14 Sep 2017
By Lynn Ballard

Bacon Blog Day 8: Beer Cured Bacon Can Change Your Culinary Life

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by @WidowPage When I started writing this series of posts, this was the one I couldn't wait to do.  But in addition to my fabulous and glamorous DBA job, I also coach my daughter's volleyball team and that is about to kill me!  I felt like I couldn't do this post the justice it deserved if I just whipped this post out so I waited until I had the time to do it right. Of all the cure recipes I've written about, this one is the most fun because the beer really enhances the pork's flavor.  If you were to…
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07 Sep 2017
By Lynn Ballard

Bacon Blog Day 7: If Kale Can Be A Thing, What About Red Wine Bacon?

Community, Humor, Personal,
by @WidowPage I've made red wine bacon before and it's become one of my favorites.  It's not something you would eat for breakfast, but it goes so well into many recipes.  Here's my list: Grilled Peach and Bacon Salad Spaghetti with Beef and Bacon Chicken Bacon Flatbread Mushroom Bacon Casserole It's also great in stews and coq au vin and it's amazing in beef bourguignon. One other thing: Until you get a chance to try bacon that isn't mass-produced, you don't realize how much flavor real bacon has.  Producers like Oscar Meyer inject their bacon with water because they sell it…
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06 Sep 2017
By Lynn Ballard

Bacon Blog Day 6: Bourbon Bacon

Humor, Personal, Thoughts,
by @WidowPage Thank you so much for sticking with me but this is when the bacon gets really good!   I got this recipe from here. Let's start with a gratuitous pork belly photo. It's a nice piece of belly. It's earned a bourbon cure. Use the following ingredients: 1 cup of bourbon, divided 1/2 cup Kosher salt 2 tsp curing salt 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 Tbsp black pepper 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder Now the recipe calls for brushing the bourbon on the pork belly before combining it with the dry ingredients.  I don't do that.…
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05 Sep 2017
By Lynn Ballard

Bacon Blog Day 5: Pepper Bacon

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Most bacon recipes are either sweet or savory.  Yesterday, we did a cure with maple syrup, so today, we'll go with a savory taste.  I got this recipe from here.  Assemble the ingredients into a large plastic bag and shake to mix. 1/4 cup salt 1/2 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons black pepper 1/2 teaspoon ground bay 1 teaspoon granulated onion 1 teaspoon granulated garlic 1/2 teaspoon ground thyme 1 teaspoon pink salt   This recipe is for 3 to 4 lbs of pork belly.  Mine is right around 8 lbs so I just doubled it.  And yes, that is…
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04 Sep 2017
By Lynn Ballard

Bacon Blog Day 4: A Cure for the Fever

Community, Humor, Off Topic, Personal, Thoughts, Tips & Tricks,
Thank you so much for sticking with me and following along on this process.  I'm really enjoying this project and I would especially like to thank Bob for allowing me to use his blog. So let's cure this piggy's belly! I've cut it up into smaller pieces so we can try a couple of different cures.  I'm using a recipe out of Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn's Charcuterie.  I love this book and even if you aren't even going to cure meat, it's great reading.  I also recommend their Whiskey-Glazed Smoked Chicken and their Smoked Scallops.  I've also made their…
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