When Pumpkin Spice Spam was announced as a Real Thing That Is Happening earlier this year, it's safe to say people were...surprised. It's also safe to say the news was initially met with some vomit emoji reactions and ample mockery. Still, I was determined to give it a shot, because I love pumpkin everything.
Well, reader, I'm here to tell you that I tried the aforementioned Pumpkin Spice Spam and I would eat it again.
It all started one faithful night (or, like, last night), when I brought the Pumpkin Spice Spam home. I must note that I have never eaten, bought, or prepared Spam before so I was initially confused on what the heck I should do with it.
When I cracked open the can of Spam, I didn't see what I expected. It was not bright orange, as the pumpkin spice flavor would suggest, and it wasn't surrounded in liquid, as many canned things are. It was just a slab of canned meat that apparently you can eat right out of the can (forgive my Spam ignorance!!). It did smell strongly of pumpkin, but it was pleasant. My cat thought it was a can of her food and tried to fight me for it. I couldn't believe I was about to eat canned meat.
You can fry or bake Spam, but I elected to slice it into slivers and pop it in a grill pan with a bit of canola oil. I must stress, it's ready-to-eat (I KNOW!), but the speed with which it "cooked" still really surprised me. Soon, I had slabs of Spam rocking some pretty impressive grill marks.
Spam was kind enough to provide some suggestions on the tin about what to serve it with. Though I had all intentions of making waffles like they suggested, I ultimately decided cornbread was going to be the vessel for my seasonal treat...because I was making it anyway. Soon, I had my cornbread/Spam combo plated.
For the sake of fairness, I enlisted my boyfriend (who hates all pumpkin things but loves me) to try it. We both sampled it with cornbread and sans cornbread...and we both really, really liked it. Seriously! It was sweet and savory and the flavors were perfectly balanced.
To be fair, it doesn't actually taste super pumpkin-y to me, it's more akin to a sweet breakfast meat, as The Daily Meal said in their review. It may be the way I prepared it, but my boyfriend pointed out that it basically just tasted like honey Canadian bacon. It was crunchy and salty and sweet and it paired well with something softer like cornbread. He then proceeded to eat two more pieces. I stopped at my one.
All in all, I would implore you not to judge Spam before you try it! I am genuinely sorry I was such a snob about this. If at the very least you want something seasonal for a fall brunch or to break out to taste test with your friends while pumpkin picking, I'd say go for it! You can purchase it online from Spam.com and Walmart starting September 23.
