As PDRA’s East Coast Spring Nationals Kicks Off on April 4, Coast Packing Hits the Strip in Benson, N.C. -- and Maps Area’s Top Lard and Beef Tallow Spots

View Taste the Difference – Benson Edition in a full screen map

Competing in the Pro Boost class, Coast Packing Company CEO Eric R. “Goose” Gustafson will drive his ’69 ProCharger Pro Mod Camaro at GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson, N.C., host venue for the PDRA East Coast Spring Nationals Presented By FuelTech on April 4-6.

In January, with Pro Stock legend Larry Morgan at the wheel, the Camaro matched the world record for the quickest centrifugal supercharger-powered door car, with a 3.67 elapsed time at 200.98 mph.

To mark the opening round of the PDRA season, Coast Packing, the leading supplier of animal fat shortenings in the Western U.S., has compiled a special online gastronomic #FatMap919, showcasing local spots where fans can “Taste the Difference” that lard and beef tallow make in popular dishes.

Nestled between Raleigh and Fayetteville, the Benson track is just a stone’s throw from spots offering classic North Carolina fare.  The Benson area eateries on PDRA #FatMap919 all feature dishes prepared with lard and/or beef tallow.  On the menu at Bojangles Famous Chicken ‘n Biscuits is chicken fried in beef tallow, while Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen serves up Skillet Fried Chicken, pan-fried in locally-rendered lard.  Perhaps not surprisingly, at Oh My Lard, “everything is fried in lard at the grill!” and Your Mom’s Donuts fries its signature offerings in “leaf lard from pasture raised hogs at Wild Turkey Farms in China Grove, NC.” FirstHand Foods sells leaf fat from its farmers’ hogs to The Naked Pig, where it is rendered into lard and sold to area chefs and grocery stores, including Weaver Street Market.  And all five outlets of Gonza Tacos Y Tequila offer lard-infused black charro beans and paisa beans.

“In addition to welcoming an energetic crowd of race fans, the Benson area is a haven of truly memorable Southern cooking,” Gustafson said. “In terms of freshness, flavor and texture, foods prepared with lard and beef tallow are natural standouts, which is why we’re so delighted when consumers can taste for themselves, as they can in and around Benson.  At each stop along the PDRA circuit this season, we’ll share FatMapsshowing that healthy animal fats are just about everywhere, and that consumers don’t need to go far to find places where they can let their palates make the call.”

Want a peek at the unfolding drama of East Coast Spring Nationals?  Click right here for SpeedVideo.