My Life With Bacon

MY LIFE WITH BACON continues this week with a bacon cook-off among four different varieties. They all look so different, you'd think they come from different animals! Left three slices: Open Nature next group: Oscar Mayer Middle group: Pederson's Natural Farms Far right: Home made FIRST UP: OPEN NATURE Applewood Smoked Uncured Bacon Center Cut. "100% Natural*. No Antibiotics. No Preservatives. No Nitrates or Nitrites**." Don't you just love those asterisks? The first one says: 'no artificial ingredients - minimally processed'. The second one says: "except for those naturally occuring in celery powder". Minimal processing is processing. Celery powder is manufactured. There HAS to be nitrites and nitrates in bacon, or it wouldn't be bacon and/or would be full of germs. Upon opening the package, I sensed a nice, smoky applewood aroma. Package weight 12 ounces; actual weight 12.7 ounces, and it cooked down to 3.7 ounces and pro...

MY LIFE WITH BACON CONTINUES  this week with some home made bacon. I purchased the pork belly, as I said last week, from Hofherr's market in Northfield, IL BUT FIRST: FRIEND PAUL VISITS FARM in Vermont and has a field report. Paul Rokos reports: "My wife loves goats. As a birthday present we spent this past weekend at Trevin Farm , beautiful goat 40 acre farm in Green Mountains of Vermont. We spent the weekend learning how to make goat cheese, milking goats, helping with chickens, ox and horses. Eating two fabulous breakfast and having a cooking lesson and dinner with Chief Troy.   I never knew goat cheese could be so good! The secret is in the love, care, and healthy diet that Chief and gentleman farmer, Troy Peabody provides them. This loving care and this fabulous rich goats milk is also the reason I bought a half a share in a pig for next spring. Troy fed the mother pig goat’s milk during her pregnancy to ease the stress on the mother and insure healthy ba...

MY LIFE WITH BACON CONTINUES  this week with a cook of Benton's Smoky Mountain Coutry Hams bacon, and the supposed 'fact' that BACON IS BETTER THAN SEX. LET'S START OFF WITH CHARBAY , possibly the best, and certainly my favorite micro-distiller in the world. Later in this post, I'll talk about my use of Tapatio tequila, in... - bacon! BACON IN THE NEWS BACON PRICE ON THE RISE AGAIN?? It's up - due to the dreaded porcine virus then, its down - the virus is licked & supplies RISE, now - up again as demand goes up! Seriously? Eat your bacon. Just eat it! COOL BACON INFOGRAPHIC: Wow, check out this infographic, a public service announcement provided by the manufacturers of Bacon Salt.  Apparently 45% of Canadians perfer bacon to sex. Hmmmm. That may explain a few things about some of my friends north of the border... THIS WEEK'S BACON IS  Benton's, about which I wrote two weeks ago. Here is a video documentary about the propri...

MY LIFE WITH BACON CONTINUES this week with bacon on vacation: bacon-tation. BACON IN THE NEWS Had some bacon and eggs on the road recently, while taking a vacation overnight on Block Island. We usually do go to Rebecca's - a walk up cantina with inside and outside seating. Great food, prepared to order.  I asked my normal question: "Where does your bacon come from?" when I visit a restaurant. The answer from the short order cook: "A Pig!". Smart ass. At the bottom is the website for dining on Block Island, and a photo of my dinner at Ballard's!! BALLARD'S RESTAURANT ON BLOCK ISLAND is a must-visit destination. Lobster above, nearly a 3-pounder, was awesome. Thanks Hutch (father in law) and Jo! Ballard's site here.

MY LIFE WITH BACON CONTINUES THIS WEEK from the road with another short post. HOW ABOUT SOME MONEY ISLAND BACON ? Cooked up some Stop & Shop bacon there and three boys made it disappear. Wasn't as crispy as expected but good solid bacon flavor. Three sixteen year old boys ate them all in about five minutes. DEBBIE'S FRIEND CAROLYN SENT A PICTURE OF A RECIPE. WISH I HAD A LINK OR THE ACTUAL RECIPE. MAN TRIES TO HAVE CAT ARRESTED FOR EATING HIS BACON along with his girlfriend. Cops say they can't arrest the cat. But what about the girlfriend? Story here .