Buc-ee’s, Electric Cars, Bulk Parmesan and the Great Holiday Pork Summit

We very nearly failed to finish the holiday with the recipe we have been talking about for three days.
And the things it got hung up on include Buc-Ee’s — a massive chain of travel-center gas stations we had never heard of before the press release about the pristine restrooms, endless racks of snacks, and a buffet line of fresh Texas barbecue that somehow made stopping for gas feel like attending a county fair designed by people with a doctorate in smoked brisket.

Naturally, that led us into the curious intersection of Texas-scale travel stops and the Federal enthusiasm for electric cars that require extended periods of charging without, necessarily, a complete national charging network to support them.

Which meant the answer to the EV question turned out to involve old-fashioned things:
giant parking lots
fresh barbecue
hot coffee
homemade pastries
clean bathrooms
and somewhere to sit while the battery finishes charging
Arch “Beaver” Aplin – that’s him in the upper left above- founded Buc-ee’s back in 1982, long before the electric vehicle era. But in a strange twist of history, the format anticipated a question that had not yet been asked:

“Where do we wait while these electric things re-charge?”

Turns out the answer is:

“Somewhere with smoked brisket and twenty-seven flavors of jerky.”

And somewhere in the middle of all this, Deirdre wandered into the holiday weekend and informed Keith that he was now officially responsible for the Parmesan Crusted Pork Chop story.

That immediately spiraled into discussions about:

when and where to buy quarter hogs (Autumn Olive) or quarter cows (Wyoming Pure)
whether seven-pound wheels of aged parmesan constitute “investment assets”
how much freezer space constitutes preparedness rather than eccentricity
and whether feeding day-shift and night-shift turnovers now requires industrial-scale breadcrumb logistics. And if breadcrumbs can be bacon bits. Which, naturally, led to pork chops.
PEACE AND PORK

Shift-Turnover Expansion Package
(Double proportions for Day/Eve shift changes)

Mid-day changes may include:pastries. bagels, Deirdre’s famous sausage rolls,
emergency freezer reserves for hangers-on and unexpected operational surges
If deep-freezer space permits, procurement of quarter hogs or quarter cattle may be justified under long-term continuity planning.

INSTRUCTIONS

Allow chops to rest several minutes before serving.
Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.

Serve hot to assembled personnel, guests, extended family, overnight crews, or EV travelers stranded somewhere west of Waco.

FINAL ASSESSMENT
Don’t forget tools suitable to limited galley space!

Parmesan crusted pork chops remain one of the great American answers to confusion, uncertainty, and people unexpectedly arriving at dinner.

Crisp exterior. Tender center. Enough garlic to establish temporary diplomatic authority.

And if the electric car still needs another forty minutes to charge, there is always another chop.

Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra
www.vicsocotra.com