The Bacon Corner

[Warfish]

I apologize, but I don't consider prosciutto or jamón ibérico to be "Bacon" per se.

Not that it isn't brilliantly good for what it is, but I just don't think of it as being what we think of as bacon. First off, many times it's not eaten cooked at all.

Same way when I want cheese for my burger, I'm not thinking brie generally. Not that brie can't be awesome too. It's just not "cheese" in an American way or taste or texture.

I think of these cured ham products more like ham or salami.

If you wondered what the Jamon looks like:

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Jam%C3%B3n_de_Huelva.jpg[/IMG]

[JStokes]

[QUOTE=Warfish;4504885]I apologize, but I don't consider prosciutto or jamón ibérico to be "Bacon" per se.

Not that it isn't brilliantly good for what it is, but I just don't think of it as being what we think of as bacon. First off, many times it's not eaten cooked at all.

Same way when I want cheese for my burger, I'm not thinking brie generally. Not that brie can't be awesome too. It's just not "cheese" in an American way or taste or texture.

I think of these cured ham products more like ham or salami.

If you wondered what the Jamon looks like:

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d2/Jam%C3%B3n_de_Huelva.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]

Oh, it's not even close to being bacon, totally not bacon. I would say pancetta is much closer, but even pancetta isn't bacon. And Canadian Bacon should just be called Hoser Ham.

_

[Apache 51]

Nothing like good ole fresh American bacon from a pig off the farm.

[Timmy®]

[QUOTE=JStokes;4504869]

[IMG]http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk142/jstokes719/131-1.jpg[/IMG]

_[/QUOTE]

Resembles 32Green finding out the ShopRite® Beer was all sold.

[The Boston Patriot]

[QUOTE=Brooklyn Jet;4504813]Whats the recipe?[/QUOTE]

Beef Goulash - Serves 6

3½ to 4 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 3 pounds)
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
6 slices bacon, cut into thin strips (about 6 ounces)
3 large onions, cut into 1½-inch wedges
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup sweet paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
2 medium bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
1½ cups (1 12-ounce bottle) Pilsener beer
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup (full fat) sour cream, at room temperature
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Package of egg noodles

In a medium bowl, toss the beef with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and the flour to coat. In a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-low heat, fry the bacon, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve; pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the fat and set aside. Heat pot over medium-high heat until bacon fat begins to bubble, about 40 seconds. Add half of the beef, so that pieces are close together in a single layer but not touching (do not crowd), and cook without moving until deeply browned on the bottom, about 3½ minutes. Turn the pieces and cook, again without moving, until second side is deeply browned, about 3½ minutes longer; transfer the beef to a medium bowl and set aside. Heat 2 more teaspoons of bacon fat and repeat to cook remaining beef, reducing the heat as necessary if the drippings in the pot begin to burn.

Return the pot to the burner, reduce the heat to medium, heat 2 more teaspoons of bacon fat, and add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir, then cook until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, caraway, marjoram or oregano, bay leaves, and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown film on the bottom of the pot until it is all dissolved, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the beer. Add the cooked beef with accumulated juices, push it down into the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 2½ hours.

Add the bell peppers, reserved bacon, and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper to the pot, stir to mix, cover the pot, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the bell peppers are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

In a medium non-reactive bowl, whisk the sour cream with about 1/3 cup of the stew juices just until incorporated. Add the sour cream mixture and 4 tablespoons of the parsley to the stew, and stir to distribute. Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and black pepper, if necessary. Serve at once with boiled potatoes or buttered egg noodles, sprinkling each portion with some of the remaining parsley.

[Big L]

Jamon iberico is the whole pig, no? If so, there's gotta be bacon on it somewhere.

:D

[Shotzy]

I can't think of a better way to take years off your life:D

[url]http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/[/url]

Great for tailgating.

