Bacon

[soulman978]

What is the best bacon??

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/...-bacon-575379/

Big Bite Taste Test: Bacon!

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* by RachaelRaymag.com, on Mon Jan 25, 2010 11:41am PST

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We taste-tested pounds of bacon from the grocery store to find these sizzling winners.

BEST ORIGINAL: Ozark Trails Hickory Smoked and Peppered Bacon

Tasters loved this hand-trimmed winner for its “campfire smokiness” and “deep pig flavor.” Eating these hearty slabs, with their ideal meat-to-fat ratio, made one judge “feel like a lumberjack.” Read the full review »

How we'd eat it: Crisscross strips atop a burger for extra crunch, or eat with fried eggs at breakfast.
Try it in: Basted Eggs and Smoky Lentil-Bacon Salad »


BEST THICK-CUT: Jimmy Dean Thick Slice Premium Bacon

You might need a fork and knife to eat this chewy, country-style bacon. Much thicker than regular bacon strips, these slices are substantially delicious. “It’s salty, porky and fatty,” raved one judge. Read the full review »

How we'd eat it: One taster said she’d like to “douse it in steak sauce and down it like a filet.”
Try it in: Smokin' Chicken Burger »


BEST TURKEY: Oscar Mayer Turkey Bacon

With their reddish-purple hue, chewy texture and buttery flavor, these turkey strips are almost as tasty as the real thing—with half the fat. “It ain’t bacon, but it does a good job of fakin’!” noted one judge. Read the full review »

How we'd eat it: Use it in a BLT or chopped into a Cobb salad for a
lightened-up lunch.
Try it in: Bacon-and-Egg Club Sandwiches »


BEST SWEET: Beeler’s Uncured Apple-Cinnamon Bacon

This sugary, thick-cut bacon wooed judges with its “cinnamony-sweet” flavor. Each strip cooked up crisp around the edges, leaving the middle tender. One taster said, “It’s Christmas, isn’t it?” Read the full review »

How we'd eat it: Swap it in a savory breakfast dish, like an egg bake or bread, for a sweet surprise.
Try it in: Corn Bacon Muffins »


BEST ODDBALL: Mountain Products Smokehouse Country Sliced Chipotle Southwest Smoked Bacon
This pork is slab-smoked with apple and hickory wood chips, then rubbed with pepper and a spicy chipotle seasoning. One taster wanted it “hot out of the pan.” (at mountainproductssmokehouse.com) Read the full review »

How we'd eat it: One judge couldn’t wait to slice it into some gooey mac ’n’ cheese.
Try it in: Horseradish Mac 'n' Cheddar with Bacon »

[toast2266]

They lost credibility when they bothered testing turkey bacon.

[m01766]

[DAFTC]

The bacon I'm eatin'


Also, [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bacon_Explosion"]this[/ame]

[Sessiøn]

[KQ]

Can I choose "none of the above"?

I'm in love with cottage bacon that I get locally from Thundering Hooves. Lots of bacon, little fat and the prefect shape for placing under a fried egg.

The bacon I get is cut a little smaller than this but this picture is pretty close:

Cottage bacon is bacon made from the shoulder of a pig, resulting in lean pork meat without the characteristic fatty streaks many consumers associate with bacon. It can be used exactly like regular bacon, but tends to be a bit healthier, depending on how it is prepared. Just as with other cuts of bacon, the flavor of cottage bacon can vary widely, depending on the cure. Many butchers and grocers stock cottage bacon, or can special order it for customers who would like to try it out.

[Captain Awesome]

It may be cheating, but I have to say the best bacon is the bacon I made. And it's not hard.

I use the recipe from Ruhlman's "Charcuterie" (at http://m.columbiatribune.com/news/20...re-it-at-home/)

The curing salt is available via Amazon for something like $5 (enough to last a long time). Seriously, it's hard to imagine a more delicious bacon.

Now, I just need to find a good meat slicer...

[Pura Vida]

I use the recipe from Ruhlman's "Charcuterie" (at http://m.columbiatribune.com/news/20...re-it-at-home/)

If you don't own the book, get it. It will change your life. Well, well worth the ~20 bucks
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265055126&sr=8-1"]Amazon.com: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (9780393058291): Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn, Thomas Keller: Books[/ame]

[Bigdump]

If you are just getting some at the store in L.A., Farmer John!

[Captain Awesome]

If you don't own the book, get it. It will change your life. Well, well worth the ~20 bucks
Amazon.com: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (9780393058291): Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn, Thomas Keller: Books

I love my copy. I made blood sausage a few weeks ago (with fresh blood from a hog I helped, um, dispatch). I don't know that I'll be making that again... Sopressatta's next.

