April 26, 2015: The United Church of Bacon; Stop & Shop "Thick Sliced"

MY LIFE WITH BACON CONTINUES THIS WEEK with a look at a legitimate church called the United Church of Bacon ... and an evaluation of another Stop & Shop bacon.

LITTLE BACON MAN came into my life the other day. Here he is, pictured with my childhood hero, Gumby. Thanks you, Melissa Oakley, for spotting the little guy and bring him to me from your Florida vacation! He looks a llot more mischievous than Gumby, who is pure and wholesome, kind of like a 60's version of Sponge Bob. Hmmm, I wonder if there could be a cool mash-up of Sponge Bob and Gumby out there? I'll have to check. But the little bacon guy does seem more edgy. Maybe in my spare time I'll do a little 'stop-motion' of these guys doing something fun. Maybe another career entirely? Too many ideas, too little time (the only thing you can't get more of).

Can't wait to go to the North Shore Baconfest.Participating restaurants include Egg Harbor Cafe, Bravo Cucina, Hearty, North Branch Pizza, Real Urban BBQ and more.

YES, THERE IS A CHURCH OF BACON. It's called The United Church of Bacon. The organization is, indeed, a legal church. You can join for free (there are over 4,000 members, making it a 'mega church' and it's allegedly one of the fastest growing churches in the U.S.) and you can also become an "Officiant" and be able to perform marriages! Not kidding! You can choose your own title (I'd be leaning toward "High Priest of Bacon" if I were to apply - but I also like "Friar"), go to your municipality, and apply to conduct marriage services. Amazing. Great picture from their website.

The church is completely secular and was founded by a friend of someone whom I admire: Penn Jilette. He's also apparently a member of the church.

I COOKED UP SOME BRUSSELS SPROUTS with garlic and S&S's Hickory Smoked Bacon. Thus, it wasn't given the "full treatment" of an eval. But the Brussels came out great:

THIS WEEK'S BACON is S&S's "Thick Sliced" (package above).  It was thick all right. The package says 16 ounces and it came in one tenth of an ounce heavy when I weighed the bacon. Post cooking it was 4.9 ounces; retaining a lot of its weight.

The bacon was baked at 400 degrees, and I pan fried three slices. The bacon's taste and consistency were more like Canadian Bacon rather than pork belly. The three slices I pan fried were finished in the baking pan with the rest of the batch, and came out more crisp.

I don't rate this one highly; probably 2's across the board. However, my older son Sam really loved it. He thinks it's a classic. So don't just take my word for it!