Judges hail 'Spam King'

Ron Pearman proudly calls himself the Spam King.

And why not? His Mini Spam Nacho Burgers took top honors at the Great American Spam Championship at the Colorado State Fair in August, sending his recipe to the national contest where it took first place and won him a check for $3,000.

And, of course, bragging rights.

According to the contest organizer's press release, of the first-place recipes from 40 State Fairs, Pearman's entry ranked the highest - especially in taste, the most important criterion.

Pearman and his family are not newcomers to state-fair food contests. His wife, Krista, started cooking up recipes to enter in the state fair with her family when she was 10. It became a passion she loved to share.

"When I started dating Krista in 2004, she encouraged me to enter something in the fair contests," Ron said. "So I came up with a dessert called Molten Lava Cakes for that year's Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship. I took a third place."

He was hooked. Not only on entering state-fair cooking contests, but also on Krista. They got married.

"I've been entering every year since, along with Krista," he said. "Three years ago, I took a third place in the Spam contest."

He's been a fan of the gelatinous 12-ounce rectangle of spiced ham and pork since childhood.

"We ate Spam as a meal at least four times a month," he said. "Especially during hunting season. My dad would take it on those trips and my mother would fry it with eggs."

Each year, when state-fair time comes around, the Pearmans get busy in the kitchen.

"Between the two of us, we do about 40 entries in different categories," he said. "This year, the recipe had to be an appetizer. I always like thinly sliced, fried Spam. You never know what the judges will be looking for. When I made the miniburgers with fresh salsa and guacamole, we thought it tasted really good the first time."

True to his title, Pearman was cooking up a pot of Spam chili for a Super Bowl gathering on the day we talked.

"I added some pinto and black beans, and taco seasoning. It's one of those foods where you say, ‘What's in the cabinet? Let's throw that in the pot with a can of Spam.' It's cheap and easy to keep in the pantry."

When he's not dreaming up his next contest recipe, he works at Lockheed Martin.

"I'm a trained software engineer with a cooking habit," he said.

Pearman, the father of three sons from a previous marriage, has an adopted 4-year-old daughter, Emilie, from China.

"We were wanting to adopt another special-needs girl from China but didn't have the money just yet," he said, saying it costs around $30,000 to adopt a child from there. "When I won the $3,000, I said, ‘Ta-da! We have the seed money.'"

They immediately started looking for their next little girl - and found her: a 2-year-old who is hearing impaired.

"We should have Lauren with us by December or January," he said.

In the meantime, he and Krista, along with Emilie, will be heating up the kitchen with recipe hopefuls as summer state fair time is nearing.

"Emilie is always cooking with us," he said. "She climbs onto one of the tall chairs at the island so she can be involved with what we are making."

Spam trivia

• How many Spam cans would equal the length of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco?

Answer: 13,440. This bridge opened the same year Spam Classic was first introduced to the public: 1937

• People in the U.S. eat 3 cans of Spam product per second. The brand hit a milestone when it sold 6 billion cans.

Placed end-to-end, six billion cans of Spam would circle the globe 15 times. That amount also would reach the moon and circle it 20 times!

• Besides Spam Classic, there are several varieties. including Lite, Less Sodium, and Hot & Spicy. There's also one that's made with 100 percent oven-roasted turkey, and there are even Spam Singles.

• What state consumes the most Spam products per capita? Hawaii. Other top markets for Spam products? Alaska, Arkansas, Texas and Alabama consume the most. Outside the U.S.? Korea.

• Spam is sold on every continent except Antarctica.

• What is the name of the Spam variety, honey flavor, released as a limited edition coinciding with "Spamalot," the hit New York musical: Spam Golden Honey Grail.

• There's a Spam Web site (spam.com) and an official fan club.

Source: Hormel Foods

• • •

MINI SPAM NACHO BURGERS
Yield: 12 burgers

SALSA

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle
chiles in adobo sauce
3 plum tomatoes, seded and diced
3 tablespoons diced red onion

BURGERS

1 (12-ounce) can Spam Classic
12 small squares cheddar cheese
1 (12-ounce) package small Hawaiian
sweet rolls split and lightly oasted
1 cup guacamole
3 roasted Pueblo green chiles, cut into bite-size squares

Procedure:

1. In medium bowl, stir together salsa ingredients; set aside.

2. Slice Spam into 6 (1/2-inch-thick) slices. Cut each slice in half (you will have 12 squares). Lightly grill or fry Spam squares until lightly browned on both sides. Place 1 slice cheese on each piece of Spam. Let cheese begin to melt.

3. Place grilled Spam on toasted roll bottoms. Top each burger with guacamole, salsa and a piece of green chile.

Source: Ron Pearman, 2008 Colorado State Fair