Rules of Bacon

This has been floating around Facebook and other places so I thought I'd share it on my index. The Rules of Bacon! I think these are good, but could be better. Anybody else have any rules of bacon they'd like to share?

Product: Pig Candied Maple Paczki's

Again, sorry for those that are not in a northern suburb of Detroit. For dinner, my wonderful wife asked me if I wanted her to pick up some LazyBones Smokehouse. Of course I said yes. Well she did bring home dinner but she also brought home a Pig Candied Maple Paczki. If is of course Fat Tuesday, and the biggest Paczki day of the year.
What is a Pig Candied Maple Paczki? Well I'll do my best to explain. It starts with what appears to be just typical plain paczki dough. But this is where the ordinary ends. It is then tossed in a sugary glaze, topped with magnificent maple frosting and candied bacon pieces. End result, Maple Bacony goodness.

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