Getting meaty in San Diego

Something about this summer smells meaty. Apologies to my vegetarian friends and readers on this one. For all of my carnivores out there, please assemble.

As per usual, San Diego seems to be right on top of this trend like a rich marinade on ribs (can you tell I’m writing this column around lunchtime?). Much to the dismay of the active vegan community, a few meat-laden events are slated for the close of summertime, i.e., the time of year when we’ve all given up on our #bikinigoals and succumbed to the food-and-beer-agenda that our city bestows upon us.

The second annual San Diego Sausage Fest returns on Saturday, Aug. 27 at Waterfront Park downtown, offering guests the chance to sample an unlimited amount of gourmet sausages from local chefs, as well as dozens of beers to wash it all down. Yup, it’s all the sausage you can eat in a five-hour window. Aside from the mass amounts of meat, expect live music to groove to as sausage links dance around your belly. Tickets to the San Diego Sausage Fest start at $35.

A week later, the beloved San Diego Bacon Fest is back on Saturday, Sept. 3, also known as International Bacon Day. It’s no big secret that bacon has become one of the hottest trends in food over the past few years, so naturally, locals go hog-wild for this bacon-everything event. Unlimited samples of bacon-driven dishes and beer abound at Liberty Station in Point Loma, starting at 1 p.m. Guests can shamelessly try everything from bacon chocolate cake to pork belly tacos. General admission is $60-$65.

I know just the rudimentary basics of where my meat comes from, but mostly what I know is how to pick out a reliable rotisserie chicken from Vons. So, for this week’s installment of my ongoing series “I dare you to ...,” I had the chance to visit one of San Diego’s most cherished butcher shops, Heart & Trotter in North Park, for a Pork 101 class, where I learned the cuts of the pig and what goes into making my morning bacon possible. Read all about it here.

Understanding the source of our food is just the beginning to appreciating it. Here’s hoping to a meaty, mindful end of summer to you, San Diego.

Source: DiscoverSD