I've eaten "bacon" my entire life. I wouldn't say I don't like it, but given the choice I'll opt for sausage or something else. I just never saw what all the fuss was about. And the Internet fueled bacon craze of the past few years has left me puzzled and slightly annoyed. Mind you, all my opinions and conclusions have been based on store bought bacon.
A few months ago we visited my wife's parents and her mom tossed a vacu sealed package of bacon in our cooler before we left. When we got home it was still frozen, so I chucked it in the freezer and pretty much forgot about it. Then this past Sunday I was making brunch and decided to go ahead and cook it. Oh my...
What I thought was just bacon turned out to be thick cut maple sugar cured, maple smoked bacon made by a local (to them in PA) farmer. To say it was good is a ridiculous understatement. The flavor was incredible. Just the right amount of salt and a slight hint of maple at the finish. The flavors developed in my mouth like a good wine, first salt, then smoke, then sweet morphing into maple. And the texture was incredible! It was crisp, but still tender. And the fat was this velvety, melty, insanely delicious stuff that I had no idea existed.
I was given a "bacon kit" last Christmas by a friend and never bothered to mess with it. Suffice to say the search is on for pork bellies. If I can come anywhere close to the glory that was the bacon I had Sunday afternoon I'll be a happy boy for sure. I feel so stupid for living this long without ever having real bacon.
A few months ago we visited my wife's parents and her mom tossed a vacu sealed package of bacon in our cooler before we left. When we got home it was still frozen, so I chucked it in the freezer and pretty much forgot about it. Then this past Sunday I was making brunch and decided to go ahead and cook it. Oh my...
What I thought was just bacon turned out to be thick cut maple sugar cured, maple smoked bacon made by a local (to them in PA) farmer. To say it was good is a ridiculous understatement. The flavor was incredible. Just the right amount of salt and a slight hint of maple at the finish. The flavors developed in my mouth like a good wine, first salt, then smoke, then sweet morphing into maple. And the texture was incredible! It was crisp, but still tender. And the fat was this velvety, melty, insanely delicious stuff that I had no idea existed.
I was given a "bacon kit" last Christmas by a friend and never bothered to mess with it. Suffice to say the search is on for pork bellies. If I can come anywhere close to the glory that was the bacon I had Sunday afternoon I'll be a happy boy for sure. I feel so stupid for living this long without ever having real bacon.
