Bring Home the Bacon: Porchetta and Bacon on a Stick on menu at Toronto FC games

TORONTO – The tantalizing aroma of freshly cooked pork hung thick in the air Thursday morning in the board of directors lounge at BMO Field.

Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment executive chef Chris Zielinski unveiled a few rather interesting selections as part of the feature menu for the upcoming Toronto FC season.

The “Bacon on a Stick” offering — chunks of thick side bacon on a skewer — had the meat lovers in the room salivating. Zielinski then turned it up a notch by rolling out a large porchetta: a whole pig with the bones removed that’s slow-cooked for 10 hours.

A smiling Zielinski carved into the meat, served some sandwiches and expressed his confidence the menu item will catch on with Toronto FC fans.

“We know it’ll be infectious once people see that pig,” Zielinski said. “When they walk past it, they’re going to be all over it.”

The items will be sold at 2013 home games along with offerings like chili cheese popcorn, butter chicken dogs, perogies, vegetarian samosas and tacos. Prices weren’t immediately available.

Toronto FC has a 1-2 record this season. Its first regular-season home game was played indoors earlier this month at Rogers Centre.

The Major League Soccer team will play the Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field.