Eat Right with Bacon

I've unfortunately become quite familiar with the room service menu at a hotel where I've been staying for work over the last several weeks. But tonight I noticed something new about the menu.

Of the dozens of options on the menu, there are two that are labeled "Eat Right," which I assume means they have a nutritional value that is in some way superior to everything else on the menu.

Both of the "Eat Right" options contain bacon.

This hotel is feeling more and more like home every day.

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A Great Olympian

Michael Phelps may be the greatest Olympian ever, but the athlete who best represents the Bacon Nation at the 2008 Olympics is track and field star Lauryn Williams.

Yesterday in a post-race interview, she was asked what she misses most about her training diet. Her answer? "Bacon."

And according to an interview in USA Today back in July:

"At a time when track is plagued by news of athletes taking mysterious and banned chemicals, new sprint sensation Lauryn Williams admitted during the weekend that she, too, was about to ingest a forbidden substance. Having made the Olympic team in the women's 100 meters, Williams defiantly said, 'I'm going to have some bacon for breakfast.'"

Lauryn has also reportedly been quoted as saying that she "could eat a whole package of bacon" by herself.

The Bacon Nation is cheering for you, Lauryn!

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Lobster BLT

St. Regis Hotel, Washington, DC, 8/11/08, 12:30 pm

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Book draft update

Thanks to everyone who sent me stories and recipes in response to my request for contributions for my book about bacon. All of your feedback was great, and in some cases quite entertaining, so I really appreciate it! I'm wrapping up my first draft this week, and your input truly helped me end this first phase of the book writing process on a really good note.

I am still in search of a few more recipes, so if you have something you think is particularly good, let me know. I'm particularly interested in recipes where you wrap bacon around something.

Thanks again and I'll continue to keep you updated on progress with the book. And now that I've completed this first big phase in the writing process, I'll get back to more regular updates here on Bacon Unwrapped!

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Be in my book!

I must confess...I have a little secret I've been keeping from most of you for the last couple months.

I'm writing a book about bacon!

I've dropped some hints here and there, but for numerous reasons I wasn't in a position to openly talk about it here on Bacon Unwrapped until now. Long story short...HarperCollins has decided the world needs a book dedicated solely to the wonderful, glorious topic of bacon, and somehow I've become the chosen voice of this venture. It's a true blog-to-book cinderella story. The book is scheduled to be published next spring.

For the last four months, I've been pulling double shifts between my day job and spending nights/weekends studying, conducting interviews, philosophizing, and waxing poetically about the Best Meat Ever. And somehow I've still managed to find time here and there to post updates on this blog about everything else going on in the world of bacon. Despite the hard work and long hours, the process has actually been a lot of fun. But now I'm in the home stretch. And I need your help.

The underlying concept of my book about bacon is that I want to tell the story through people whose lives are impacted by bacon - whether you are a chef, curer, or just someone who eats a lot of bacon. And since my life destiny with bacon began here on this humble little website, it is only fitting that you all have the opportunity play a part in this project of mine.

So here's what I need from you, the loyal Bacon Nation. I have a few questions for you to answer in the comments section. You don't have to answer all the questions - just answer those to which you relate. If your responses are good, you just might be included in the book. So hit me with your best shot and I'll keep you updated as the book progresses. Thanks for your help!

1. Do you have a favorite restaurant (diner, hamburger joint, etc) where you like to eat because of the bacon? If so, tell me all about it.

2. Do you have any memorable stories that involve bacon?

3. Other than eating a piece of bacon on its own, what is your favorite way to eat bacon?

4. What is the most unusual use for bacon that you've ever encountered?

5. Do you have a really good recipe involving bacon that you are willing to share?

6. And if you have a bacon-related story that you think is really great but just doesn't fit into one of the previous categories, feel free to share!

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Still the happiest song ever

I've posted about this before, but this video about pork from Weebl's is still one of my all-time favorite bacon related things ever created on the interweb. Whenever I need a 'pick me up', I put this video on a loop for a few minutes. It's a guaranteed mood lifter and it's the only tune I don't mind having stuck in my head for 3 days.



Sing along!
Pork! It's the meat of kings!
It's made from pig, try it with onion rings.
Pork sure goes with everything, cause it's made from swine, and swine sure tastes fine.
Just bring some to the picnic baby,
You know you wanna stuff it in my hamper.
But please put it in some tupperware
'Cause I don't wanna be a porky chancer.
Let's talk about pork.
Converse about meat.
Veggies get wedgies cause meat can't be beat!
Ham and bacon, you should taste them.
I know it's surprising but it's so appetizing!

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Makin' Bacon, Alton Brown Style

For a "Scrap Iron Chef" version of the Food Network show Good Eats, Alton Brown demonstrates that makin' bacon is not only easy, but fun (thanks to reader Greg for the tip).

(the episode is broken up into two videos)

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Bacon Ranch Pringles

I'm filing this purchase under "things you buy at a truck stop in the middle of Missouri when you are hungry but too lazy to stand in line at the Subway next door to get a sandwich."

