Video: Its Bacon Me Crazy

This was submitted for the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival Bacon Song Contest. Can't seem to find out if it won or the other entries and what not, but it sure is a catchy tune so I thought I'd share.

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival - Des Monies, IA

The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival is entering its fourth year when it opens its doors this Saturday the 26th of Feburary in Des Moines, IA. The Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival allows individuals the opportunity to sample a varity of bacon brands and speak directly with brand reps as well as gives you the opportunity to share your love with many other bacon lovers like yourself. Last year more than 1,200 lbs of bacon, approximately 30,000 strips, were consumed last year.

What started as a groups’ passion for “all things bacon” has evolved into America’s premier bacon festival. In 2001, a group of guys began celebrating bacon during an annual weekend retreat in Spirit Lake, IA. Six years later, they pursued a deeper understanding of their favorite meat by earning “All About Bacon” diplomas from Living History Farms. On March 1st, 2008, officially organized under the Iowa Bacon Board and led by Brooks Reynolds, they went on to found a festival: a festival with the mission of improving the enjoyment of all things bacon by providing education, recognition, advocacy and research on behalf of the masses, everyone, everywhere, all of them. They are serious.

Here's the schedule of the events
http://www.blueribbonbaconfestival.com/the-bacon-week-schedule-of-events/

I'll be honest. I did not know this existed until I got into the world of bacon blogging. Hopefully I'll be able to make it there next year.

Recipe: Candied Bacon

This recipe kind of goes along with a previous post where I purchased some candied bacon from a local smokehouse called Lazybones Smokehouse for the Super Bowl. Well I was inspired. I wanted to be able to make my own. So I did. My only complaint with the outcome of this snack was I used regular sandwich bacon because that was what I had in my house. This resulted in still a tasty treat, but it was not meaty enough. In turn, this recipe will in turn call for thick cut bacon.

Ingredients
12 strips of thick cut bacon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon chipotle pepper seasoning
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
a pinch of salt

Cooking Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix all spices on a plate or pie pan and press your sugar mixture onto both sides of your bacon. Once the bacon is fully coated, place it on either a broiler pan or on a wire rack on a cookie sheet. (And please, unless you want your house burnt down, make sure the cookie sheet has a rim on it. DO NOT use a flat cookie sheet.)
Place the pan in the oven for 12 min.
After 12 min, pull the pan out and flip the bacon over.
Place back into the oven for another 12 min. Watch it this time though. Not all bacons are created equal. Some have more or less fat and will cook faster than others. If you start to see real dark spots on the bacon, pull it out immediately as it is starting to burn.

So there you have it. Now you can make your own candied bacon snacks. It's quick to do, taste great and is less effort than baking cookies.

Product: Bacon Hot Sauce

I love spicy foods and I love bacon. Why not combine the two. Well they have. The folks at baconhotsauce.com have designed a hot sauce specifically flavored for Bacon lovers, and if your reading this site, I am sure you're one of them.

One problem, there is no actual bacon in it. Here is a list of their ingredients.
Water, Distilled Vinegar, Cayenne Pepper, New Mexico Chili, Salt, Natural Flavor, Maltodextrin, Autolyzed Yeast Extract, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate

See, no bacon. I can't be too upset. Most of these types of products will not have any real bacon in them as it can spoil a lot easier. I'll certainly  be picking myself up a bottle of this shortly. This will go great to add a quick bit to the Bacon Dip I posted a few weeks back. Let me know if you've tried this. Let's hear some feedback.

Recipe: Bacon Biscotti - FOR DOGS

The Westminster Dog show has come and gone at Madison Square Gardens in New York City this last Monday and Tuesday. I stumbled across an article on Babble.com for Bacon Biscotti for your pup! Now I don't have a dog but it is good to see are little four legged friends aren't excluded from this fancy feast we all call bacon. Make this for your little friend and show him how much you appreciate him. Here's the recipe.


