A Meaty Recap of Primal Napa

Michele and I had a great time at Primal Napa on Saturday, and here is a little recap with are some of our favorite photos from the day. For a little background info about this event, you can check out the post I did last week.

There was literally meat everywhere. If someone wasn't cutting up meat, they were cooking it. If they weren't cooking it, they were eating it. And so went this hot, smoky, magnificently meaty day.

In addition to live butchering demos, a dozen or more charcoal fires burned behind the service tables. Blessed with a press pass, and very little common sense, I made my way carefully through the gauntlet of fire pits to snap a few shots.

One of the highlights was the VIP area, which sported long tables glistening with sliced meats and crispy bacon. I sampled four honorees in the Bacon Hall of Fame, all absolutely delicious in their own way.

Besides the impressive piles of cured beef, lamb, and pork, the end of the buffet featured grilled oysters, as close as we would get to a vegetable that day – unless you count bread, and people in meat comas do not count bread.

The event's creator, Brady Lowe, circulated through the crowd, discussing the day's noble themes and making sure everyone was being fed more than talking points.

While what he had to say was certainly compelling enough to garner most people's attention, Brady hedged his bets by carrying around a pan of beautifully grilled Pranther Ranch organic strip loin. Some of the tastiest, juiciest beef I've had all year.

Of course, no one can survive on sustainably raised, humanely slaughtered, and artisanally butchered meat alone – I had a couple beers from San Francisco's Magnolia Brewery. My favorite was called "Pork Lord," which is actually brewed with Hog Island Oysters and bacon from Fatted Calf.

I wanted to hate it, since I've really been campaigning for people to stop just randomly adding bacon to stuff, but this was excellent. Balanced, delicious, and refreshing. I just added one more reason to my list of why I love living in San Francisco.

All in all, I thought it was a very enjoyable event, which seemed to be the general consensus among the other guests I spoke to. I think most everyone was cognizant of the event's mission, but this was first and foremost a foodie gathering.

People seemed fairly content to simply enjoy all the food and drink, but hey, if this was also going to help improve our meat-based food systems, then even better. Primal events will be held in other locations, so if you are interested in getting more info, you can check out the official website here.

If you want to see more meaty images from the event, my wife and talented food reporter in her own right, has posted a Flickr album for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

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