November 3, 2013 - Bacon News and The Fresh Market Natural Bacon review

MY LIFE WITH BACON continues this week with two short news stories, followed by a review of The Fresh Market's All-Natural Dry Rubbed Uncured Bacon.  Sorry about the picture; it's really difficult to get the glare out, unless you're a professional organization like my friends at itemMaster.

 

BACON IN THE NEWS this week - I'll cover two stories:

BURGLAR BREAKS INTO HOME, COOKS BACON.  Yep, you read that right.  Guy breaks into someone's house, takes beer, cooks bacon, leaves.  He took a shortcut: bacon was cooked in the microwave.  Bad form.  I wonder if he cleaned up?  The newspaper headline was "Bacon, beer consumed in Bismark Burglary" - lot's of b's in there.  Huff Po reports that:

Last year, a Missouri man was sentenced to seven years in prison after breaking into a stranger's home and frying bacon in her kitchen, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
And in 2011, three teens broke into a store freezer in Indiana and made off with $90 worth of bacon.

TWO BACON FESTIVALS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA IN 30 DAYS.  I knew there was more than one reason to like the sunshine state!

A plate of chocolate covered bacon strips and chocolate bark bacon at Peterbrooke Chocolatier on Park Ave in Winter Park on Thursday October 31, 2013. (Joshua C. Cruey, Orlando Sentinel)

ON TO THE BACON !

THIS WEEK, IT'S THE FRESH MARKET ALL NATURAL DRY RUBBED UNCURED BACON

At the top of the article is the front of the package.  Although not stated, the packaging looks like the colors of a black forest type bacon - and the picture above, of the clear side of the packaging, also reflects that theme.

The package label says it is a 12 ounce unit; the actual weight was 13.1 ounces - quite a bonus!  After cooking, its weight was 4.8 ounces, a very good ratio.  It produced a small 85 ml of rendered fat.  All good signs.

Upon opening, the bacon scent bouquet had definite notes of sugar and good bacon.  Here are shots of what it looked like on the cast iron, and also after cooking.  It has a unique, darker bacon color pallete - very attractive and rich coloring.  It looks like real specialty bacon!  See the fully cooked pic at the bottom.


 Flavor - it definitely tasted excessively sugary.  Very, very sweet, and it was almost maple flavored (although the ingredient label showed only 'raw sugar').  Too sweet - it essentially ruins the bacon flavor.  If you are serving a full breakfast with pancakes, waffles and plenty of maple syrup, this would be a fit.  But if you're making bacon and eggs, it's not recommended.

Scores?  Flavor 2.5 out of 5.  Succulence 3 (had nice fat pockets that did produce good flavor) and crispiness was 3 (nice crispness). 


If I were The Fresh Market, I'd tone down the sugar by half (the same recommendation I made last week to Abagail's Restaurant in Highland Park, Illinois upon imbibing their special 'Lumberjack' drink.)