Colored Bacon

It had to happen: Colored Bacon.

Neil Caldwell has come up with something that is pure genius. He has created the color wheel of bacon! No, this isn't some graphic design trick (although Neil is a graphic designer). This is real, genuine colored bacon.

Dibs on the blue one!

More From The Booger Hole Common Taters

This is all I could salvage from 5-6 video attempts this afternoon.

It's short because I faded it out just before wormpicker thought he made a mistake, stopped playing, threw his fiddle on the floor and stomped it to pieces. Then he set it on fire and started grilling some Memorial Day burgers and hot dogs. Fortunately, he brought two fiddles.

Bacon Baby

Unfortunately, it was just a cruel hoax. Babies throughout the world are very disappointed. Bacon Baby.

Bacon Gun

You'll need: bacon, tin foil, a 7.62mm machinegun, and about 200 rounds of ammunition: Cooking some bacon - The machine gun method.

You start by wrapping the barrel in tin foil. Then you wrap bacon around it, and tie it down with some string...

Do a little shootin' and you end up with this:

(via Blame it on the Voices)

Where Does Bacon Come From?

Survey: Brits think bacon comes from sheep.

A survey of British youngsters suggests 26 percent of the country's under-16 population erroneously believe bacon comes from sheep.

November Bacon Review

Ladies and gentlemen, this is the final installment of our monthly bacon reviews. Join me in thanking Mr. Curtington for his service to the community.

Edwards Hickory Smoked Country Bacon
S. Wallace Edwards & Sons of Surry, Virginia

Preparation:
Oven-fried at 400° F until it looked done, about nine minutes

Edwards Hickory Smoked Country Bacon comes from the ham capitol of the Universe so as you might expect, it is a classic American foodstuff that excels at maintaining a meat curing tradition that goes back 80 years. This medium sliced bacon doesn't mess around with it's own tradition of crafting a dry-cured bacon that is well above average, but not show-offy, thank you.

For some with more refined, even conservative, tastes, this meaty and easy-to-cook bacon could easily exceed their expectations. Its smoke is ample and forward, the plentiful lean has just the right salt to its bite and the fat is almost candied in the subtlety of its sweet. The meat has a clean, assertive and completely confident character that distinguishes itself by its humble excellence.

After a year of monthly samplings of some of the most ambitiously crafted bacons being created by American artisans, I fear my palate has become a bit jaded and overly vigilant for the next thrill. I found Edwards to be on the high side of adequate when I first tasted it - by itself - in a slow pondering chew. The nicely varied mouth feel was what most stood out, but the flavor was just... bacony.

But after a day's consideration and in a bacon and egg breakfast following a night of light eating and whiskey sampling, the true nature of Edwards became more pronounced; it is a very perfected example of a familiar sort of American bacon in which all the elements - the meat itself, the tempered smoking, the sugar & salt cure, the slice - are top shelf, the result of a tradition worth understanding and continuing.

Though at the moment I prefer a brasher rasher, I must acknowledge this superior example of traditional American baconry. I give Edwards Hickory Smoked Country Bacon 8 out of a possible 10 pigs and thank J-Walk and JWB readers for this year of living (and writing) piggishly.

His Royal Highness, Curtis Curtington
The Eternal Emperor of the Bacon Universe

Advances In Mayo

From the Food Lab at Serious Eats: Animal Fat Mayonnaise.

While I was reorganizing my freezer the other day so my wife could easily pull out the frozen dumplings without having to touch alligator legs, goose feet, or any number of other "experiments" going on in there at the moment, I came across a stash of rendered animal fats-beef, duck, and lamb, to be precise.

I'm the kind of cook who doesn't like throwing anything away, and sure, duck, beef, and lamb fats have their uses (think confit, burgers, or fried potatoes). But seriously-even I can't think of a way to consume a pint of each, and my freezer was getting awfully full.

Just as I was about to pack it in and tip them into the trash, I had one of those moments where jumbled images come swimming into your brain and suddenly crystallize into something so perfectly obvious that you start to say to yourself, "why didn't I think of that?" before happily realizing that you just did...

I thought to myself: "If I can make mayonnaise out of egg yolks and oil, why can't I make mayonnaise out of egg yolks and rendered animal fat?"

Several recipes are presented, including one that uses bacon fat ("baconnaise").

October Bacon Review

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to present the monthly highlight at the JWB. The fact that it's late only adds to the anticipatory enjoyment.

Black Pig Bacon
Healdsburg, CA

One preparation:
Oven-fried at 400º F for 17 minutes.

In the last review, various readers noted that by their lights I'd been giving too many high bacon ratings. Black Pig Bacon, though unique from every meat I've reviewed here in the last year, will be no exception to my enthusiastic celebration of all things greasy and tasty. For all readers wary and weary of this eater's glee, I suggest you find another place where the pickings are paltry, the chewing joyless and the enthusiasm dulled.

Because, damn, Black Pig Bacon is Mi-T-Fine piggy! The bacon - a collaboration between chefs Duskie Estes and John Stewart from restaurants Zazu and Bovolo -- is a beautiful example of what California chefs do best - find superior foodstuffs, be they dairy, grains, vegetables, seafood or meat - and create dishes and preparations that emphasize the essential qualities of the original ingredient.

This edible Zen practice from the Central Coast may seem overly simple to some (the wary and weary perhaps?), but to me it is not only a sensitive and evolved art, but also highly respectful of the critters and plants we humans harvest to feed body and soul.

So, let's meditate on the subject of bacon for a moment, shall we? Some of my favorites this year have been almost as much about the processing as about the hog. Not so this time.

