Buc-ee\u2019s, Electric Cars, Bulk Parmesan and the Great Holiday Pork Summit<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052526-1.jpg\")
\nWe very nearly failed to finish the holiday with the recipe we have been talking about for three days.
\nAnd the things it got hung up on include Buc-Ee\u2019s \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052526-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Which meant the answer to the EV question turned out to involve old-fashioned things:
\ngiant parking lots
\nfresh barbecue
\nhot coffee
\nhomemade pastries
\nclean bathrooms
\nand somewhere to sit while the battery finishes charging
\nArch \u201cBeaver\u201d Aplin \u2013 that\u2019s him in the upper left above- founded Buc-ee\u2019s 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:<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere do we wait while these electric things re-charge?\u201d<\/p>\n
Turns out the answer is:<\/p>\n
\u201cSomewhere with smoked brisket and twenty-seven flavors of jerky.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
That immediately spiraled into discussions about:<\/p>\n
when and where to buy quarter hogs (Autumn Olive) or quarter cows (Wyoming Pure)
\nwhether seven-pound wheels of aged parmesan constitute \u201cinvestment assets\u201d
\nhow much freezer space constitutes preparedness rather than eccentricity
\nand 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.
\nPEACE AND PORK<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052526-3.jpg\")
\nShift-Turnover Expansion Package
\n(Double proportions for Day\/Eve shift changes)<\/p>\n
Mid-day changes may include:pastries. bagels, Deirdre\u2019s famous sausage rolls,
\nemergency freezer reserves for hangers-on and unexpected operational surges
\nIf deep-freezer space permits, procurement of quarter hogs or quarter cattle may be justified under long-term continuity planning.<\/p>\n
INSTRUCTIONS<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052526-4.jpg\")
\nAllow chops to rest several minutes before serving.
\nGarnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.<\/p>\n
Serve hot to assembled personnel, guests, extended family, overnight crews, or EV travelers stranded somewhere west of Waco.<\/p>\n
FINAL ASSESSMENT
\nDon’t forget tools suitable to limited galley space!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052526-5.jpg\")
\nParmesan crusted pork chops remain one of the great American answers to confusion, uncertainty, and people unexpectedly arriving at dinner.<\/p>\n
Crisp exterior. Tender center. Enough garlic to establish temporary diplomatic authority.<\/p>\n
And if the electric car still needs another forty minutes to charge, there is always another chop.<\/p>\n
Copyright 2026 Vic Socotra
\nwww.vicsocotra.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Buc-ee\u2019s, 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\u2019s \u2014 a massive chain of travel-center gas stations we had never heard of before the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33176","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-daily-socotra"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33176","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33176"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33176\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33184,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33176\/revisions\/33184"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33176"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33176"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vicsocotra.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33176"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}