Bring home the bacon

Is it just me, or is it that across the country over the past few years the new rave is bacon? Bacon, bacon, bacon is being cooked up and served in ways that a few years ago we would have never encountered. If it’s chocolate-covered bacon, candied bacon, bacon donuts or as desserts garnished with bacon, we have now come to a new light in the use of this pork belly. So sit back, and let’s talk bacon!
For many of us, bacon has been a part of our daily life in the kitchen. If it’s waking up in the morning to the sizzling sound and lovely smell of bacon cooking in the cast iron skillet or grill to enjoying a scallop wrapped in bacon served as an appetizer before a wedding, bacon has long been a key ingredient used in the kitchen. But where does bacon come from? Bacon is the belly of a pig cured in salt, brine or dried pack to preserve it. From there, the true flavor in quality bacon is in the smoking. There is nothing better than a slab of bacon smoked to perfection with hickory or applewood. After being smoked, it is the preference of the consumer on a thick slice or thin and then cooked to perfection.
So why has bacon taken a turn from the morning breakfast table and a BLT, to be placed on every menu? Marketing! In short, the pork industry in the late ’80s was up against the chicken industry for a bite of the sales. So, the pork industry placed its focus on the lean cuts of meat and came up with the slogan “The Other White Meat.” The industry then took a positive move in higher sales. The downfall was the pork belly sales dropped to a low of 19 cents per pound. It was in the 1990s that the industry focused on the pork belly sales. Now, for sales to move, the push was focused on the restaurant industry and not on the home skillet. So, marketing pushed bacon into the restaurants. Hardee’s Frisco Burger, in 1992, was the start to everything you see today. It was a decision to go from healthy and lean to flavorful. From this point, everyone from Burger King to Wendy’s jumped on the bacon burger bandwagon that pushed the sales in the market to $5.20 a pound.
When it comes to cooking and baking, the use for bacon is never-ending. When preparing a basic meatloaf, adding a slice or two of bacon on top will assist in adding moisture and flavor to your meat. When creating a healthy spinach salad, add some flavor to it with bacon. To cook, just start off on a cold cast-iron skillet and bring up the heat and drain grease as cooking or place in a cool oven and set for 400 degrees. Give it a good eight minutes and your bacon will be perfect.
So now it’s time to go out and enjoy some bacon. Whether it’s pulling up to your favorite fast-food restaurant or sitting at a five-star hotel enjoying candied bacon, bacon is here to stay.
And one last thing for all those new bacon perfumes, vodkas and parents who name your child bacon – well, it’s all about bringing home the bacon!