Bacon!


 
John K BBQ

John K BBQ

TVWBB All-Star
Bacon is one of the best things in the world.... what other ingredient can be the best part of breakfast, or be the "secret weapon" that makes your recipe THAT MUCH better? My grandparents even used to have bacon, mashed potatoes and sliced tomatoes for dinner on some nights! What is your favorite brand of bacon, and where does it come from? Do you like any big-brand bacon? Do you use any "weird bacon"?

My favorite brand of bacon is "Burgers Smoke House" which comes from California Missouri (we also have a Texas County in Missouri, where the county seat is Houston :oops:. I like the "medium slice" bacon not thin, not thick.. Medium slice cooks up better in the oven, and always has a good fat to meat ratio. Oddly my second pick is Oscar Meyer medium slice, very close 2nd to my fav, but the price is about the same as my #1 ($12/lb) and I support local whenever it makes sense. I use these mostly for breakfast...

I have two favorite "weird" bacon options, both are less expensive than my favorite First smoked hog jowl,,, i think of it as the the American version of guanciale. Both come from the pig's cheek. Processing may be slightly different, but if it's labeled "Guanciale" it's $17/lb. If it's hog jowl, it's $5/lb! I've also found "Bacon Scraps" from Burger's Smoke House for about $5/lb I like using hog jowl or bacon scraps in recipes where bacon is an ingredient because it tastes just as good, it's a little easier to dice. and it fits in a smaller ziplock bag if you don't use it all. Hog jowl seems to have a similar fat to meat ratio vs. my favorite breakfast bacon. The bacon scraps look to be mostly "end scraps"

Let's talk about bacon!
 
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I like bacon! :)

I haven't made any in a while...... been in a Candian Bacon rut as far as homemade goes. If I buy bacon, it's usually the thick cut style that they sell at my CostCo (don't recall the brand off-hand.)

Without bacon, there would just be anarchy! ;)

R
 
John K BBQ said:
My favorite brand of bacon is "Burgers Smoke House" which comes from California Missouri (we also have a Texas County in Missouri, where the county seat is Houston :oops:.
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Burgers is good stuff; if you haven't tried their jowl bacon (but I'm guessing you have) you need to do so ASAP. As a sidebar, my local grocery has Burgers ham ends & pieces for less than deli ham and it makes great sandwiches. And as you mentioned, Burgers "bacon scraps" are great for cooking. However, up here we have Nueske's...

John K BBQ said:
I have contingency plans for a toilet paper shortage. Not sure what I'd due if my mega mart ran out of bacon 🤣
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Note to self: never trust John's recipe for "chocolate" covered bacon...:sick:
 
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Brad Olson said:
Burgers is good stuff; if you haven't tried their jowl bacon (but I'm guessing you have) you need to do so ASAP. As a sidebar, my local grocery has Burgers ham ends & pieces for less than deli ham and it makes great sandwiches. And as you mentioned, Burgers "bacon scraps" are great for cooking. However, up here we have Nueske's...


Note to self: never trust John's recipe for "chocolate" covered bacon...:sick:
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A few stores have Nueske's in St. Louis - that brand is kinda "famous" but I haven't tried it yet. Does it live up to the hype?
 
For the most part it does, if you like a leaner bacon. It's not horribly salty and doesn't have a fake smoke taste, and after cooking there's still plenty of meat. Last summer I lucked into a 4 lb. package of ends & pieces for $13 and while it was fattier than their standard slabs it was still great.

I have a package of "steak bacon" from Holmen Locker in Holmen, WI and it's so pretty I can't bring myself to eat it. I suspect it's probably very similar to the bacon served at Peter Luger's.
 
With the exception of using pork belly bacon for wrapping grilled appetizers, garnishing burgers and things that require the fat, we seldom use anything but home cured. I do Irish bacon, which is a lot like Canadian bacon, and buckboard bacon. Both are very lean, so healthier for us old folks. Not that we give a rat's backside. When I do buy bacon, it's usually what's on sale. I've got a couple of 3 lb. packages in the freezer that likely won't be opened until late Spring or early Summer when grilling season gets back into full swing.
 
Homemade preferred, of course, but for store bought we like Costco's Kirkland brand.
Four one pound packages for a decent price.

For jowl bacon, I like to make my own.
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Pig Face Bacon Cheeseburger Beatin' Old Man Winter Blues

I've got the wind's blowin' cold, wanna grill me a burger blues last time I tried, froze my beer, but that ain't no real big news my mind is a willing, but the body says no put on my big coat, right out the door I go a lil' touch of booze, to take off the chill and maybe one more, hell yes...
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Bob - love everything about that 2014 pig face bacon post. Poetry, whiskey, bacon cheese burgers and thumbin' your nose at the cold weather... also brings up a good point that jowl bacon is a perfect fit for bacon cheese burgers!
 
Please forgive me:cry: (I can't believe I am about to say this). DH and I have decided just recently that we need to cu....cu......cut back on how much bacon we eat. There, I said it. I am going to go wash my mouth out with soap.
 
Joan said:
Please forgive me:cry: (I can't believe I am about to say this). DH and I have decided just recently that we need to cu....cu......cut back on how much bacon we eat. There, I said it. I am going to go wash my mouth out with soap.
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Or......can just.increase meds.....Lipitor?

I too try not to eat bacon too much. One or two.mornings a month usually. So thats about 1 lb month for me.
 
Thanks to some forum members Jim Lampe and Bob Correll I haven't bought any bacon in about 4-5 years. Been curing my own and lovin it. One of the few things I smoke really well. Started out using Morton's tender quick and now use Buckboard Bacon Cure. Always have a couple of pork bellies and pork loins in the freezer.
 
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