Who eats bacon?

[Philliefan33]

Baked beans are pressure cooked in the can. That little piece of pork is for flavor.

 

[Venturer]

Wow, I think I’ve been there!

My cousin from north GA was interested in their version of prosciutto. Unfortunately I did not know to try their bacon!

Audrey, I pass thru there a lot as I'm going up US 411 to visit some friends or to go to the Smokies either on my motorcycle or with my camper. It is an unpretentous place but produces great hams and bacon.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Applewood Beans and Bacon by KC Masterpiece were the best IOHO Pork and Beans on the Planet. But Bush's marketing was a lot better, and we cannot find them anymore in our town. We really dislike Bush's beans and as a result eat a lot less, almost no baked beans.

Shame.

 

[frank]

At least a couple of pounds a month, usually more.
We have a local butcher shop that makes its own double smoked bacon, and it is superb.
But I often make it myself as well. Pretty easy to do as long as you have access to pork bellies, and Costco usually has them.

have you got a recipe for the homemade bacon?

 

[CincyDave]

Hunk? you say? You mean that tiny sliver of something they put in pork & beans?
I had a friend go blind trying to find that tiny piece.

Ha Ha. Like finding the baby in a King Cake. Fortunately cheap canned baked beans are easy to doctor up with some onions, peppers, bacon, ham, BBQ sauce or whatever you happen to have on hand.

 

[skyking1]

This thread is a prime example of needing new forum software with "like"s, multiple choices for the likes button.
When the tomatoes are ready in the lower Yakima valley I bring home a lug and some fresh lettuce and it's BLT time.

 

[braumeister]

have you got a recipe for the homemade bacon?

You can google tons of recipes and everyone develops their own version. Here's a good place to start:
https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/bacon-recipes/

 

[pacergal]

Love bacon, but don't eat it much.
Nothing better than a BLT in the summer with home grown lettuce and tomato!
We have smoked our own pork belly once to make bacon. It was very good.
When we do cook it, I save the bacon fat. Great for flavoring other veggies, soups, etc.
And of course, a good fried egg, fried in the bacon fat is terrific! Have that maybe 1-2 times a year.

 

[Walt34]

Whenever it's offered I'll have some bacon. I cannot understand someone not liking it. We don't eat it often since it such a pita and messy to cook. And it doesn't keep any better than ice cream or chocolate.

 

[OldShooter]

Yes, a whole lot of vegetables contain nitrates, especially celery.

Yes. One of my petty amusements is the case at Trader Joe's where all the meats are marked "uncured." This is actually a consumer fraud abetted by the FDA. All of those are cured with celery juice, but apparently someone convinced the FDA that the amount of cure was a little uncertain, hence the meats could not be considered cured. Of course the manufacturers know the amount of cure pretty much down to the molecule count, but they rejoice in the consumer fraud. Check the ingredients list. It will almost always list celery, though there is one other vegetable that IIRC is sometimes used.

have you got a recipe for the homemade bacon?

Here's my quickie: Morton's Tender Quick per the package directions. Vacuum seal the pork belly. (My sealer won't take a whole belly, so I cut it lengthwise and have two bags.)Refrigerate the packages for a couple of weeks, turning them once in a while. Cold smoke to taste; try 6, 12, and 24 hours. I use this gadget: https://www.amazon.com/MAZE-N-Pellet-Smoker-Smoking-Works/dp/B007ROPJ1M in an old metal-box that was originally an LP smoker: https://www.campchef.com/smoke-vault-24/CC-SMV24S.html but pretty much any enclosure will do. It just needs enough air leak to keep the pellets smoldering.

(Purists will object to this because the Tender Quick includes sodium nitrate that is unnecessary for this cure, but we are not dead yet. )

 

[audreyh1]

Yes. One of my petty amusements is the case at Trader Joe's where all the meats are marked "uncured." This is actually a consumer fraud abetted by the FDA. All of those are cured with celery juice, but apparently someone convinced the FDA that the amount of cure was a little uncertain, hence the meats could not be considered cured. Of course the manufacturers know the amount of cure pretty much down to the molecule count, but they rejoice in the consumer fraud. Check the ingredients list. It will almost always list celery, though there is one other vegetable that IIRC is sometimes used.

It is indeed so bizarre that products cured using celery juice or celery salt are required by law to put “uncured” on the label. This is of very long standing BTW and may date back to when people wanted to be sure what they purchased was properly cured. In practice these “uncured” products today probably contain more nitrates than those using pink salt for curing. I’ve also seen “no nitrates added” on products like Boars Head charcuterie except that they added celery juice which contains lots of nitrates!

The human body makes nitrates, uses nitrates readily and tons of food particularly many vegetables contain plenty of nitrates/nitrates. I’m not concerned about them. There may even be a health benefit.

Some say it’s not the nitrates that are carcinogenic but rather the nitrosamines created when cured meat is subject to high temps. Moral: don’t burn your bacon!

 

[Toast]

We love bacon and eat it frequently. We also save the bacon grease.

@Robbie’s description of a BLT should be used on restaurant menus.

 

[explanade]

My medical condition recommends no processed meats because of the salt. Still, I’ll cheat and have bacon, ham and a few other treats from time to time. Before my medical situation changed, I’d have bacon once or twice a week when I went out for breakfast.

What about the nitrates and nitrites?

Yeah I've been avoiding pizza with pepperoni and all the charcuterie which is so common in Europe and increasingly charcuterie plates in the US. I try to find chicken or meat sandwiches but now burgers are very common there, which wasn't the case 20-30 years ago.

Never craved bacon like other people do but if a hotel breakfast has it, I might have some but not every day.

