a mighty fine swine
This is a publication about bacon, but not just the food bacon; it’s the lifestyle of bacon, from the plate and to beyond.
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CONTENTS
History of bacon Process of bacon Types of bacon Ways to cook bacon Recipes using bacon Otherly bacon Credits
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HISTORY OF BACON
Salted pork belly appeared on dining tables thousands of years ago in China. Pork curing methods spread throughout the Roman Empire, and Anglo-Saxon peasants cooked with bacon fat. Until well into the 16th century, the Middle English term bacon or bacoun referred to all pork in general. The word bacon derives from various Germanic and French dialects, including the French bako, common Germanic bakkon and Old Teutonic backe, all of which refer to the back. But the cut typically used to make bacon comes from the side, or belly, of the hog. In modern England, a side of bacon is called a gammon and a slice of bacon is known as a rasher. Queen Isabella sent eight pigs to Cuba with Christopher Columbus, but the National Pork Board credits Hernando de Soto as the “father of the American Pork Industry.� He brought 13 pigs to the shores of the New World in 1539; within three years his herd had grown to 700. Native Americans reportedly fell in love with the flavor and readily accepted pigs and pork
products as peace offerings. By 1653, a rapidly expanding, free-roaming and unruly swine population nearly thwarted Dutch construction of a wall on Manhattan Island meant to keep the British and Native Americans out of New Amsterdam. In a health-conscious age, you might expect to find fatty bacon low on the list of preferred foods. Yet, as anyone who dabbles in pork belly commodities can tell you, bacon can singlehandedly boost the pork market. Still, bacon remains a bargain when it comes to adding flavor. Bacon aficionados enjoy the cured meat in both classic dishes such as chowders and adventurous concoctions ranging from bacon ice cream to chocolate-covered bacon to bacon jam. With lowsodium and lean varieties available, even a dieter can partake in moderation.
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PROCESS OF BACON
Bacon comes from pigs. After the animal is harvested the carcass is broken down into several different sections. One of those sections includes the loin, ribs and belly. After the loin, ribs and skin have been removed there is a flat rectangular section, called the belly. Bellies need to be trimmed so they are straight on all sides; this provides the uniformity to the bacon. The bellies could be sold at this point in the process and would be marketed as pork belly or fresh pork belly. Next the bellis are prepared to be cured. Who would have guessed that curing, a process our ancestors came up with all those years ago would still be used as a common practice in the industry? Curing is no longer required to keep meat from spoiling, because we now have refrigeration, instead products are cured for the unique flavor it provides. A curing mixture is prepared and injected into the pork belly; the base of this mixture is water along with products like sodium nitrite,
salt, and sugar. After the brine has been injected, the bellies they are hung on a large rack and given around a week for the cured flavor to develop. Once the time has elapsed the bellies are put into a large smoker, the smoking process helps to enhance the bacon flavor. The smokers run at very hot temperatures, after the bellies come out they are given time to cool down. After the product has cooled down it is pressed into a rectangular mold that makes it easier to slice the product. The product is then sent through a slicer that can slice the bacon at a variety of different dimensions to meet the customer’s order. The last step the bacon goes through is packaging and distribution. The next time you hear the sizzle of bacon or smell the unique bacon aroma, you will have insight into how the product is made.
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TYPES OF BACON
Different cuts of pork are used for making bacon depending on local preferences. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, back bacon is most common. In the United States, the plain term implies belly bacon, with back cuts known as “Canadian bacon”. The USDA defines bacon as “the cured belly of a swine carcass”, and other cuts and characteristics must be separately qualified. - Side bacon, or streaky bacon, comes from pork belly. It is very fatty with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind. This is the most common form of bacon in the United States. “Slab bacon” is side bacon that is not sliced. Slab bacon is similar to salt pork, which is prepared from the same cuts, but salt pork is not smoked.
- Back bacon contains meat from the loin in the middle of the back of the pig. It is a very lean, meaty cut of bacon, with less fat compared to other cuts. Most bacon consumed in the United Kingdom and Ireland is back bacon. - Collar bacon is taken from the back of a pig near the head. - Cottage bacon is thinly sliced lean pork meat from a shoulder cut that is typically oval shaped and meaty. It is cured and then sliced into round pieces for baking or frying. - Jowl bacon is cured and smoked cheeks of pork. Guanciale is an Italian jowl bacon that is seasoned and dry cured but not smoked.
- Pancetta is Italian streaky bacon, smoked or aqua (unsmoked), with a strong flavour.It is generally rolled up into cylinders after curing. 13
WAYS TO COOK BACON
- In The Oven
- In The Deep Fryer
Put bacon in a cold oven. Once it gets to 350 degrees, turn the bacon over. Set the timer for 4 minutes exactly and once it beeps it’s done.
One of the ways the pros do it…. use a deep fryer. You can cook 5 or 6 strips of bacon in about 5 minutes without a big mess. Great if you like curly, chewy bacon.
- In The Microwave Flip a bowl upside down on a plate. Lay the bacon over the bowl. Cook for approximately 1 minute per piece of bacon. The plate catches the grease that drips down the bowl. Since the grease runs away from the bacon, it results in crispy, slightly “drier” bacon. - On The BBQ Grill If you are making bacon burgers… cook your bacon right on the cooler part of the grill for about 5-7 minutes. - In The Smoker Smoke bacon slowly (30 minutes plus) over hickory in a smoker or grill using rib racks to drape the bacon strips over.