Black Pig Bacon takes a minimalist's approach and dry cures its Pure Country Pork Farm pork bellies. Yes, there are delicate touches of salt, brown sugar and applewood smoke when one bites into a medium sliced strip of lard de porc noir, but the primary taste and mouth feel is porky.

A certain close-to-the-bone spare rib flavor asserts itself as one chews and confuses the brain with signals that say, "slow down and savor this perfect pig" and "hurry-up and swallow, somebody else is going to empty the bacon plate!"

These are very ample strips with lovely marbling of both fat within meat and meat within fat (see the photo of sunlight beaming through a strip as illustration).

When oven fried, the bacon releases not only rendered fat, but also some darker cracklings such as one gets when roasting meats.

Unfortunately, I was an idiot and shared this 12-ounce package with two teenage boys. It would have been great to experiment on some other dishes with this superior and unique Central Coast bacon.

The Duskie Estes & John Stewart recipe for Black Pig Bacon and Asparagus Carbonara that was included with the BOTMC shipment looks excellent.

I must give this bacon the full compliment of 10 oinkers. It's a delight!

Professor Emeritus Curtis Curtington, Esq.
President and Founder, JWB Interplanetary Smoked Meat Division

Note: Additional photos and the recipe mentioned in the review can be found in this zip file.

Bacon Review Tomorrow

I've been informed that a new bacon review will be submitted tomorrow. I will post it ASAP. This time, it will feature bacon made from a black pygmy the Black Pig Meat Co.

Notice the subliminal message in the label? The word EAT is in read.

BLT Challenge

One of the winning photos from the Best BLT Challenge Photo Contest.

September Bacon Review

Now that it's October, the September Bacon Review can be published.

J. Samuel Whiting Bacon
New Wilmington, PA

Two preparations:
Oven fried to crispy at 400°for 13 minutes;
Pan fried to medium.

We are in the presence of greatness here. When you have the good fortune (as I just have had) to tuck in to a serving of  J. Samuel Whiting Bacon, do so slowly, with patient reverence for the art and craft of bacon-making. Your careful contemplative chewing will be rewarded by a perfected maple cured meat experience of a significantly higher quality than any thin sliced bacon this reviewer has ever tasted.

Sam runs his own smokehouse and took 1st place in the 2005 Pennsylvania Meat Processor's Association competition, no doubt against many persnickety Pennsylvania pork participants. From these two tastings it is obvious that J. Samuel knows how to get the best local pork available from the farmers surrounding New Wilmington.

The meat itself is beautifully balanced between fat and lean with a substantial yet smooth consistency often lacking in thin sliced hog belly, therefore driving me to prefer thick sliced rashers. But with this bacon, the virtues of the thin slice (flavors more immediate on the tongue, a pleasant melting sensation, a nicer crispiness without the potential overcooked edges) become apparent. I would even say this bacon has widened my perspective of what a bacon reviewer must consider in judging a bacon's true worth, not unlike hearing a Wes Montgomery solo for the first time and thereafter having your understanding of what "guitar" is changed forever.

So finally, let's listen to the flavor. Sweetness dominates at first and continues to sound clearly as one chews. But smokey grace notes begin to accent the sweet in what becomes a pleasing call and response with each bite of this very delicately brined pork. Still, the final impression and pleasantly lingering aftertaste is savory, meaty and lush.

I never expected such a perfect bacon to come thinly sliced. Thanks for the edufication, Mr. Whiting. In nearly a year of taking bacon seriously, your composition resonates the most to this humble reviewer. I give J. Samuel Whiting Bacon 10 squealers out of a possible 10, and curse our resident Pennsylvania bacon lover for his good fortune.

- His Royal Highness Curtis Curtington
Senior Executive VP, Worldwide Smoked Meat Division

Note: All of the photos submitted for this review are available in a zip file. Also, stay tuned. Mr. Curtington has promised a follow-up article describing soup made with this bacon.

Bacon Review Tomorrow

I had several great blog posts planned for tomorrow, but they will have to wait. From the Senior Royal Executive VP, Worldwide Smoked Meat Division:

"I plan to make a soup recipe that came with this bacon that will make a nice photo, but I'm not going to delay the review until I get a chance to make that this weekend. Maybe you can just run that photo after the review to make people slather again? At any rate, I'll send the review tomorrow AM."

Here's a sneak preview for those who want to slather:

A slather-worthy bonus link: 100 ways to cook an egg.

Fat Skunk Loves Bacon

Bacon in the news: Obese skunk put on vegetarian diet to battle bacon addiction.

Mr. Bumble the skunk loves his bacon sandwiches, but his new owners have put him on a vegetarian diet to help shed the extra weight they've added to his frame.

At 14 pounds, Mr. Bumble is twice his ideal weight. His previous owners, who indulged his love for pork, gave him to the RSPCA and he now lives at Tropiquaria animal park near Watchet, Scotland where he's fed fruit and vegetables.

His new healthy diet, along with a daily exercise regimen, should help him shed the extra 7 pounds that have made his naturally sleek body so rotund. Skunks' natural diet in the wild is made up of insects, mice, greenery and dead animals.

Bacon Review Imminent?

I haven't received the official word from the Senior Executive VP, Worldwide Smoked Meat Division, but I think a bacon review will appear soon.

It's been four weeks since the last one, and I just feel it in my bones.

Meatini

Seems like a lot of work, but it might be worth it: Meatini.

I had a wonderful dream! A dream of a cocktail of meat! Specifically, a full English fried breakfast served in a cocktail glass made of bacon. Once in every lifetime true revelation strikes a man, and this was my moment of total clarity! This was my chance to make a mark on history!

You'll find lots of photos, all leading up to the end result:

Here is the Meatini in its full glory! Complete with mushroom umbrella, sausage swizzle stick and cherry tomato cherry! It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!