Chiff and Fipple Forums

Please would you describe what you mean by the above phrase? I ask because I had no idea, until just now, that there could be two (maybe more) such different meanings.

There are various meanings for the term pig-in-a-blanket, all foods to me. I know them as stuffed cabbage (or cabbage rolls or halupki, if you like); another meaning would be a sausage, often a hot dog, wrapped in some sort of bread dough and then baked. Those are the only ones I know. I would imagine there must be others, but I think they would be less common than the two I mentioned.

And that's the thing: You can't know what a pig-in-a-blanket is just on the strength of the term itself.

Hot dogs wrapped in dough and baked

Right. That's what I half suspected, from a sort of sideways comment on another forum. In the UK, there is a specific meaning (as far as I know): chipolata sausages (not the same as hot dogs at all) wrapped in streaky bacon and baked. No dough; no pastry; different sausages.

Strange, eh?

Well now, I'm just wondering if maybe there are meanings I'm not aware of, even perhaps here in the UK. I doubt it, never having come across any other meaning before, but who knows, now that my world has been turned upside down?

benhall.1 wrote:... chipolata sausages (not the same as hot dogs at all) wrapped in streaky bacon and baked.

That would be another one. In the US we wouldn't be as rigorous about the sausage type, though; while hot dogs tend to be the norm, just about any kind might do. Even the short little cocktail weenies might be a variation. With the bacon-wrapped variety, they might either be baked or broiled.

In the US, "pig-in-a-blanket" seems to basically come down to meats or preparations with meat, wrapped in something.

Never heard of them..... interesting.

But, 'pigs in lipstick' I have encountered. Definitely non-food items.

Nanohedron wrote:

benhall.1 wrote:... chipolata sausages (not the same as hot dogs at all) wrapped in streaky bacon and baked.

That would be another one. In the US we wouldn't be as rigorous about the sausage type, though; while hot dogs tend to be the norm, just about any kind might do. Even the short little cocktail weenies might be a variation. With the bacon-wrapped variety, they might either be baked or broiled.

Broiled? Broiled???

I swear you're just doing that deliberately now. I've had to look up that word. I had only come across it in old books, as the decidedly archaic word having to do with street fighting or bar disturbances. The American meaning looks the same as what we would call "baked" to me.

benhall.1 wrote:Broiled? Broiled???

I swear you're just doing that deliberately now. I've had to look up that word. I had only come across it in old books, as the decidedly archaic word having to do with street fighting or bar disturbances. The American meaning looks the same as what we would call "baked" to me.

Here in the States it's not archaic at all, but quite current, and we draw a distinction between broiling and baking, although it seems to me that you might find it too fine a point. Broiling involves the highest heat from either elements or flames at the top of the oven, with the item being broiled set on the top rack so as to be closest to the heat source. But not all (Yank, I expect) ovens come with a broiler feature. To illustrate the difference better, you can't bake bread using the broiler; it would only burn the top of the loaf and leave the rest uncooked. Broiling is a relatively fast process using intense heat at close overhead proximity; with baking, the heat typically comes from below and the item being baked is surrounded more or less evenly by the heated atmosphere of the oven's interior, and more time is involved.

To be honest, I'm rather surprised that "broil" isn't part of your cuisinological lexicon.

Nanohedron wrote:

benhall.1 wrote:Broiled? Broiled???

I swear you're just doing that deliberately now. I've had to look up that word. I had only come across it in old books, as the decidedly archaic word having to do with street fighting or bar disturbances. The American meaning looks the same as what we would call "baked" to me.

Here in the States it's not archaic at all, but quite current, and we draw a distinction between broiling and baking, although it seems to me that you might find it too fine a point. Broiling involves the highest heat from either elements or flames at the top of the oven, with the item being broiled set on the top rack so as to be closest to the heat source. But not all (Yank, I expect) ovens come with a broiler feature. To illustrate the difference better, you can't bake bread using the broiler; it would only burn the top of the loaf and leave the rest uncooked. Broiling is a relatively fast process using intense heat at close overhead proximity; with baking, the heat typically comes from below and the item being baked is surrounded more or less evenly by the heated atmosphere of the oven's interior, and more time is involved.

Oh. In that case, no, I've never come across it. I've never come across an oven with that sort of feature - a grill, yes, but nothing like what you seem to be describing. Personally, I have an Aga.

Meanwhile ...

DrPhill wrote:Never heard of them..... interesting.

You must have heard the term as used in the UK, surely Phill? You know - those things that absolutely everybody has with their turkey for Christmas dinner, along with all the other things?

Nanohedron wrote:

benhall.1 wrote:... chipolata sausages (not the same as hot dogs at all) wrapped in streaky bacon and baked.

That would be another one. In the US we wouldn't be as rigorous about the sausage type, though; while hot dogs tend to be the norm, just about any kind might do. Even the short little cocktail weenies might be a variation. With the bacon-wrapped variety, they might either be baked or broiled.

In the US, "pig-in-a-blanket" seems to basically come down to meats or preparations with meat, wrapped in something.

Yes, all this seems right to me. A pig in a blanket could be a bratwurst, for example. Has to be baked in the dough though or fuggedaboudit.

Somewhat like a sausage roll in Ireland, but less reprehensible

PB+J wrote:Had to be baked in the dough though or fuggedaboudit

No dough where I come from.

benhall.1 wrote:Oh. In that case, no, I've never come across it. I've never come across an oven with that sort of feature - a grill, yes, but nothing like what you seem to be describing. Personally, I have an Aga.

I don't have a broiler feature in my current oven, either, but usually I've had one. It's a great way to cook fish fillets, and steaks if you prefer them rare. You don't have to use any cooking fats at all if you don't want to. Cooks will broil bones for extra flavor when making stock (I certainly would; baking would do, but it takes longer), and broiling vegetables is a popular method these days because of how the process is so good at giving you those tasty caramelized bits, and in a jiffy. Given a choice I would prefer to give oxtails a quick run under the broiler, rather than sear them with oil in a pan, prior to making soup.

The only downside to broiling is that you MUST pay attention. You can't walk away for a chat when broiling something, otherwise it's likely to burn.

benhall.1 wrote:

DrPhill wrote:Never heard of them..... interesting.

You must have heard the term as used in the UK, surely Phill? You know - those things that absolutely everybody has with their turkey for Christmas dinner, along with all the other things?

Turkey? That is some kind of animal, yes? Dead? Cooked? You eat it? yeuk!

Seriously, it is so long since I ate that kind of stuff that I did not make the connection. When I was young they were called 'sausages in bacon'.

Edit: Hmmm that was meant to be mostly humerous, but looks a bit passive-aggressive in retrospect. Apologies. Put it down to poor writing skills.

DrPhill wrote:Turkey? That is some kind of animal, yes? Dead? Cooked? You eat it? yeuk!

Seriously, it is so long since I ate that kind of stuff that I did not make the connection. When I was young they were called 'sausages in bacon'.

Edit: Hmmm that was meant to be mostly humerous, but looks a bit passive-aggressive in retrospect. Apologies. Put it down to poor writing skills.

It doesn't come across as particularly passive-aggressive to me.

By the way, what's your funny bone got to do with it? *




* Now that's passive-aggressive

Oh, well played sir!