[Dantheman]

The curing salt is available via Amazon for something like $5 (enough to last a long time). Seriously, it's hard to imagine a more delicious bacon.

If I were making homemade bacon I would sure as shit skip the nitrites. The meat will be a duller color but it will still taste great. Also, if it's not smoked it's not technically bacon.

[Pegleg]

I'm intrigued by the concept of makin' bacon...

School me on nitrites. I've been told they're bad, specifically because they cause cancer; but I've also seen studies that say, in fact, that they do not cause cancer (and I believe nitrites are not listed under California law as a carcinogen). What's the deal?

Also, if you're not using nitrites, aren't you increasing the risk of botulism substantially? That seems like a little more pressing of an issue to me (but I'm ignorant).

[Pura Vida]

I'm intrigued by the concept of makin' bacon...

School me on nitrites. I've been told they're bad, specifically because they cause cancer; but I've also seen studies that say, in fact, that they do not cause cancer (and I believe nitrites are not listed under California law as a carcinogen). What's the deal?

Also, if you're not using nitrites, aren't you increasing the risk of botulism substantially? That seems like a little more pressing of an issue to me (but I'm ignorant).

Buy the book, it will answer all your questions and more.
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Charcuterie-Craft-Salting-Smoking-Curing/dp/0393058298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265060909&sr=1-1-spell"]Amazon.com: Charcuterie: The Craft of Salting, Smoking, and Curing (9780393058291): Michael Ruhlman, Brian Polcyn, Thomas Keller: Books[/ame]

[DJSapp]

I may be partial since my dad grew up with their family, but Burgers Smokehouse out of California, MO is probably the best in all pork products in the Nation. Been doing it (almost) the same way since the twenties.

http://www.smokehouse.com/burgers.ns...25693500729022

Yes, they ship but it is much cheaper if you can stop by the smokehouse, and is one of a few places where you can not only buy a whole slab of bacon, but have a large selection of slabs to choose from.

[Dantheman]

You don't see nitrates/nitrites listed as carcinogens because they aren't. But, when you combine them with protein and strong acids (i.e. a belly fully of bacon) they form nitrosamines, which are quite carcinogenic.

On the question of botulism, based on reading I have done it seems that fear/purpose stems primarily from canned meats and poor canning procedures used by early meat packers. The nitrites would prevent botulism even if the product didn't get heated hot enough and/or long enough to kill the bacteria. It got carried into modernity because it preserved the color of the meat well (god damn american consumers and their vanity food, but that is another rant).

If you are making bacon at home though, you will be doing your curing in the fridge and storing your bacon in the freezer. In that situation, I see no way that botulism becomes an issue. Plus, people cured meats with just salt or salt/sugar for millenia.

If you do eat nitrite bacon, ascorbic acid (vitamin c) has been shown to be an effective nitrosamine inhibitor. So drink some OJ or pile on the T on your BLT.

[Pura Vida]

You don't see nitrates/nitrites listed as carcinogens because by themselves they are harmless.

As far as I know the reason "pink salt" aka instacure, etc is colored pink is so you can clearly tell it is not salt. Eating nitraties/nitrites on their own is not something you'd ever want to do, dangerous and posionous. If you use them at home you want them to be clearly marked and far away from curious little hands and mouths.

[Dantheman]

OK, I should clarify: Harmless in the amounts present in a serving of bacon, and definitely not carcinogenic.

[Liveezy]

Yah i have one of those Ortovox f1's.. The strap is frayed but its good.

[Pura Vida]

OK, I should clarify: Harmless in the amounts present in a serving of bacon, and definitely not carcinogenic.

but sprinkling some "pink salt" on your steak just to see what's it's like = not harmless

As far as the original topic; my favorite bacon is from Meadow Farms Smokehouse in Bishop, CA. Great balance of meat, fat and smoke, and tastes damn good.

Bacon is a good one to try making at home, as DTM mentioned, you end up cooking it, so it's a lot safer for a novice to try curing at home without getting people sick vs something like soppressata.

[Dantheman]

but sprinkling some "pink salt" on your steak just to see what's it's like = not harmless

Definitely true, original post edited so no one wins a darwin award.

[funkendrenchman]

Their soul food bacon.

[Buke]

I agree the best bacon is the bacon I make. Rhulman's book is great. I made 6# of chorizo and 6# of breakfast sausage based on recipes in that book around christmas. Turned out toally awesome. I doubt I'm likely to buy much bacon or sausage from here on out since I can make it at least as good as the expensive stuff you buy at the store.

[Pegleg]

I clearly need to get Rhulman's book. The thought of making my own bacon is dizzying.

[Danno]

I clearly need to get Rhulman's book. The thought of making my own bacon is dizzying.

Heck, the thought of tasting the bacon you make is dizzying.

[legallyillegal]