- In A George Foreman Grill (or Panini Press)A slight variation on the waffle maker. Use a George Foreman grill. No splattering, perfectly cooked on both sides and all the grease drains aways. - In A Wok Put your bacon (12-18) slices in a cold pan set to medium heat. Arrange the bacon strips in a circular pattern around the pan. As the bacon at the bottom of the pan finish cooking, move them to the sides to drain and replace them with the strips arranged on the sides. Place the bacon on a wire rack over paper towels to drain and straighten the strips to get the nice even shape you want. 15
Bacon Quiche - Cook 6 ounces diced slab bacon in a skillet; drain. Cook 2 sliced leeks in 3 tablespoons drippings. Spread the leeks, 2/3 cup shredded Gruyère and the bacon in a prebaked 9-inch tart crust or pie crust. Whisk 2 whole eggs, 2 yolks, 1 cup cream, and salt and pepper; pour over the cheese. Bake at 375 degrees F, 25 mins.
RECIPES
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Classic BLT - Cook bacon until crispy, then drain on paper towels. Toast the 8 slices of bread. Spread 1 tablespoon mayo on each slice of toasted bread. (More or less, to taste). Add 1 slice of lettuce to 4 pieces of mayo-spreaded toast. Add 2 slices of tomato on top of lettuce. Arrange 3 slices of bacon evenly on top of tomato. (Break bacon slices in half to fit, if needed.). Add 1 slice of lettuce on top of bacon. Put the remaining 4 pieces of mayo spreaded toast on top to finish the sandwiches.
Bacon Wrapped Eggs - Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.Lightly butter the molds of the muffin pan. Trim the crust and the corners off the bread, Using your fingers gently flatten the bread and shape into the muffin molds, set aside. Roast Bacon in the oven for 10 minutes. You want them just slightly cooked and still pliable. While the bacon is cooling, bake the toast cups in the oven for 5 minutes. Line toast cups with bacon, crack in egg and and bake for 7 mins until perfection.
Stuffed Jalapenos - Cut the cap off of the pepper and remove the gill and seeds with a skinny knife by sticking it carefully inside the pepper. Once you cut the lids off and get the core out, stuff them with your favorite cheese. I used super sharp cheddar. Then wrap each with a slice of bacon and use a skewer to stick through the cap to hold it in place and hold the bacon on. It helps to freeze them for about 15-20 minutes. This keeps the cheese from melting out while they are grilling. Just grill them until the bacon is cooked. 19
- Bacon & Beer Mac 2-1/2 cups macaroni 3 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons flour 1-1/2 cups milk 12 oz. beer 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded 1-1/2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs 6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled 20
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a saucepan over mediumhigh heat, melt butter. Whisk in flour whisk in milk and beer into saucepan, stir in cheeses. heat to medium and continue to stir in paprika, pepper, garlic powder, salt and nutmeg. Stir drained macaroni into sauce. Pour macaroni and sauce mixture into two single size serving dishes,combine panko bread crumbs and crumbled bacon. Top each dish with half of the bacon mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
- Bacon Wrapped Grilled Cheese So it goes without saying that a bacon-wrapped grilled cheese is one hundred percent something you need in your life. 1. It’s as easy as it looks. First lay 5 strips of bacon on a cutting board. 2. Make a sandwich with two pieces of bread and all the cheese your heart desires, then lay it at one end of the bacon 3. Wrap, lay down 5 more layers and wrap again. 4. Sear both sides in a pan over medium heat. It’ll take 5-7 minutes per side.Then enjoy.
- Cauliflower Fritters Cover the bottom of a large n onstick skillet generously with oil and heat over medium heat. Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of batter into the skillet, flatten slightly and cook until golden brown, flip and cook until golden brown on the other side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add oil as needed to the pan and repeat until all the fritters are cooked. Serve with sour cream and fresh chopped chives or scallions for garnish.
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- Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll Once the dough is ready, roll it into a rectangle (about 10×14 inches). You may need to use a little flour when rolling, that’s okay. Spread the filling evenly in the center and sprinkle with your bacon. Starting at a short end, roll the dough tightly. Slice into thirds and then thirds again, for a total of nine cinnamon rolls. Place in a 9×9” baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
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- Bourbon Bacon Poundcake In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda and salt. In the bowl of your electric mixer (fitted with the paddle), add the butter and beat until creamy and smooth. Add in the sugar and beat on medium speed until fluffy, scraping down the sides when needed, about 3 to 4 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing for a minute or so and scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl after each. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Chocolate Bacon Bomb Pie Crush your pretzels and in a large bowl combine them and 1/3 cup melted butter and 1/3 cup sugar. Mix to combine. Press the pretzel mixture into a pie plate and bake for five minutes. In the same large bowl (no need to clean it out) crush your chocolate cookies. Now add the remainder of the butter (melted), the bacon (remember to save 1/4 a cup), eggs, the remainder of the sugar, vinegar, and flour and mix well.
- Beer & Bacon Pecan Bars In a food processor add the flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and salt, pulse to combine. Cut the butter into cubes and add to the food processor. Process until butter is incorporated into the flour mixture. Add the water and process to combine. Add additional water, 1 tsp at a time if there is flour that still hasn’t been dampened. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes of until a light golden brown. Allow to cool before adding the filling or the crust and filling will mesh together. 23
OTHERLY BACONS
Bacon does not solely exist in the world of edible goodness, but makes its way across various platforms, in different ways.
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BACON BACON BACON BACON BACON
CREDITS
vecteezy.com unsplash.com themeatweeat.com thenoshery.com onegoodthingbyjillee.com melaniemakes.com handletheheat.com auntpeaches.com howsweeteats.com
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