BACON IN THE NEWS this week had a few interesting and noteworthy stories:
A PALEO CANDY BACON is featured here. Huffington Post occasionally has a great bacon-related article, but this particular recipe looks incredible. I am going to assemble the ingredients I don't currently have, and try this in an upcoming post. To quote the article, "Low Carbers rejoice! You CAN have your candied, chocolate covered, peanut butter dipped bacon AND eat it too...." Yaay!
THE BACON CHASE in Chicago has been announced. I love "Chase Meat Candy Majesty"... this is a 5-K race to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital. The race will be at 7am on June 7, at Montrose Beach. Register here. When you get to the finish line, here's what you get:
- Fun with like-minded bacon lovers
- Unlimited bacon at the finish line.
- Bacon bits along the course.
- A free Bloody Mary.
- A t-shirt.
- A bacon scented race bib.
- Access to the festival area.
BACONFEST NORTHSHORE has been announced; tickets go on sale tomorrow (Monday). This event is sponsored by the Glenview (IL) Park District. I will most certainly get the VIP package for $75. The event is from 5-9pm on April 26th in Glenview, IL. Click some of those advertisements to help me pay for it!
MY TRIP TO KOHLER was eventful. We stayed at The American Club, and I have to tell you, it's the best hotel room I've stayed in, in my entire life. That's saying something, as I've been to all 50 states and many foreign countries on business. Phenomenal. Great food at great restaurants, and, of course, BACON. Their go-to is Neuske's bacon, which has been reviewed here several times. At breakfast in the Wisconsin room, I had eggs Benedict with a side of the great stuff.
THE MARS CHEESE CASTLE, discussed in an earlier post, was our stop on the way home. Picked up a Neuske's Bacon cheese, which, unfortunately wasn't bacon-y at all. The cheese, per the label, was in fact 'squeaky', but that feature alone doesn't make it worth the price. At the castle, however, you can get an entire slab of smoked bacon.
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, I had the pleasure of having dinner at the Bouquet Restaurant and Wine Bar, in Covington, Kentucky. Incredible farm-to-table dining with an outstanding menu, and a great service staff. Kelly was our server, and made some great recommendations! I asked Kelly if there was any bacon on the menu (my standard question) and she brought me a plate of locally-smoked jowl bacon. Although the
picture is unappetizing, the palate was astounding. I met the chef owner Stephen Williams; what a great place. Highly recommended.
I SENT MY FRIEND RODGER STUDWELL SOME BACON FOR HIS BIRTHDAY from the North Country (previously reviewed) and here was his reaction and review. Way to go, Rodg!
Peppered bacon with maple syrup was a hit this morning with the Studwell clan! Laura cooked it medium in a heavy skillet for about 20 mins, frequently turning with surprisingly little fat rendered. Texture was chewy like a thick softened jerky. Residue maple syrup gave it a smoked rib consistency and flavor. Coarse ground pepper gave a long lasting aftertaste that accented the smokey sweet jerky taste. After I sampled several strips, Laura made me the classic bacon egg and cheese on a bagel. Surely a great start to the weekend! We look forward to next weekend and the fruitwood smoked bacon debut.WHILE AT KOHLER, I PICKED UP SOME LOCAL BACON, which we'll test below.
Notice the case signage; very nice "KITCHENS OF KOHLER - THICK SMOKED BACON - Product of USA" at $5.39 a pound, I'm not seeing a huge spike in bacon prices.
Even the label was upscale, with a lot of information from a great printer.
THE REVIEW
You'll see the 3-way below (for rookie readers, pre-cooked at room temperature on the left, after flipping in the center, and draining on paper towels on the right), and it reflects a certain muted, paleness to the bacon, uncooked. I doubt if there are any additives to change the color (which some manufacturers tend to do).
The bacon was packaged at 1.000 pounds (seems like too much precision) and post cooking, weighed 4.8 ounces. It produced 150 ml of rendered fat.
Here's the very nicely printed label=====> The hickory aroma was strong out of the package, very intense. It crisped up well, but was more 'crunchy-chewy', or 'crunchewey'. There were some nice succulent pieces, and my son said they were "awesome. This is above average store bought, flavor 3.25, succulence 3.0, and crispness 3.5. Worth a re-do, but not a 4-hour drive out of your way to get. Stick with Oscar (which is the primary sponsor for the Northshore Baconfest, by the way) for every day.
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