6 slices bacon, chopped
canola or olive oil (optional)
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) flour
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) whole wheat flour
1 cup (250 mL) oats
1 tsp. (5 mL) baking powder
1/2 cup (125 mL) water
2 large eggs
1/4 cup (60 mL) bacon drippings or canola oil
2 Tbsp. (30 mL) honey
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a skillet set over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving the drippings. Pour the drippings into a measuring cup; if you need to, add canola or olive oil until you have 1/4 cup. (If you like, discard the bacon drippings entirely and just use oil.)
In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats and baking powder. In a small bowl, stir together the water, eggs, bacon drippings and/or oil, and honey; add to the dry ingredients along with the cooked and crumbled bacon and stir until blended.
Shape the dough into a log that is about 12” long, place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten until it’s about 6” wide. If you like, brush the top with a little beaten egg to give it a shiny finish. Bake for about 30 minutes, until firm.
Reduce the oven temperature to 250° F. Cool the log and cut it on a slight diagonal into 1/2” -1” thick slices using a sharp, serrated knife. Place the biscotti upright on the baking sheet, keeping them spaced about 1/2” apart, and put them back into the oven for another half an hour. If you want them hard, turn the oven off but leave them inside to harden as the oven cools.
Makes about 1 1/2 dozen biscotti. Store in a tightly covered container in the fridge, or freeze.

via blogs.babble.com

Product: Effervescent Bacon Tablets

Want your beverage to take on a whole new flavor. Drop one of these magical tablets into a glass of water, milk, juice, soda or beer. Bring the taste of bacon with you wherever you go. Sounds a little crazy to me. Probably only great for making strange drinks or slipping one into a friends drink.

Product: Wake n' Bacon

Want breakfast in bed? The Wake n' Bacon  alarm clock can do just that for you, and every morning. The clock turns on 10 min before your alarm goes off and cooks your bacon beneath two halogen light bulbs. Want more? It has a built in fan which blows the loving scent of Bacon around your room to wake you up.

This is an invention by Matty Sallin from New York. "It creates a mouthwatering smell just strong enough to gently wake you up" he said. This product is not yet for sale. Matty is looking for sponsors to make the clock. If I had the money, I'd sponsor this. What a great idea!

Video: Bacon Beer

Bacon and Beer, what more can I say. Although the video is not in English, it is still pretty easy to follow. Catchy tune too. I think it not being in English actually adds to the video. Anyways, with that being said, funny video, but I think I'll keep my Bacon and Beer separate thank you!

List: Bing's Valentine's Gifts for Bacon Lovers

Through the "Bing Rewards Program" which updates at 12(EST) I was led to a new link regarding Valentine's Day Gifts. To my surprise, they had a Bacon section --> Here

Now, I made my list first, so I am going to take credit. They did use 4 of the 5 items I posted in my "Top 5 Valentine's Day Bacon Gifts". Just kidding, I can't take credit.


Anyways, just thought I'd share what Microsoft thought about Bacon and Valentine's Day

Video: Jim Gaffigan - Bit of Bacon

I love Jim Gaffigan. Personally think he is one of the best stand-up comedians around right now. A friend posted this on my Facebook wall so I thought I'd share.

This is from his "King Baby" CD/DVD release

Product: Emergency Bacon Supply

The end of the world may or may not be coming on December 21st of 2012, but will you be prepared? I was led to a site today called Ready Depot. They carry a product labeled Yoder’s Canned Bacon. This Bacon will likely outlast you with a shelf life in excess of 10 years. Here's what Ready Depot has to say about this product:

Each can is 9 ounces of fully cooked and drained bacon. Between 2-3/4 and 3-1/4 pounds of raw bacon go into each can. Each can is the highest quality fresh #1 bacon slices. Cured to our specifications, cooked and then hand wrapped, rolled and packed in the U.S.

We cook this bacon down for you prior to canning, so you won’t pay for all of the natural shrinkage that occurs whenever you cook bacon. Then we carefully drain all of the fat and liquid off and can it fresh so it will taste as good out of the can as it would right out of the refrigerator.

100% U.S. bacon!

 So there you have it. Your emergency food supply is now complete with all the necessities to survive!

Product: Pigskin Poppers and Candied Bacon

For those of you NOT fortunate enough to live in a northern suburb of Detroit then I am deeply sorry as this post will not be fore you. For the Super Bowl I stopped off at a local BBQ joint called LazyBones Smokehouse to pick up some food to bring to a Super Bowl party. I picked up some Pigskin Poppers and some Candied Bacon.
First, the Pigskin Poppers
Pork meatballs stuffed with pulled pork wrapped in bacon then smoked.

And Pig Candy
They didn't mention how this was made, but here's my best guess. Bacon, chipotle seasoning, brown sugar, smoked until bacon is crispy and fat is buttery.

Neither disappointed! They tasted even better than they sound. Pigskin Poppers are not a regular menu item but as of right now, Pig Candy is! So if you're local to the area and want to try a place that does Bacon right, check them out!

