DENVER—Spam has taken Colorado Springs resident Ron Pearman all over the country. And it’s about to help him dig his way to China.
Pearman, a software engineer for Lockheed Martin Corp., beat out 700 other amateur chefs to win the Great American Spam Championship with his recipe for “mini Spam nacho burgers.”
Pearman won $3,000 in prize money, and he and his wife, Krista, plan to use it to travel to China to adopt a special-needs child. The couple adopted their first child, 4-year-old Emilie, from China and now have a second daughter, Lauren, waiting for them.
The Pearmans got the news about Lauren and the Spam contest at the same time.
“It’s like the angels were watching out for us,” Pearman said.
Pearman drew inspiration from across the United States when he came up with his cosmopolitan “mini Spam nacho burgers.” The burgers are made with a toasted Hawaiian sweet roll, grilled Spam, pepperjack cheese, salsa and guacamole, and are topped off with a pepper from Pueblo.
Pearman says he grew up with Spam in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida.
“Being from down south, we used to eat it when we were hunting all the time. It was easy to carry and fix—Spam and taters, Spam and eggs,” he said.
When Pearman joined the Air Force and was stationed in Hawaii, he got more Spam—which is immensely popular there—and the idea to use Hawaiian rolls in his recipe.
When he settled in Colorado, Pearman borrowed the tradition of spicy cuisine and used Pueblo peppers to turn his Spamburger into a Spam nacho burger.
Pearman’s recipe might be like economic stimulus in a can. As the economy worsens, less-expensive alternatives to fresh meat are gaining popularity.
Spam, which is canned pork shoulder and ham, “is experiencing growth during this time period,” said Cyndi Harles, a spokeswoman for the Blue Ribbon Group, which helped the company organize its recipe contest at state fairs.
Pearman’s concoction beat out recipes for “Spam shooters”—a double shot glass filled with layers of vegetables and Spam in a creamy sauce—and “Tuscan Spam bites” to capture the national title.
