RANTOUL, Ill. — Some needy Rantoul families will be enjoying free pork dinners this month because Linda Cifuentes (see-foo-ENT'-ays) really knows how to use a crock pot.
Cifuentes, who lives in Mahomet, was recently crowned "America's Pork Crock-Star" at the National Pork Board's "Crocktoberfest" in New York City for her original Kapusta Pork crock-pot recipe.
As part of her winnings - which also included a $5,000 grand prize - she could designate one charity to receive $500 worth of free pork. She chose the food pantry at Community Service Center of Northern Champaign County in Rantoul, which received 260 pounds of pork loin this week.
"Kapusta" imeans sauerkraut, and Cifuentes' Czech-based recipe has sauerkraut in it, as well as bacon, but she tells the (Champaign) News-Gazette the secret ingredient is beer.