“True” History Tuesday – Joan of Arc and the Slow-Cooked Pulled Pork Sandwich

We all know the story of Saint Joan of Arc.  She was a peasant from France and martyr for the Catholic Church.  She actually led the French army in several battles and victories during the Hundred Years’ War.  She was eventually captured, tried by the English and burned at the stake when she was 19.  The Pope later proclaimed her innocent and she was canonized in 1920.  Her life was certainly inspirational and sad.  What has been lost to history was her amazing ability to smoke meats.  Her slow cooker style no doubt energized her troops and played a key role in several of her impressive military victories. 

Joan of Arc learned her “low and slow” smoker style from her father.  When she heard from God and went off to lead the army with her divine message, she took her Smokey Joe Smoker with her.  In between important battles she would hunt wild boar and other meaty creatures wandering the French countryside.  The animals she killed were not considered delicacies, which was tough because she was French and they are kind of snobby about their food.  Joan’s style, however, tenderized the tough meat by breaking down the connective tissues and rendering out the fat.  Her pulled pork would literally melt in your mouth.  Her meat “low and slow” cooking style only reinforced her troop’s belief that she was led by divine intervention.  The irony of her death was not lost on her troops and in her memory; her Smokey Joe Smoker was retired, but still rolled into battle a full 125 years after her death.