No, This isn’t a locomotive.  It is an enormous cooker that was to roast the most succulent meal of my stay in Beaver Creek.  And the name for this special dinner party was simply perfect:

If you recall my last post, I had just taken an extensive and exhausting 6 mile hike up to 9500 feet, complete with thunder and hail. I was therefore, more than ready to eat and drink something tasty and satisfying – and boy did I.

I arrived back at the resort mid-afternoon and the chefs were just beginning to set up the roaster with some choice meat:

In addition to a special presentation of pork dishes, there was also  a wine tasting.

These were very yummy – and no one minded when we went back for seconds and thirds…

Once the cocktail hour was concluded we moved into the dining room for our official swine tasting dinner – it was scrumptious.

In the spirit of total transparency – there was just one item that I did not enjoy.  It is called head cheese.

Head cheese is not cheese but it is made from heads  – of pigs, keeping with the theme of the evening. Sounds unappetizing?  In my mind, TOTALLY.

Traditionally head cheese is made entirely from the meat of the head of a hog, cured and stuffed in pork stomachs.  Supposedly, pork head meat is very nutritious.  To make the head cheese the pork  head is boiled until the  meat separates easily from the bones. Spices and gelatin are then added.