Bacon Beer

Sure, bacon and beer pair well together—or so I’ve heard. I don’t drink beer. Some good (or at least interesting) news for those of you Homer Simpson types who drool over both: Brooklyn Brewery is experimenting with a bacon infused beer. Yeah, I don’t know... bacon infused bourbon is pretty damn tasty but I’m a bit over bacon vodka. For those of you might prefer to have them separately, Jimmy’s No. 43 is having a bacon and beer tasting next Tuesday 8/18 with Josh Ozersky!

Meatpaper: The Pig Issue

Issue 7 is out now!! Run out and get your copy today! Meatpaper is a fantastic magazine devoted to art and ideas about meat—and the latest issue is all about our favorite subject here in baconista land: the pig! According to Gothamist, there's an article on a new medical treatment called Bacon Therapy, a profile on Allen Benton of Benton’s Bacon (of PDT fame and highly recommended by Mr. Cutlets himself), and a comparison piece on vegan bacon (is that even necessary??).

I love that the editors of this meaty mag (Sasha Wizansky & Amy Standen) are both skinny gals. I have a feeling that if it were run by two slovenly dudes it wouldn't be nearly as tasty. Kudos on the very elegant aesthetic, ladies! I want that Meatpaper tote!

Thanks to Gristle for bringing this to my attention!!

Char No.4

Char No.4—not unlike Chanel No.5—has it’s own intoxicating scent: smoked meat. I started off with smoked and fried pork nuggets and the house smoked, thick-cut bacon. BIrthday boy Gristle had the clam chowder with potato, leeks and bacon. That's a whole lot of pig.... The bacon was good but a little too fatty for my taste. We all know what Mr. Cutlets says about the meat-to-fat ratio! I would say this was about 35% meat to 65% fat. It was still a nice treat before my grilled hanger steak. The entree was the real star of the meal along with several delicious, well made, whiskey cocktails. 

Extra points for the knowledgeable bartender and the warm, friendly waitstaff—especially the hostess who told me how much she loves Jurlique!

More Bacon & Bourbon

As you can see, there is no shortage of bacon and bourbon lovers out there. By far one of the coolest events I’ve been to... ever... in life.

Applewood smoked bacon samples being passed around while Josh Ozersky spoke of the importance of a 50/50 meat to fat ratio in bacon. He compared it to a well balanced meal in which “the fat is the meat and the meat is the vegetables.” Ozersky also recommends Benton’s bacon and his preferred method of cooking bacon is in the oven at 375°.

Scott Smith from RUB shares with us step-by-step his recipe for making BBQ Bacon Chunks—cured, triple smoked and deep fried in lard. Note to self: Eat at RUB very, very soon!

Bacon & Bourbon—a wildly successful pairing. Read more about the event here. And check out video from The Feedbag.

Bacon, King of Meats

This past Thursday, I attended the long-awaited Bacon and Bourbon Expo. Josh Ozersky (aka “Mr. Cutlets”) of Grub Street was our host. He began with a poem...

Bacon, King of Meats: The food all men desire
Perfumed by the aromas of the slowly smoldering fire

We gather in your honor, with bourbon or with beer
Two hundred souls collected for the thing they hold most dear

May your meat be bathed in smoke of one thousand fragrant logs
Created from the belly of obese and happy hogs

Redolent of hickory, with a cure as sweet as sin
You go places gastronomical, no sausage has ever been

All hail the mighty bacon! Whose scent inspires longing
Whose taste sets hearts afire and empty stomachs gnawing

Most precious of necessities, most beloved of all treats
From China to Peru, the undisputed King of Meats.