Bacon Ranch Pringles sounded heavenly at the time. But they were actually kind of disappointing.

Don't get me wrong - I'm the type of person who can inhale an entire can of Pringles in under 10 minutes. I looooove the salty taste of a classic Pringles chip. And the Bacon Ranch Pringles tasted just as good as any other flavor of Pringles. But they just don't taste bacony. When you breath the chip in before you insert it into your mouth, you get a slight hint of smokiness. But after that there really isn't a smoky taste. It just tastes like ranch dressing on a salty Pringles chip.

So Bacon Ranch Pringles weren't unpleasant, but they just weren't what I expected. I probably should have just sucked it up and gone to Subway.

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Bacon Mints

I realize I'm not the first blogger to write about Uncle Oinker's Savory Bacon Mints, but I finally just got around to sampling them for the first time and of course I need to share my thoughts with you.

Surprisingly, these mints smell worse than they actually taste. They don't taste as shockingly bad as you might think they would. But still, they aren't something I'll be carrying around in my purse on a regular basis. Bottomline - if you're trying to freshen your breath with a bacon mint, you'll need to chase it with a regular mint to accomplish that goal. Bacon mints are a fun novelty gift to give the bacon lover in your life, but I don't see them becoming a widespread replacement for Certs anytime soon...

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Bacon Mania on Salon.com

There's a new article up on Salon.com about all that is wonderful and glorious about bacon (with quotes from yours truly). Click here to read.

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Bacon Toothpicks

I hope you're enjoying the 4th of July holiday!

I recently received bacon toothpicks as a belated birthday gift from my brother and sister-in-law. For as many bacon gifts as I've received in the last few years, surprisingly I've never received the bacon toothpicks before.

Like the bacon mints I tasted a couple days ago, bacon toothpicks smell worse than they taste. Even though they are packaged in a tin container, the toothpicks are also wrapped in plastic to keep the flavors "fresh.". You can smell the smoky scent before you even tear open the plastic.

The toothpicks do have a smoky taste. But it's not exactly a taste I'm looking for when trying to clean my teeth...

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Easy Cheese Cheddar 'n Bacon

I have a complicated relationship with Easy Cheese. I know I shouldn't eat it, and I usually don't - it's not the kind of thing I keep in my kitchen on a regular basis, mostly for purposes of avoiding temptation. But when I do get my hands on some Easy Cheese, I lose all control. And if there are Wheat Thins around, oh boy, just get out of the way.

I was pretty excited to try the Cheddar 'n Bacon flavor. I found it at a grocery store during my cross country drive, but decided to wait until I got home to try it. So the first night I was in Idaho, I broke out some crackers and sprayed away.

It was sinfully delicious just like regular Easy Cheese, and the Cheddar 'n Bacon version definitely has a smoky taste to it. But I'm not sure I would call it a bacon flavor. That doesn't mean I didn't power through several rounds before forcing myself to stop. But don't expect a strong bacony taste when you eat this Easy Cheese flavor.

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Easy Mac with Bacon

In early June I put out an APB to family and friends so they could help me find Easy Mac with Bacon. I had searched high and low at numerous grocery stores for several weeks and still hadn't been able to find a container.

Within 2 days of asking my family and friends to help me find this product, I called off the search because a truck stop in Mt. Vernon, Illinois came to the rescue. I stopped for gas and batteries, and left with Easy Mac with Bacon. I was practically skipping with joy to the car.

But unfortunately my joy quickly turned to disappointment. I realize Easy Mac isn't the highest quality macaroni and cheese one can consume, but this was pretty disappointing. The bacon bits were barely detectable (the black arrows in the picture point to the bacon bits). It was basically like taking store-bought bacon bits and shaking the final dust from the bottom of the bag into the macaroni and cheese. And the flavor of the bacon was bleh.

I'm not embarrassed to admit that I actually like Kraft macaroni and cheese out of the box, so a better option would be to cook and crumble your own bacon into some macaroni and cheese rather than going the Easy Mac route.

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Bacon Nation Unwrapped: Breakfast of Champions

Recent news from the Bacon Nation...

• Chocolate covered bacon takes one more step towards becoming mainstream.
• A Nutella, peanut butter and bacon sandwich is another way to enjoy the combination of bacon with sweet flavors.
• Endless Simmer takes a tour of bacon cocktails around the country.
• Theories of Bacon reviews bacon flavored potato chips.
  

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The End of the Bacon Road

After 3540 miles, my bacon tour of America has finally come to an end. So I want to take a moment and thank everyone who hosted me on my trip.

June Scott at Scott Country Hams
Nancy Newsom Mahaffey at Newsom's Country Hams
Ronny and Beth Drennan at Broadbent Country Hams
Mike Sloan at Swiss Meats
Jeff Bruning at the High Life Lounge
Brooks Reynolds
Herb and Kathy Eckhouse at La Quercia
Steve and Kathy Wesley
Thielen Meats
And all of the friends and family who let me stay with them along the way.

Every single person I met with was incredibly gracious with their time and knowledge. It was a truly enjoyable and educational two weeks.

