Pork. The Other Fall Meat.

A Bacon-Wrapped Pork Roast... Sinful yet Sublime.

It's officially mid-August, and as the Major League Baseball regular season winds down,  and the NFL preseason gears up, we typically turn our attention to the fall. Out go thoughts of BBQs and Margaritas, and in come that of Roasted Chickens and hot ciders. For most of us, while there is still a lingering appetite for steaks and burgers, this time of year we find ourselves tiring of these options, craving something more...autumnal. Well, as you sit there, wiped out from all the weeks of traveling, and all the hours of boating and swimming, consider making this adjustment to your diet: Eat more pork.
That's right, while pizza and pastas are great fall foods, chicken is the ultimate autumn fallback, and because you're likely going to get your fair share of turkey and ham come the holidays (yes, I know, ham is pork, however lacking in personality), autumn is the perfect season to stock your freezer with a pork loin or two, a roast, and even a few chops. Loins are easy to work with, take no time at all to cook, and can be used whole or sliced to serve in a variety of ways. And a pork roast, properly cooked, of course, is the most divine cut of meat known to man. Butchers prep chops in two ways: bone-in or boneless, usually butterflied, which makes them infinitely more versatile (they can be baked -- with or without a breading -- or sauteed, perfect for pork Milanese, Marsala, or even Scaloppine).
Bacon is great for BLTs (the second greatest sandwich ever devised) but sausages tend to make much better companions to eggs and pancakes in the cold-weather months. During this time of year, in what pretty much amounts to its breakfast off season, bacon (along with pancetta, prosciutto, and even capicola, if you have a taste for something spicy) makes a great pasta and salad component. While there isn't much like an Italian sausage or a brat in the dog-days of summer, Kielbasas (or Polish Sausages) are great for cool, fall evenings (especially when they are nestled in a plate of steaming sauerkraut). And, lest we forget, fall is also tailgate season, which, for our purposes, should invoke two words (and only two words): Pig Roast.