 

[explanade]

It is indeed so bizarre that products cured using celery juice or celery salt are required by law to put “uncured” on the label. This is of very long standing BTW and may date back to when people wanted to be sure what they purchased was properly cured. In practice these “uncured” products today probably contain more nitrates than those using pink salt for curing. I’ve also seen “no nitrates added” on products like Boars Head charcuterie except that they added celery juice which contains lots of nitrates!

The human body makes nitrates, uses nitrates readily and tons of food particularly many vegetables contain plenty of nitrates/nitrates. I’m not concerned about them. There may even be a health benefit.

Some say it’s not the nitrates that are carcinogenic but rather the nitrosamines created when cured meat is subject to high temps. Moral: don’t burn your bacon!

I seem to recall reading that celery juice nitrates aren't the same as nitrates used in cured meats but that there's a suspicion it converts to it or isn't so benign?

I'd be curious about rates of cancer in Europe compared to other countries which don't consume as much cured meats.

Now increasingly burgers are commonly served but burgers still cost more than say a sandwich from a few thin slices of mortadella or prosciutto or other cured meats which are so common over there.

So the locals may still consume cold cuts rather than burgers, which has its own problems if over consumed.

 

[audreyh1]

I seem to recall reading that celery juice nitrates aren't the same as nitrates used in cured meats but that there's a suspicion it converts to it or isn't so benign?

I'd be curious about rates of cancer in Europe compared to other countries which don't consume as much cured meats.

Now increasingly burgers are commonly served but burgers still cost more than say a sandwich from a few thin slices of mortadella or prosciutto or other cured meats which are so common over there.

So the locals may still consume cold cuts rather than burgers, which has its own problems if over consumed.

It’s the same. Nitrates/nitrites are very simple molecules. NO3- NO2- and NO for nitric oxide. They readily convert back and forth to each other. Much ado about nothing IMO.

Also plenty of traditional European charcuterie such as prosciutto and jamon is cured with only plain salt and long drying.

 

[ls99]

Yes, Bacon, a few times a week. Besides, the the stuff converted NO is good stuff.

 

[audreyh1]

Just some informative comments about nitrites/nitrates from Chris Kresser:

In fact, the study that originally connected nitrates with cancer risk and caused the scare in the first place has since been discredited after being subjected to a peer review. There have been major reviews of the scientific literature that found no link between nitrates or nitrites and human cancers, or even evidence to suggest that they may be carcinogenic. Further, recent research suggests that nitrates and nitrites may not only be harmless, they may be beneficial, especially for immunity and heart health. Confused yet? Let’s explore this issue further.

https://chriskresser.com/the-nitrate-and-nitrite-myth-another-reason-not-to-fear-bacon/

I think the problem is certain beloved foods make people think something must be wrong with them: coffee/caffeine, chocolate, eggs, cheese, bacon and ham. They get studied over and over again, always looking for a problem. These are traditional foods made the pretty much still the same way, although certainly in the case of big factory meat processing who knows what is happening there. So buy cured meats still made with traditional methods from a reputable supplier, or learn to make your own!

Other foods constantly get pushed as being healthy when they are anything but: fruit juices, highly processed breakfast cereals, margarine, highly processed seed oils. Lots of marketing dollars pushing those as “healthier” alternatives to traditional foods.

Oh, and don’t even get me started on the dietary advice to limit salt!

 

[audreyh1]

I enjoy any type of bacon (any real pork bacon of course).

This is my all time favorite:

https://shop.bentonscountryham.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=hscb

It’s VERY smokey and produces some of the best bacon fat for cooking.

This bacon is shipped all around the country and used by many chefs. I stop in when I’m driving through Tennessee, but they ship too.

How it’s made:

This video is an interview and tour with Allan Benton.

Thanks so much for sharing the videos. I really enjoyed the making bacon one - that was a great walk through their process. Quite different than mine.

Then the next video up was Two Bearded Butchers making beef bacon. Had to watch that too!

 

[Involuntary Retiree]

Thanks so much for sharing the videos. I really enjoyed the making bacon one - that was a great walk through their process. Quite different than mine.

Then the next video up was Two Bearded Butchers making beef bacon. Had to watch that too!

I don't think I've ever eaten beef bacon. I wonder how it compares to pork bacon.

 

[kgtest]

Not very often. Maybe once a month at most. I don't have any problems getting my calories from other things though as of late lol. A year ago I was eating so healthy and working out rigorously and it showed. Now I sport a dad bod and left the eight pack back in 2021 lol.

 

[Jeb-NY]

I was looking for the cartoon I had hanging up in my office before I retired early. Guy was talking to his financial advisor asking if he had enough to retire. Advisor said he had plenty of money to retire but should eat more bacon. I took that advise.

 

[CindyBlue]

Chocolate Carmel cake with chocolate dipped carmelized bacon.
Bacon goes with everything!

OMG, I think I've just seen nirvana on a plate - that chocolate cake topped with chocolate coated bacon...(swoon)!!!

 

[explanade]

Sweet with savory?

Strange combo. Heard of chicken and waffles but not sure if that’s with maple syrup.

 

[Surewhitey]

Average every couple of days. We typically get Wrights thick cut and 2 slices is just about right... Applewood version is best, but we're splitting hairs with the others.

 

[Jeffman52]

DW and I eat bacon (we get ours from a local smokehouse/butcher) on weekends although we do add it to a number of things as flavor enhancers. But we also eat something that is local to the Cincinnati area called Goetta. Its a breakfast "meat" made with ground meat (pork, or sausage and beef), pin-head oats, onions, and spices. We make our own and buy it on occasion.


At least at this point in my life I am not concerned with my bacon or fatty meats intake.