Scrapple sculpture contest winner prevailed in Eagles country by putting the pig into pigskin

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PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the contest for best scrapple sculpture in Philadelphia on Friday it was the “Mush Push” fashioned from the regionally popular pork breakfast meat that got Patrick Moser's entry over the goal line.

The Norristown tattoo artist's tribute to the Philadelphia Eagles' trademark short yardage play, known as the “tush push,” took the top honor at a lighthearted art competition to kick off the Scrapple & Apple Festival.

The celebration of all things scrapple at Reading Terminal Market began with the contest to fashion art from 5 pounds (2.25 kilograms) of scrapple.

Moser and 11 other volunteer contestants were given sculpting tools and 90 minutes to come up with their best scrapple creations. The “expert judge” was Sasha Suda, chief executive of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Moser described his work as “Caravaggio meets Siriani" — Nick Siriani is the Eagles' head coach, and Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was a Baroque painter in Italy during the 14th and 15th centuries. The tush push, also sometimes called the “brotherly shove,” is a play by the reigning NFL champions that other teams have been unable to counter.

As for scrapple? Although it’s sometimes the butt of jokes, it’s a food that’s popular among the German families who settled in eastern Pennsylvania in the colonial period. When made properly it’s a porcine delicacy and commonly available at diners and on farmhouse tables across the state.

It takes hours to properly cook, according to Marlin Dietrich, owner of Dietrich’s Meats & Country Store in Krumsville, Pennsylvania. He sells about 300 pounds (135 kilograms) of it per week.

Dietrich boils down beef and pork bones and seasons it all with salt, pepper and coriander. His scrapple is thickened with buckwheat flour and roasted cornmeal. Dietrich fries it to a crisp exterior and enjoys it with another Pennsylvania Dutch staple, apple butter.

“I like it once or twice a week for breakfast,” Dietrich said. “Making a sculpture? That’s a shame.”

Moser's lumps of indistinguishable football players won him a trophy and a $100 gift card. The public is also getting a chance to weigh in on Saturday, when the artworks were to be on display at the market. Last year’s scrapple sculpting contest winner was a cookie jar decorated with a rooster and an egg inside.

If a football themed sculpture isn't enough scrapple, the festival also features such culinary offerings such as scrapple fries, an andouille scrapple breakfast sandwich, scrapple apple cookies and scrapple quiche. There's even a scrapple cheesesteak.

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Scolforo reported from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.