For
Shelbyville Korean War veteran, it’s a man-eat-dog world
By Quincy
Washington, THG Features
September 5, 2004
When fall rolls around and
the stifling Indiana summer heat begins to subside, there is nothing retired
Shelbyville mechanic Percy Johnson likes better than watching college football,
drinking a few beers, and grilling a dog over an open flame.
Yes, you did read the
previous paragraph correctly. The 71 year-old Johnson’s favorite delicacy is
man’s best friend.
A couple of times a year
for over 50 years, Johnson has purchased a condemned dog from an area animal
control center to grill. He describes dog meat as tender, juicy, and delicious
if prepared correctly.
Johnson says he came to
have a taste for dog meat in the Army while stationed in Seoul during the Korean
War. “People there ate dogs like we eat steak or chicken. They didn’t think
anything about it. Some of my Army buddies and I went to a restaurant that
served dog and we all dared each other to try it. I thought it tasted pretty
darn good.”
So good in fact that after
being discharged and returning home, Johnson decided to try cooking dog on his
own. After a couple of years of trying different recipes, he says he finally
found one he really liked—grilling the meat with a combination of salt, pepper,
red chile, and other herbs that he says “really brings out the flavor in the
dog”.
When I asked Johnson what
he thinks about people who believe it is cruel and inhumane to butcher and eat a
dog, he laughed. “Most of the same people who think it is wrong to eat dog are
the same ones who don’t think twice about scarfing down a Double Quarter Pounder
or Chicken McNuggets. I don’t see the difference between eating the meat of one
animal over another.”
To prove his point,
Johnson has a bumper sticker on his 2002 Chevy Silverado pickup truck that reads
“If God didn’t want us to eat dogs, why did he make them out of meat?”
What advice does Johnson
have for anyone else out there who would like to try dog? “Get one that is less
than four years old; it will be more tender. Stay away from dangerous breeds
like pit-bulls. They are too heavily muscled and tough.”
Percy Johnson’s
Herb-Grilled Dog Recipe
(serves four)
Ingredients:
Hunks of skinless dog meat (6 to 8 ounces each),
trimmed and rinsed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crushed red chile flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary, flat-leaf
parsley, or other fresh herb
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus 4 lemon wedges for
serving
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil; more for drizzling
Directions:
Lightly wet a hunk of
dog with cold water and set it between two sheets of plastic wrap. Pound it into
a broad, flat sheet about 1/4-inch thick, using a meat pounder, the side of a
heavy cleaver, or a skillet. Pound the other hunks the same way and arrange them
on a baking sheet.
Generously season
each hunk on both sides with salt and pepper and a pinch or two of chile flakes.
Sprinkle both sides with the garlic and rosemary. Drizzle both sides with the
lemon juice and olive oil and pat into the meat with your fingertips.
Refrigerate the hunks for 20 minutes while you prepare the grill.
Heat a gas grill
to high or prepare a hot charcoal fire. Brush and oil the grill grate.
Arrange the dog
hunks on the grill grate and grill until cooked and firm to the touch, 1 to 2
minutes per side. (Use a long, wide spatula to move and turn the hunks.)
Transfer the hunks to a platter or plates. Drizzle with olive oil and serve
immediately with lemon wedges for squeezing.
