Important matters concerning the existence of Humanity - BACON

THParent said:
I cook outside on a Camp Chef two-burner stove (next to the gas grill and charcoal smoker, in my "outdoor kitchen"). I have the cast iron grill plates (flat griddle on one side, and ridged-grill on the other)
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I have heard that putting bacon on a cookie sheet in a cold oven and then baking, produces flat crispy bacon. I haven't tried it, though. My wife is not fond of the entire house smelling like bacon. Even though that seems unAmerican, I comply with her wishes. After all, she lets me live in the house I paid for. ;)
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Yep can confirm the cookie sheet/flat bacon...crispiness depends on how long you cook it of course. In the oven produces a more “tender” bacon (our family preference) if you don’t get to that crispy stage. Looks similar to the photo above of the bacon on the plate.

Bonus is that the whole house smells like bacon (@THParent wife) BC who doesn’t like that [emoji28]?

BTW, we get ours form an old-time meat market. Sooooo good. Wright’s is a backup.
 
I usually settle for Smithfields lower sodium, or thick cut. My grocers keep telling "But we're a beach store. What do you expect?". If I'm lucky enough to be 30-40 miles inland then I can stop at one of many pork specialty shops and get some real bacon. BTW Sept 28-29 is the NC Bacon Festival in Rocky Point. Let me know if you're going and we can meet somewhere. I hope to be there both days to really enjoy the bacony goodness.
 
funny-bacon2.jpg
 
justdoit19 said:
Anyone ever made their own bacon?
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I have made my own bacon about a dozen times. I do a lot of meat smoking and make a pretty mean brisket, but I have never tamed the bacon process. It turns out pretty good (with some tweaks each time), but I don't plan on making any more. The reason? I have access to the world best bacon just an hour away from me, and I cannot make my own bacon any better or less expensive.

Nueske's Meats makes the world's best bacon and supplies it to high end restaurants throughout North America. The stuff does not come cheap. However, once a year they have a closeout/truckload sale at their meat plant where you can get 30# cases of bacon for about $3 a pound. So once a year I head to that sale and load my truck with anywhere from 300 to 500# of the world's best bacon. After sharing some with family and friends, I put the rest in my chest freezer and thaw a 5# bag at a time.

I have tried baking and grilling bacon, but to me the only true way to cook it is in a frying pan over medium heat.

That's all I have to add to the best thread in years.

Stealth_81
 
Superb addition.

Now I have to go check that source out. I can always give DH some as a present, which he will know is really for me.

https://www.nueskes.com/store/bacon/
Yes, yes, yes is all I could say after a quick browse.

The only time I use the oven for bacon is when I need large batches. I line the broiler pan with heavy duty foil, load up the slotted top with bacon, bake at 400 in pre-heated oven, middle rack, checking every 10-15 minutes. The slotted top allows for drainage and cooking on both sides. This method is also good if you are glazing or spicing the bacon.

Of course, pour off bacon fat into clean mason jar!

For just a few strips, or if you are using some of the bacon fat in the same pan immediately for another use, I use medium heat and a deep skillet. On special occasions, I break out my grandmother’s heavy cast-iron skillet, the one with decades of service to bacon, sausage, eggs, French toast, fried potatoes, corn meal mush, corn bread and fried chicken.
 
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Capt MJ said:
On special occasions, I break out my grandmother’s heavy cast-iron skillet, the one with decades of service to bacon, sausage, eggs, French toast, fried potatoes, corn meal mush, corn bread and fried chicken.
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By pure coincidence, it just so happens that my plans have changed for next Sunday morning so if you're making that French toast with said bacon, I can be over by roughly 9:00 am if that works for you. Thank you again for your kind invitation!

(I would like my recently graduated Ensign to join us but alas, I fear he wouldn't appreciate the nuances and subtly of which we speak and he's better off at the dining hall at MIT where he currently resides)
 
Cast iron skillet cooking can be good for you, by the way. When Americans started cooking in stainless steel, they started getting iron deficiencies because they weren't getting the iron leeching from the cookware anymore.
Since you need about 19 mg of iron in your daily diet, cooking in a cast iron skillet can help you get that. Unless of course, you already eat foods rich in iron (Shellfish, Spinach, Legumes, Red Meat, Pumpkin Seeds, Quinoa,etc.) , or take an iron supplement.
 
Sydney C. said:
By pure coincidence, it just so happens that my plans have changed for next Sunday morning so if you're making that French toast with said bacon, I can be over by roughly 9:00 am if that works for you. Thank you again for your kind invitation!

(I would like my recently graduated Ensign to join us but alas, I fear he wouldn't appreciate the nuances and subtly of which we speak and he's better off at the dining hall at MIT where he currently resides)
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You are most virtually welcome.

The French toast is made with either Oregon Trail vanilla-scented raisin bread (it’s a 32-oz loaf!) or Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Roll Bread. Top-grade Vietnamese cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of ginger and cloves, and double-strength vanilla are added to the egg wash. The maple syrup is Canadian or Vermont or New Hampshire (courtesy of a sponsor alum whose family owns a share in a sugar maple co-op), Grade A Medium Amber. The butter is Cabot’s Unsalted, or if I’m really maxing out, Kerrygold Irish Butter.
And yes, bacon.
We do breakfast for dinner at least once a month here, now I’m thinking it is September, time for French toast.

Back to Bacon. I vote it deserves its own capitalization as a proper noun of great stature.
 
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Eight pages of Bacon musings. Impressive.

Bacon is red.
Bacon is rough.
One strip of bacon
Is never enough.
-The Internet

I googled “poetry about bacon.” Who knew?
Time to step away and do actual work now.
 
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Can’t wait for the pumpkin thread
 
Capt MJ said:
Sydney C. said:
By pure coincidence, it just so happens that my plans have changed for next Sunday morning so if you're making that French toast with said bacon, I can be over by roughly 9:00 am if that works for you. Thank you again for your kind invitation!

(I would like my recently graduated Ensign to join us but alas, I fear he wouldn't appreciate the nuances and subtly of which we speak and he's better off at the dining hall at MIT where he currently resides)
Click to expand...

You are most virtually welcome.

The French toast is made with either Oregon Trail vanilla-scented raisin bread (it’s a 32-oz loaf!) or Trader Joe’s Cinnamon Roll Bread. Top-grade Vietnamese cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of ginger and cloves, and double-strength vanilla are added to the egg wash. The maple syrup is Canadian or Vermont or New Hampshire (courtesy of a sponsor alum whose family owns a share in a sugar maple co-op), Grade A Medium Amber. The butter is Cabot’s Unsalted, or if I’m really maxing out, Kerrygold Irish Butter.
And yes, bacon.
We do breakfast for dinner at least once a month here, now I’m thinking it is September, time for French toast.

Back to Bacon. I vote it deserves its own capitalization as a proper noun of great stature.
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You need a food channel show of your very own.

On a more immediately important topic, how long will bacon keep in a cooler for a hurricane evacuee?
 
It depends upon the temperature of refrigeration. The standard answer is one week (past the sell by date) in the fridge (at "standard" temperature of 40°F). I keep my fridge set at 35°F - because I like the milk nice and cold - so maybe longer.
If it is frozen (0°F or lower) then bacon can last a good six months. If you are an evacuee however, the best you can hope for is refrigerated. Probably just cook ALL THE BACON before you bug out of town, so that you have enough snacks for driving, and sammich-makin' stuff for when you get there. ;)
 
I just KNEW someone was going to mention the PS phrase.
Bacon should not claim familial relation in any degree. It is allowed to experiment with the spice part.
 
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