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Do you need a bacon manual? I didn't think I did until I
read this article "Basically
Everything You Need to Know About Buying, Cooking, and Loving Bacon". This
guide to everything bacon lists the types of bacon, cooking bacon, freezing
bacon, bacon fat, and, of course, bacon recipes.
I'll let you peruse the links at your leisure but I'll
summarize the highlights.
Bacon is a typed of cured meat which comes traditionally
from the back, belly, or sides of a pig. Curing is not a terribly difficult
process and, with the right equipment, can be done at home. For dry curing, a
mixture of salt and seasoning is rubbed on the meat. It is then stored in a refrigerator/cool
room on a slotted table so the liquid drains away for a week. Then the meat is
washed with warm water and hung in a smoke house to be dried and smoked.
Wetting curing involved using a brine instead of a dry rub. The meat is
considered perishable after smoking and it should be kept under refrigeration.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tvx_CKB7uI
There are five types of bacon, usually identified by the
country they are from. Irish or English bacon is made from curing and usually
smoking the pork loin with the fat left on and the pork belly attached.
A trick to cooking bacon is to use low, even heat. This will
render out the fat slowly and minimize splattering. Low and even cooking will
also crisp it up before it burns, and keep the bacon from curling.
If you ever have leftover or too much bacon (let's b
e
serious - this never happens), it can be frozen. Both cooked and uncooked bacon
freezes well. Half-thawed bacon is the easiest to dice and chop up since the
fat hasn't softened to make it slippery.
Bacon fat can be saved and used to fry eggs, flavor popcorn,
or used in place of butter when you want a porky smoky flavor. The fat can be
stored in the fridge or freezer for months.
So, what are your favorite bacon recipes, products, or
stories?
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Re: Do You Need A Bacon Manual?
