[August 18, 2011] Chicago Tribune John Kass column Tweet Aug 18, 2011 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- So why did we serve whole roast pig to Tribune readers at the annual "Cooking with Kass" extravaganza? Because whole roast pork done low and slow is dang tasty, that's why. And why did I tell readers a story that I'd mentioned on Facebook but hadn't yet written about in the newspaper? That story about how, just before we left for a recent family vacation, we learned that the house we rented in Grand Beach, Mich., had once been owned by a famous Chicago political boss. A boss with shanks as short as my own. Yeah, that guy. Why did I tell that story at "Cooking with Kass"? Don't be a chumbolone: I tell stories. That's what I do for a living. But first, the menu. There's nothing nicer on a warm, sunny Sunday in August than sitting down with readers who are like family and enjoying a tasty porker, smoked overnight and then finished over live coals with a chunk of hickory in the mix. That's what we call Porkulous. My only regret is that although he was invited in the column, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich didn't show up to entertain us, perhaps with some dancing and cool stylings on the accordion. We had cold beer and, of course, that pork done to perfection by the pitmasters at Sweet Baby Ray's in Wood Dale. People raved about sides, and the killer baklava and then yogurt drizzled with dark, thick honey for dessert. If you want to see more photos -- and a cool video in which I feed roast pork to a beautiful Sicilian woman -- go to http://www.facebook.com/#!/JohnKassTribune. All I can say is, if you want to attend next year's fest -- where I just might whip up some famous Arcadian Goat Soup -- keep reading the paper and you'll know what to do. Betty and the boys were there and enjoyed meeting the readers who came. Unfortunately, Shooter, the young reporter who helps me with the column, was indisposed. She wasn't feeling well and her baby boy is due any week now, and he's a troublemaker. He starts kicking when he doesn't like her ideas about the column -- he agrees with me. But he's fine and she's fine, and Shooter and her husband promise to bring him next year. Those who were there at Cantigny in Wheaton also got to meet Mark Jacob, who edits this column and expressly forbade me from writing anything nice about him. But he did get me to tell the story I haven't yet told in the newspaper until today, about our family vacation in Grand Beach. I just hate it when columnists brag about their vacations. But this isn't a vacation story. This is a ghost story. My brother found a house to rent for the week, and I went in for a third. It was a big house on a golf course that slept about 15. There were beautiful flowers. There was gorgeous landscaping and a large pool and a short golf-cart ride to the beach. To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chicagotribune.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Chicago Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]