My Life With Bacon

MY LIFE WITH BACON continues this week as Cripsi pleads guilty, and I review some Trader Joe’s uncured bacon.  Happy Thanksgiving! BACON IN THE NEWS   Yes, CRISPI HAS ENTERED A GUILTY PLEA .   You may remember the story a while back – a young lady was arrested for attempted murder, with bacon.   She put a bunch of bacon on the stove and turned the burners on high, leaving the house.   I’ve copied and pasted the news story below for your reading enjoyment, with emphasis in italics and bold mine: (Newser) – What a waste of bacon : A Utah woman angry at her ex-boyfriend admitted to police that she put a pound of bacon on a cookie sheet on top of his gas stove back in March, turned the burner on "high," and left it there—allegedly in an attemp...

MY LIFE WITH BACON continues this week with a short, late post.    I had an all-day commitment on Saturday, and on Sunday, attended the Bears-Vikings Game.   Great shot of my 6’ tall son, Jack on the left.   We were absolutely astounded by a surprise fly-over of a B-1 bomber in a fairly heavy snowstorm with low clouds.   Here’s a link to a YouTube video of the flyover.  Unbelievable.  And I don't get surprised often. I never showed the wonderful pork butt I cooked on my Ugly Drum Smoker.   Here’s the picture!   It was absolutely unbelievably.   The day after Thanksgiving, I will be making a solid 8-pounder for our family.   By far, the must succulent, flavorful pulled pork recipe I’ve ever tasted.  Here's the recipe!   You can really see how the smoke penetrated the meat.  Incredibly succulent.  Sauces another time! Of course, I ate bacon this week!   On business in Dubuque, Iowa, a nice Missi...

MY LIFE WITH BACON continues this week with a visit to a new butcher here in the North Shore of Chicago, and some news.. I’ve you’re a regular reader, you know I built an Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) a couple of weeks back.   One of the challenges in making the UDS with a kit from Big Poppa Smokers is the lid.   The unit’s photos show using the lid that came with the 55-gallon drum – it’s flat and would work well with the adjustable vent supplied with the kit.   However, when you get a sealed drum, you have to rip the top off!   I used a reciprocating saw and it came off pretty cleanly.   However, getting a seal between the lid and the drum (important for regulating the temperature) proved difficult. My solution was to purchase a $50 Weber-type grill with a lid that fits a 22.5” drum (the typical diameter).   Worked great, but I had to use an idea from this modification to add an aluminum rim. Instead of employing a welder, I simply cut a couple of pie...