Product: Bacon Flavored Combos

I was shopping in the food section at Target and stumbled across this. Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Flavored Combos. I was ecstatic so I bought them. To my dismay, they tasted nothing like Bacon. It was more of just a Smokey Cheddar flavor. Oh well. Good effort! Maybe next time Combos!

List: Top 5 Valentine's Day Bacon Gifts

With Valentine's Day a little under 2 weeks away, I thought I would help all significant others to Bacon lovers a little hand on what to get their little sweetheart for Valentine's Day. Below you will find my Top 5 Valentine's Day Bacon Gifts and where you can find them.


1) Mo's Dark Bacon Bar
What's better for your loved one than the combination of dark chocolate and Bacon. This candy bar has it all! Delicious milk chocolate, and applewood smoked bacon. Sweet and salty has never tasted so good.
 Buy Now






2)  Bacon: A Love Story
What Valentine's Day is complete without a cheesy romance novel to get you in the mood. Popular bacon blogger Heather Lauer serves up a piping hot dish of fun and facts and explores the ins and outs of how bacon finds its way to your skillet . . . and what to do with it when it gets there.
Buy Now




3) Bacon Lip Balm
This stuff tastes like bacon, but in smooth and moisturizing lip balm form. Fix chapped lips AND taste like the world's most scrumptious pork product all day? We can't think of a better combination. This one can be used in two ways. Surprise your loved one by giving them bacon-flavored kisses. Or give it as a gift and let them have the porky taste of bacon touch their lips all day long.
Buy Now




4) Bacon and Maple Syrup Lollipop
Sweeten up the day with this smokey treat. Made with real bacon, this all natural Bacon and Maple Syrup Lollipop is a fun little treat for whenever you want a burst of bacon-y flavor. Give your loved one this to suck on for Valentine's Day.
Buy Now



5) Mega Shaky Bacon Plush
Don't get your loved one just any stuffed animal this Valentine's Day.  This plush doll will ensure your loved one will sleep comfortably through the night on this pillow of Bacon.
Buy Now

Video: Bacon is good for me!

How would you react if some strange woman was throwing out your Bacon. First the dad acts surprised that this is happening, but for this little kid, throwing away his bacon was the last draw. Check out this video to see what I'm talking about.

Recipe: Bacon Chili

Servings 4 (2 cups per serving)

Ingredients:
8 strips of Bacon
1lb of ground sirloin
1 large onion
2 Jalapeños
2-16oz cans Bush's Chili Beans (1 hot, 1 Mild)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 cups water
2 Tablespoons of Chili Powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated roasted garlic
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preparation:
Take your 8 strips of bacon and cut them into slices
Chop up your onion
Chop up your Jalapeños(I like to finely chop mine up so they spread evenly through the chili)

Cooking:
In a large pot (like the kind you would cook noodles in), put on stove top over medium heat and add your sliced bacon. Let set until a good amount of the fat has liquefied.
Toss in the onions and Jalapeños and cook a couple minutes.
Add your ground sirloin and break it up until it is broken down into real small pieces, I find that putting the meat in and breaking it up a little and letting it cook for about a min then stirring it around the pot for a couple min works best. Add salt and pepper to taste
Add in your chili powder, cayenne pepper, granulated garlic, sugar, crushed red pepper and stir
Add in both cans of Bushes Chili Beans, Ketchup and water, stir and cover
Keep it this way for about 45 min, stir occasionally.
Reduce heat to low and leave uncovered for another 15 min

Serve with Shredded Cheddar Cheese and Sour Cream.

Recipe: Quick Bacon Dip

One day I was having a BBQ and needed to make a dip. I looked through my cupboards to see what I had. Sure enough, I had Bacon! This is quick and easy and only contains 5 ingredients.

1/2 Cup Mayo
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 Cup Bacon Bits(real bacon bits if possible)
1 tsp salt (or salt to taste)
1 cap full of Bacon Salt (I used Peppered but any will do)

Store in a Tupperware container and refrigerate for 1 hour prior to serving to allow for flavors to combine!

Product: Bacon Salt

Founded by a few guys who go by the names Justin and Dave, had a dream to make everything taste like Bacon. These two men created a vegetarian, bacon flavored salt to put on, well, everything! So do you want to bacon but without all the fat? See their products and read their story by following the link below.

 

via Baconsalt.com