# Why not to buy cheap store baught bacon



## Sowsage (Feb 22, 2020)

This is a pack of great value bacon from Wal-Mart. Mostly fat and no lean. I cooked it anyway. The yield was ridiculous. But I will say with all the fat it did taste pretty darn good. Just thought i would share. It was a 1 lb pack that i robbed 2 slices out of earlier this week so I'm guessing it was about 14oz to start out. Ended up cooked weight was 2.9oz lol. Crazy!


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## noboundaries (Feb 22, 2020)

Wow. But, hey, lots of bacon fat to cook with!

I can actually buy commercially cured  bacon $2.89-$3.99 / lb for 5 lbs which is cheaper than I can buy uncured pork belly for a minimum of a dollar more per pound. I do avoid buying the all-fat bacon, looking for at least 50% meat.  I cure butts for Buckboard bacon because I can get them cheap.


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## Sowsage (Feb 22, 2020)

noboundaries said:


> Wow. But, hey, lots of bacon fat to cook with!
> 
> I can actually buy commercially cured  bacon $2.89-$3.99 / lb for 5 lbs which is cheaper than I can buy uncured pork belly for a minimum of a dollar more per pound. I do avoid buying the all-fat bacon, looking for at least 50% meat.  I cure butts for Buckboard bacon because I can get them cheap.


Yep I put the fat in a mason jar. We use it all the time. Thats some good prices on bacon. We usually butcher once a year and make bacon from the belly. I can buy a whole hog for what it costs to buy two belly slabs. Crazy how all that works.


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## rev579 (Feb 22, 2020)

Because everything is awesome in Texas!!! Bacon Up!


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## SmokinAl (Feb 23, 2020)

That is crazy!
I don't think I have ever seen bacon that had so little meat in it.
Even the Berkshire bellies I bought had quite a bit of meat in them.
Al


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## GATOR240 (Feb 23, 2020)

I would like to know how much time it takes to arrange the bacon in the window of the package so that it looks like you are getting mostly meat instead of mostly fat?


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## tx smoker (Feb 23, 2020)

Pardon my saying so but that's just pathetic.

Bummed for Sowsage,
Robert


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## Sowsage (Feb 23, 2020)

SmokinAl said:


> That is crazy!
> I don't think I have ever seen bacon that had so little meat in it.
> Even the Berkshire bellies I bought had quite a bit of meat in them.
> Al


Yea I'm not sure this bacon even comes from market hogs. They raise them so lean now there us no way they have that amount of fat.


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## Sowsage (Feb 23, 2020)

GATOR240 said:


> I would like to know how much time it takes to arrange the bacon in the window of the package so that it looks like you are getting mostly meat instead of mostly fat?


Id like to know too. One thing is for sure they got it figured out!


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## Sowsage (Feb 23, 2020)

tx smoker said:


> Pardon my saying so but that's just pathetic.
> 
> Bummed for Sowsage,
> Robert


Pathetic is right! Lol. Worst ive seen.


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## SmokinVOLfan (Feb 23, 2020)

Damn Travis...just sad! I feel for ya


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## Sowsage (Feb 23, 2020)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> Damn Travis...just sad! I feel for ya


We usually buy that brand just for frying in the pan and its not perfect but it does the trick. This time however......lol. Probably not going to buy it anymore.


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## chopsaw (Feb 23, 2020)

I don't shop Wal-mart myself , but would like to have a few packs of that on hand for adding fat to sausage .


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## Sowsage (Feb 23, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> I don't shop Wal-mart myself , but would like to have a few packs of that on hand for adding fat to sausage .


It would be perfect for that! There is a local place close to me that occasionally sells 10lb boxes of bacon "ends and pieces" for $19. It's pretty fatty stuff like this. Ive used it in venison sausages and burger pattys before.


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## chopsaw (Feb 23, 2020)

Yup , I make the Nuremberg brats from Poli's site . Calls for bacon .


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## zwiller (Feb 24, 2020)

Sowsage said:


> Yep I put the fat in a mason jar. We use it all the time. Thats some good prices on bacon. We usually butcher once a year and make bacon from the belly. I can buy a whole hog for what it costs to buy two belly slabs. Crazy how all that works.


What a rip!  Never seen anything that bad before.  I think that is salt pork actually.  I am not really into bacon but my parents are and they make a run to a local processor.  Lots of good bacon options here.  I think you are headed in the right direction buying a hog.  On my to do list same with beef, with a goal of getting ribs thrown in.  Not sure if you can find Daisyfield near you but it is killer.  $6 lb usually but worth it.  



noboundaries said:


> Wow. But, hey, lots of bacon fat to cook with!
> 
> I can actually buy commercially cured  bacon $2.89-$3.99 / lb for 5 lbs which is cheaper than I can buy uncured pork belly for a minimum of a dollar more per pound. I do avoid buying the all-fat bacon, looking for at least 50% meat.  I cure butts for Buckboard bacon because I can get them cheap.


Same here.  Sometimes hobbies aren't necessarily cheaper, but usually the product is far better.  I've made a few runs of BBB and while good, no where near the quality I want.  I think I need less sugar and much longer smoke.  I am pretty spoiled with my local source being so good.  



chopsaw said:


> Yup , I make the Nuremberg brats from Poli's site . Calls for bacon .


Rich, we talked about this before and still think there's a good chance "bacon" we are seeing in those german recipes are actually calling for belly.  I think there is something lost in translation.  I see alot of this in leberkase recipes.  I see terms raw bacon, belly bacon, and the like.   That said, I DO think there are some formulations that ask for the real deal.


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## Sowsage (Feb 24, 2020)

zwiller said:


> What a rip!


Yep no doubt!


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## chopsaw (Feb 24, 2020)

zwiller said:


> . I see terms raw bacon, belly bacon, and the like. That said, I DO think there are some formulations that ask for the real deal.


The one I use from Len Poli has " bacon , smoked " in the ingredients list .


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## zwiller (Feb 24, 2020)

chopsaw said:


> The one I use from Len Poli has " bacon , smoked " in the ingredients list .


Oh yeah, in that case it is clear.  Can you taste it and tell the sausage has bacon in it?


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## kawboy (Feb 24, 2020)

zwiller said:


> Rich, we talked about this before and still think there's a good chance "bacon" we are seeing in those german recipes are actually calling for belly. I think there is something lost in translation. I see alot of this in leberkase recipes. I see terms raw bacon, belly bacon, and the like. That said, I DO think there are some formulations that ask for the real deal.


A podcast I've been listening to addressed that recently. He was saying that `Bacon` referred to pork in general in the old world.


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## zwiller (Feb 24, 2020)

kawboy said:


> A podcast I've been listening to addressed that recently. He was saying that `Bacon` referred to pork in general in the old world.


Wow that is even more wide open than I thought.  From what I gleaned "bacon" appears to be speck. Problem is there are different types of speck.  For some reason, I find all this interesting.


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## kawboy (Feb 24, 2020)

zwiller said:


> Wow that is even more wide open than I thought.  From what I gleaned "bacon" appears to be speck. Problem is there are different types of speck.  For some reason, I find all this interesting.


This guy is a farm to table style butcher, not sure if he is 100% accurate or not. He was on "The Butcher" TV show though.


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## chopsaw (Feb 24, 2020)

zwiller said:


> Can you taste it and tell the sausage has bacon in it?


No , not really . Spiced with white pepper and caraway , with just a bit of mace . It's good .


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