Are You Looking To Buy Bacon? Read This Before you do...

When going to buy bacon, what do you look for? Sure, think juicy strips with nice white lines of fat are important but there is one more thing that is much more important.  When you look at the label, does it say USDA certified? It should. USDA certified means that your bacon has been treated for Trichinella. Trichinella is a parasitic worm that causes the infection trichinosis. Pork that has been labeled USDA certified is clear of all these parasites. Image via Wikipedia

Another thing to look at when buying bacon is the weight and what is in your bacon. When selecting making your selection, make s sure your buying bacon that has been smoked or dry rubbed with spices and herbs. This is important because some bacon is injected with fake smoke flavoring, or has been injected with other additives that are adding water weight. This water weight can make the bacon look full and delicious but when you cook it all of the extra added water will just cook off.  When all the water is gone, your left with just a few shriveled pieces of bacon.

Let us recap - So the next time you are at the grocery store or butcher shop, make sure you are only purchasing USDA certified meats due the treatment they receive.  Also make sure you ask your butcher about what goes in to the bacon. Make sure you aren't paying for bacon but only getting additives.  Hopefully after these tips, you'll never buy bacon the same again! 

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How to Buy Bacon

When you are heading to the store to buy bacon, it is extremely important to keep the following two things in mind:
Price
In these tough economic times we are always looking for a way to save money. One should not apply this rule to bacon though. If you head out and purchase the cheapest bacon out there you will likely get sick, as cheap bacon is mostly fat. Yes, believe it or not, it is possible to buy bacon which has more fat in it than normal! While you won't want to go out and purchase the most expensive bacon either, you do need to remember you will get what you pay for.
Color
When you are looking around at the different packages of bacon you will want to choose a package where you can see the bacon clearly. You want to be able to see the bacon, so that you can properly judge its color. Bacon is usually that nice pinky-red color, and if it deviates at all from that, you don't want to buy it.  If your package of bacon is mostly white, it clearly has more fat then meat, and won't be providing good value for your money. You will still be paying for it because it is part of the overall weight, but it is not the most nutritious. So, always be sure to check the color of the bacon before heading to the checkout.
If you keep the two things above in mind when you head out to buy bacon, you will be sure to make the right purchase. All that is left to do once you have gotten the bacon back home is to fry it up, and enjoy.
You Had Me at Bacon

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Before You Freeze That Bacon Make Sure It’s Sealed Properly

Do you buy bacon in bulk?  Many people often wonder if freezing bacon will ruin its’ true flavor.  There is no simple answer to that question.  Many variables exist when discussing maintaining the quality of frozen bacon.  However, there are steps you can take to make sure that your frozen bacon tastes as delicious after you thaw it, as it would have if you cooked it the day you bought it.

One of the biggest reasons that any meat looses its quality when frozen is due to improper freezer packaging.  You likely have some experience with freezer burn, and know the havoc it can cause on everything in your freezer.  One way to avoid the same disaster to your bacon is to make sure that you have a properly sealed package.  If you bought your bacon in a sealed package at your local grocer, you can probably throw the bacon in the freezer as is.  However, if you bought straight from the butcher or deli counter, it will serve you well to take the time to make sure that your bacon is placed in a sealed and airtight storage container prior to freezing it.  Freezer burn is the most common reason for good bacon to be ruined.

If you buy bacon in bulk, it may be a good idea to invest in an airtight food sealer.  Giving your packages an airtight vacuum seal is a great way to ensure that your bacon is safe in the freezer for months to come.  If you are interested in learning more about the storage options available to you, visit us at online.  You can find an entire selection of bacon related kitchenware, including bacon-freezing solutions.


You Had Me at Bacon

Bacon – Pork up your Knowledge

     What’s the best way to buy bacon?  The basic way is to pork up your knowledge on where bacon came from, the best forms to use and the price.  Before the birth of the freezer, people would soak the fabulous pork in a brine of salt water to preserve it.  The brine delivers a defense of microorganisms avoiding the people from getting very sick if it had spoiled.  Smoking is another way to reserve the bacon.  It prolonged the life just as much as brining.  Once the brining and smoking took off, we got imaginative!

Adding a spice here and there and smoking it with a specific wood was an experiment with flavors.  The most commonly used spices and woods were:  black pepper, jalapenos, juniper, garlic, apple wood and mesquite.  We can buy bacon already spiced and cured or for the chef in your home; they can research with their own spices and develop there own flavors as well.
In purchasing bacon at a specialty meat shop, you will have a variety to choose from; pancetta (from Italy), duck bacon (thinly sliced and full bodied taste encased with a large amount of fat and cooks very fast), Irish bacon (from the loin of the pig, not as rich in fat but can still be brined and sliced thinly for frying as traditional bacon is).

Many types of entrée’s or side dishes are enhanced with bacon, whether it’s crumbled on top or wrapped with bacon.  Shrimp and scallops can be enfolded in bacon for classic hors d’oeuvres.  You will want the bacon to be crunchy, choose the best, low in fat such as the Irish bacon.  Bacon wrapped around a filet mignon is perfect because the filet is mild and very tender and the crispness enhances the flavor of the filet.  If you are roasting a turkey, use bacon ends in your stuffing.  Baking bacon on a broiling pan or cookie sheet with a rack will produce the same aroma and taste as if you were frying it on top of the stove.  But before you use it in your stuffing make sure its cooked first.  Just keep in mind when you buy bacon, the flavor and aroma will get their mouths watering for more no matter what dish you are serving.





You Had Me at Bacon