September 24, 2009 by Marianne

September 24, 2009 • Filed Under: International Bacon Day , Bacon Grease, International Bacon Day

The day before Bacon Day, Naseem was at my house and asked me what we were going to do with all the bacon grease. We had toyed with the idea of offering it as a beverage option for the truly brave (or deeply disturbed). When that idea got shot down, Naseem volunteered our good friend Cameron to come up with an appropriate display. That evening, they both showed up with a giant, cylindrical glass vase, which we figured could probably hold close to a gallon in volume.

We started by filtering in all the standard (non-flavored) bacon grease. It was absolutely beautiful, a vessel of liquid amber. It was such a lovely shade, I didn’t want to taint it with the other colors. But we had four fabulous bacons from Bacon Freak, which had made grease in varying shades from a lovely orange (Bourbon Street Cajun Style) to a deep crimson (Coastal Caliente Smoked Jalapeno). If we really wanted to show off the grease we’d made, they’d all have to go in. From lightest to darkest we added them, and for a while they settled at the bottom. I thought we might maintain a layered effect, but eventually all the colors melded into a vibrant orange shade. The result was quite pretty.

After a final top off at Naseem’s house, we ended up with a very impressive display. Next Cameron made a nutrition fact sheet, along with creative suggestions for how to use an excess of bacon grease. I know for a fact that he makes fireplace kindling with bacon grease and dryer lint. No joke. The man is the MacGyver of pork fat. If you need any suggestions, just email us. We (mostly he and Naseem) are absolutely full of ideas.

For many, it was the highlight of the event. At very least, it left an impression and everyone learned something. Thanks, Cameron and Naseem, for impressing (and grossing) the hell out of everyone at Bacon Day!

September 10, 2008 by Marianne

September 10, 2008 • Filed Under: Random Bacon , Bacon Grease, Bacon Video

It turns out that bacon grease is often the center of bets, dares or penalties, generally propagated by individuals between the ages of 16 and 24. If you go to YouTube and enter “bacon grease” you’ll come up with a surprising number of videos of people undertaking the chug challenge. Be forewarned, often this results in projectile vomiting or explosive cursing. Here’s one of the milder (and shorter) entries:

And all I can think is, hey! Don’t waste that bacon grease! Naseem could mix that with some dryer lint and make great kindling for a winter fire! Seriously, fueling a fire is just one of the many great uses for bacon grease. Did you know you could also make soap out of it? And of course it can be used endlessly for making all food (especially anything green) taste even better. Here is a bacon grease resource for all you hoodlums out there.

Naseem and I were actually disappointed in the lack of a comprehensive list of uses for bacon grease, so we’re going to start one today. If you have any unique uses of your own (particularly outside the kitchen) please send them our way! This is your chance to share your knowledge with the world…and maybe keep some troubled youth from causing themselves harm. Won’t you help today?

September 3, 2008 by Marianne

September 3, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Recipes, International Bacon Day , Bacon Bourbon, Bacon Grease, International Bacon Day

So I thought I would give Bacon Bourbon another try, because it absolutely had to be shared on Bacon Day. I had high hopes as I was using my favorite bourbon this time, Maker’s Mark. It has a warm, slightly smoky flavor to begin with, so seemed perfect for the infusion.

I began as last time with several ounces of fresh bacon grease in a pitcher with a full bottle of Maker’s Mark. This time I also added a slice of bacon for the three hours of room-temperature infusion. I used a thick-cut, applewood smoked bacon this time. I then froze the infusion for several hours and did a first straining through cheese cloth and a wire mesh strainer. Last time I ended up with a bit of grease in the final stage, so this time I washed the pitcher, put the bourbon back in and froze it again overnight. The morning of Bacon Day I did a second cheese cloth/mesh straining, but still ended up with a tiny bit of grease and particulate matter. No one found it off-putting, so I won’t worry so much about that in the future.

