No matter the occasion — entertaining, tailgating or a family dinner  — you can count on pork to be versatile, easy to cook, affordable and delicious. On the grill, in the oven, on the stove or in the smoker, pork is sure to please.

That’s why men and women across the state jumped at the chance to submit their favorite pork recipes for the Alabama Pork Producers’ Pork Cooking Contest. Winners from each county were chosen, and the top three recipes in the state are featured in this month’s Country Kitchen.
 
First-place winner in the state contest was Laura Panneton of Talladega County. She and her family love creating their own dishes. Laura’s winning recipe was an original creation inspired by the versatility of pork, the popularity of sliders and her family’s favorite hot sauce— Sriracha.

“Sriracha has become a popular condiment with our family, and when you go on Pinterest these days, all you see is sliders,” Laura said. “So when we heard about this contest, we thought, ‘Why don’t we take one of our Sriracha barbecue sauce recipes and make pulled-pork sliders with an Asian twist?’”

Laura said her family members love the recipe and now make it for all kinds of occasions. She said she highly recommends it for tailgates during football season.

“It’s a great, unique tailgating meal that is special, but easy,” she said.