buy the frozen clam chowder, in fear of it being the ONLY clam chowder the fam would eat again.

What's awesome about this place? Brad has a mindset not too far off from my own. Any question I asked him - immediate answer in the terms that made sense to me, and he was seemingly excited to talk food (ie) stuff with someone else who cared. This place could charge admission to a sausage making session - do they? (I'm generally late to every party - maybe they already have had demonstrations.) Rambling - giddy about this joint. Love it. He also told me to request any specialty sausages if I wanted them. I already know what I'd ask for, and no, I'm not telling you just yet.

Soo...what's NOT to miss here?

No one has said where Carnivore is. Are we talking about?
Carnivore
1042 Pleasant St
Oak Park

tel:708.660.1100

lougord99 wrote:No one has said where Carnivore is. Are we talking about?
Carnivore
1042 Pleasant St
Oak Park

tel:708.660.1100

Yes, that's it. I'm going to go ahead and add it to the OP of this thread.

Thanks,

=R=
for the Moderators

Also made the GNR cut:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=44262

I grilled the currywursts last night. Wife 1.0 and I agreed they were fantastic. I'd be curious to know how this place rates among other similar shops. Paulina Meat mkt comes to mind, Elegance in Meats as well, perhaps (still open?)

The enthusiasm of the staff (owners) here is second to none, and the products are raveworthy per the posts here.

seebee wrote: Elegance in Meats as well, perhaps (still open?)

No it is not.

Is Publican Quality Meats a comparable joint? (never been.)
Carnivore is tucked into a side street of a (literally) cobblestone street. You Oak Parkers have an absolute gem here - but you already know that. I'm just late to the party. Was there an OP "persons*" Night Out here? I have a feeling that if you just told Brad, "make us a meal, please" it'd be fantastic.

(*tee hee)

The folks at Carnivore have offered an "introduction to butchering" class through the Park District of Oak Park. I have no idea of the frequency, just be aware if that interests you. I signed up, and was told it was sold out, then got a call saying they had demand to offer another class. I went last night.

It was held at the Cheney Mansion.

Just Brad from Carnivore butchering a whole ham into the different cuts, and explaining the cuts, and things to look for, different cut names in stores, etc.

Then, he walked everyone through butchering our own chickens, and sneaky shortcuts to use, things to look for. I forgot the price, but I think it was in the 50 dollar range. The guy has stories, he is a riot. Talked a lot about his experiences in restaurants, and the shop. I'm not sure about other class sizes, but ours was 6 ppl. two couples that brought btls of wine, some lady from New Zealand that was obviously a chef, or maybe a dr - she kept asking questions using fancy names for body parts, and yours truly.

It was a riot - Brad was super chill, fielded plenty of questions about anything, and just had plenty of stories.

He was a lead singer in a metal band, too.

The Green Chorizo here recently won the "Best Sausage I Think I've Ever Had" award at this household. (Yes, feel free to make TWSS jokes - it's fine.)

Little bit spicy, not crumbly in the least, and VERY heavily flavored of a green pepper. My guess would be the fabled Green Chile - for those familiar with the "hatch*" varieties. We lived in Albuquerque and Denver for a mixture of 3 or 4 years, so we are intimately familiar with Green Chile. I'll definitely ask Brad if those are a nod to Southwestern Green Chile.

*Yes, I know it's just a region, but I've given in to explaining, and I'm just rolling with it, since we're in a part of the country that doesn't give so much of a hoot.

seebee wrote:The Green Chorizo here recently won the "Best Sausage I Think I've Ever Had" award at this household. (Yes, feel free to make TWSS jokes - it's fine.)

Little bit spicy, not crumbly in the least, and VERY heavily flavored of a green pepper. My guess would be the fabled Green Chile - for those familiar with the "hatch*" varieties. We lived in Albuquerque and Den ver for a mixture of 3 or 4 years, so we are intimately familiar with Green Chile. I'll definitely ask Brad if those are a nod to Southwestern Green Chile.

*Yes, I know it's just a region, but I've given in to explaining, and I'm just rolling with it, since we're in a part of the country that doesn't give so much of a hoot.

That's great to hear. Do you know if it's usually in stock or was it a special? I'm always on the lookout for chorizo verde. It's a specialty of Toluca (capital of Estado de México) and not very common in Chicago. Most versions I've tried emphasize the herbal elements, not as much the green chilies. As you suggest, Carnivore's version could be modeled on something different.

ReneG -
This stuff was just sitting in their freezer. I know nothing besides that. I will say, however, that it had very little in common with any "chorizo flavor" that I would assume it should have had. It was more or less a standard sausage flavor with a very heavy lean towards green chile. So, basic american sausage, but flavored with green chile (pepper.) That's the best I can describe it if you are familiar with that "Hatch" green chile flavor. I've never had or seen chorizo verde, so I have no idea how this product from Carnivore would compare, or even if they are trying to be comparable. I do know, that I loved it.