And the results? Once again, the smoke was subtle and some people didn’t even taste a difference. I should have had plain Maker’s for comparison. A few people who claimed to really know their bourbon reported tasting the smoke, and I myself thought it was slightly more noticeable than last time. But still, not quite the difference I was looking for.

In the end, no one complained about having a bottle of Maker’s to sip on, and whether they tasted the smoke or not, everyone enjoyed the Bourbon. As I mentioned yesterday, it was a hit combination with the Bacondoodles. Just as a side note, I took a bite of the bacon I used for the infusion after the first freezing. Wow, was that an unpleasant experience…I couldn’t bring myself to swallow it. So I can say unequivocally that I do NOT recommend bourbon-infused bacon!

September 1, 2008 by Marianne

September 1, 2008 • Filed Under: Bacon Reviews, International Bacon Day , Bacon Freak, Bacon Grease, Bacon Reviews, International Bacon Day

Okay, so it was our first Bacon Day ever. That doesn’t make it any less spectacular. The Royal Bacon Society hosted a backyard party that will take me a good week to fully cover. It was a ton of fun and ridiculously delicious. We prepared seven pounds of bacon in various forms and recipes, and I’m here to tell you…there was no bacon left at the end of the day.

The centerpiece of the event was a bacon and wine tasting. We offered three wines and four bacons, asking our guests to try each bacon with each wine and rate the pairings from 1 to 5. Wines included a local Zinfandel blend, a Petite Sirah, and a Pinot Grigio. To begin with, the two reds were a toss up in terms of guest ratings. They both went well with bacon, but I imagine a nice bold Syrah would probably have beaten them both. The Pinot Grigio was the least pairable, but that was no surprise. Even a buttery Chardonnay probably couldn’t have held up to the strength and smokiness of any decent bacon. It was overwhelmingly confirmed: bacon is a red wine meat.

We had a delicious array of bacons. First was Daily’s Hardwood Smoked Peppered Bacon. This was a thick-sliced bacon with plenty of course-ground pepper and about a 50% ratio of fat to lean. The texture was somewhat typical, and I didn’t notice anything overwhelming about the smoke. But it was a great bacon and consistently got the highest ratings in terms of pairing, particularly with the Zin blend.

Next was Trader Joe’s Uncured Apple Smoked Bacon (couldn’t find a link.) Again, a thick cut bacon with a pretty even blend of meat and fat. The bacon was absolutely delicious, and the fat had a much softer consistency than traditional cured bacons, which I found delightful. This may become my new every day breakfast meat. In terms of pairing, it ranked second of the four.

Third we had Farmer John’s Old-Fashioned Maple Bacon, which was a pleasant surprise. You could truly taste the maple syrup with each bite. I’m not sure I would want a BLT with this one, but it was great to eat on its own. This product was standard cut with average fat content. Although it tied for third in pairings with our last bacon, it was the only one that could even approach a decent flavor with the Pinot Grigio.

Finally, we had a late entry with Rocco’s Sun-Dried Tomato Bacon. This is one of BaconFreak.com’s Bacon of the Month Club offerings, generously contributed for the event. (Thanks, Rocco!) This bacon is standard cut with a high fat content, which made it a bit softer than the other bacons (similar to Trader Joe’s). It tied for third in terms of pairing, but I think this was the big favorite of the day for texture and sheer deliciousness of bacon. Every time I turned around someone was asking me what it was and where I got it. I’m anxious to try Rocco’s other flavors over the coming month.

I have to say this party was just a blast. I’ll fill you in throughout the week about other recipes we tried, more product ratings, and the most recent verdict on the Bacon Bourbon. I have to give MAJOR THANKS to Naseem and Cameron for handling all of the set-up and cooking all the bacon for the tasting! This party would not have been possible without you two rock stars. And thanks to everyone who came out and partied with us and ate no less than 5 slices of bacon each. I hope your arteries will forgive us and that we’ll see you next year…the countdown to Bacon Day 2009 has already begun!

More than 20 ounces of grease was produced on Bacon Day 2008