It is worth mentioning that there are a couple businesses who declined an interview, and the reason usually had to do with them being too skeptical of what a blogger might write about their business. Given some of the coverage that pork and bacon producers have received in recent years - some of it earned, some of it not - I can't really blame them for erring on the cautious side. Whether or not you agree with what some of these companies do for a living, I personally think it's unfortunate that the food industry has become so highly politicized in recent years that the debate on issues has reached a point where certain players in the industry are hesitant to talk to anyone.

But if I've learned anything during my tour, it's that there are a lot of real, honest, good people in this industry who are producing products with a tremendous amount of love and care (and they all seem to be having a lot of fun doing it). And I'm grateful to everyone who took the time to meet with me.

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Thielen Meats "Famous Bacon"

In the small town of Pierz, Minnesota, which is located an hour north of St. Cloud and two hours from Minneapolis, there is a butcher with a big reputation.

Thielen Meats has been in the business of custom butchery and bacon curing for over 80 years. Minnesotans will drive many miles to visit the store. But in recent years, thanks largely to some national media coverage, Thielen's has also developed a following from outside Minnesota.

Thielen Meats was my last smokehouse stop on my cross country bacon tour of America. When you pull up to the store and step out of your car, you are instantly greeted with the smell of smoking meat before you even enter the store. For the most part, the store looks like any standard butcher shop in the United States. But the real magic happens in the back where there are three very large custom built smoking rooms (hence the reason that practically the entire city block smells like bacon). Thielen Meats smokes their bacon with a special blend of three hardwoods that is still a family secret. I was able to sample a few strips in the breakroom before taking the tour - even though it was early in the day and I had already eaten bacon for breakfast just an hour before, I was still able to find room for the Thielen bacon because it was just that delicious.

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Manny's Steakhouse Bacon Appetizer

A couple days ago I wrote about the bacon appetizer at Psycho Suzi's in Minneapolis, MN. Psycho Suzi's is a very casual establishment - their bacon appetizer is served on toothpicks.

On the other end of the bacon appetizer spectrum is the bacon at Manny's Steakhouse which is located just a few miles across town from Psycho Suzi's. Both establishments use applewood smoked bacon, but that's about where the similarities end. Manny's is a traditional upscale steakhouse, so I guess you could say their bacon appetizer has slightly more "class" (ie a higher price tag). For $11.95 you get two thick - and I mean THICK - slices of grilled applewood smoked bacon. The meat is on the crispy side and the velvety strips of fat are incredibly rich - I barely made it through one of the slices myself. If you find yourself at Manny's (they also have a Miami location), I suggest sharing one of these appetizers with a friend - particularly if you're planning to chase it with a steak.

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Bacon Nation Unwrapped: Summer Vacation Ideas

Recent news from the Bacon Nation...

• Mad Meat Genius celebrates the 100th birthday of Milk Bones by making Bacon Dog Biscuits for his hounds.
• A 10 year old Oregon boy with leukemia is recognized for his "Bacon Boy" superhero cartoon (via reader Teena)
• Flights to England are expensive this summer because of fuel prices. So instead of going to visit the real Stonehenge, just stay at home and make a Baconhenge instead (via reader Jordan)
• I tried bacon toothpicks for the first time the other day and almost gagged, so I think I'll be passing on bacon floss (numerous readers emailed me about this one -thanks everyone!)
• Wild hog hunting in Texas goes to a whole new level.
  

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Screw Salmonella, BLT Season is Here!

The beginning of summer traditionally marks that time of year when we start to crave BLT sandwiches made with fresh ingredients.


So ignoring Tomatogate 2008, today I threw caution into the wind and made a BLT for lunch. But not only did my BLT have tomatoes on it (vine ripened - supposedly safe - if not Joe Albertson will be hearing from me), but I also used sun-dried tomato bacon from Broadbent Hams. How do ya like that, Mr. Salmonella?


This was my first time tasting Broadbent's sun-dried tomato bacon - I was given a sample to take home when I visited their facility a couple weeks ago. There are two important things about frying this kind of bacon so that you don't burn off the flavor: LOW and SLOW. The sun-dried tomato flavor is very subtle, but it does add a slight tangy flavor to the bacon.

The BLT - always great way to kick off the summer season.

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Pyscho Suzi's Bacon Appetizer

I have a strange love of tiki bars. As kitschy and cheesy as they are sometimes, tiki bars tend to have a quirkier personality than your average neighborhood watering hole that makes the experience of drinking there that much more fun. Some might say I'm a bit quirky myself, so I guess the attraction is natural.

When I heard about a bar in Minneapolis called Psycho Suzi's that not only has a tiki theme, but also has a particular affinity for bacon, I promptly added it as a stop on my cross country bacon tour.

Psycho Suzi's menu features an appetizer called "Plate o' Bacon." For $5.95, you get seven thick applewood slices of bacon that are curled up and skewered with a toothpick and served on a bed of lettuce (mmm...and nutritious, too!). The bacon is also featured during happy hour at a discounted price.

Also, check out this note written on a stall in the women's bathroom. I wonder how that got there...

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