[Brooklyn Jet]

[QUOTE=The Boston Patriot;4505110]Beef Goulash - Serves 6

3½ to 4 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1½-inch chunks (about 3 pounds)
Salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons flour
6 slices bacon, cut into thin strips (about 6 ounces)
3 large onions, cut into 1½-inch wedges
4 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup sweet paprika
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
½ teaspoon dried marjoram or oregano
2 medium bay leaves
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup homemade or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
1½ cups (1 12-ounce bottle) Pilsener beer
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces
2/3 cup (full fat) sour cream, at room temperature
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Package of egg noodles

In a medium bowl, toss the beef with 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and the flour to coat. In a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-low heat, fry the bacon, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate and reserve; pour off all but 2 teaspoons of the fat and set aside. Heat pot over medium-high heat until bacon fat begins to bubble, about 40 seconds. Add half of the beef, so that pieces are close together in a single layer but not touching (do not crowd), and cook without moving until deeply browned on the bottom, about 3½ minutes. Turn the pieces and cook, again without moving, until second side is deeply browned, about 3½ minutes longer; transfer the beef to a medium bowl and set aside. Heat 2 more teaspoons of bacon fat and repeat to cook remaining beef, reducing the heat as necessary if the drippings in the pot begin to burn.

Return the pot to the burner, reduce the heat to medium, heat 2 more teaspoons of bacon fat, and add the onions and ½ teaspoon salt. Stir, then cook until just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, paprika, caraway, marjoram or oregano, bay leaves, and tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, increase the heat to high, and, using a wooden spoon, scrape up the brown film on the bottom of the pot until it is all dissolved, about 2 minutes. Slowly pour in the beer. Add the cooked beef with accumulated juices, push it down into the liquid, bring to a boil, reduce heat to very low, cover, and simmer until the beef is tender, about 2½ hours.

Add the bell peppers, reserved bacon, and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper to the pot, stir to mix, cover the pot, increase the heat to medium, and cook until the bell peppers are tender, about 12 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

In a medium non-reactive bowl, whisk the sour cream with about 1/3 cup of the stew juices just until incorporated. Add the sour cream mixture and 4 tablespoons of the parsley to the stew, and stir to distribute. Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning with additional salt and black pepper, if necessary. Serve at once with boiled potatoes or buttered egg noodles, sprinkling each portion with some of the remaining parsley.[/QUOTE]

Thank you!

[The Boston Patriot]

[QUOTE=crasherino;4504767]Not much guilt - but i have to admit, it was a bit strange, in the sense that I was eating something I wasn't supposed to. Still have that feeling now even though I haven't really been kosher since I was 15 or so.

Still don't make bacon at home - it's too antithetical to my upbringing. But I fully concede, it's delicious.[/QUOTE]

Why do Jews and Muslims give the pig such a bad rap? Serious question.

[crasherino]

[QUOTE=Big L;4504759]I recently read there is some sort of Spanish bacon now available here in the states. Something like Jamon Iberica. One leg (10-15 pounds) was something like $750.

That better be some damn good bacon at that rate.[/QUOTE]

The finest kind of jamon iberico is de bellota. I believe the pigs are fed a diet of acorns. They are from a certain area of Spain - forget exactly where. My buddy - who is a chef - was telling me that they have tried to replicate the diet and environment of these pigs, somewhere in the Carolinas. Don't remember the outcome.

The Uptown Fairway often times carries jamon de bellota. Its about $30 a quarter pound. Pricey as hell. The best place for jamon (and anything Spanish, really) in NYC is Despana, down in Soho.

[Fishooked]

[QUOTE=The Boston Patriot;4505377]Why do Jews and Muslims give the pig such a bad rap? Serious question.[/QUOTE]

I think its because they don't chew their cud & have cloven hooves...they were considered 'unclean'...or something like that.

[Joe W. Namath]

Classic Bacon:

[IMG]http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5033/whitebm.jpg[/IMG]

[Fishooked]

[QUOTE=Joe W. Namath;4505409]Classic Bacon:

[IMG]http://img710.imageshack.us/img710/5033/whitebm.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE]


[IMG]http://i.minus.com/ih4RmvX7UNb0D.gif[/IMG]

[Jetworks]

[QUOTE=Fishooked;4505433][IMG]http://i.minus.com/ih4RmvX7UNb0D.gif[/IMG][/QUOTE]

No question. One of the worst posters on JI. :cool:

In other news, be sure to check out "United States of Bacon" on July 8th, hosted by chef Todd Fisher on Destination America (formerly Discovery's Planet Green).

[brady's a catcher]

[QUOTE=Warfish;4504796]There is nothing like a simple, basic, B.L.T. crafted by my wife with love. No matter how many times I make my own, they never taste as great as the ones she makes.[/QUOTE]

Awww, you can taste the love!

[brady's a catcher]

[QUOTE=Warfish;4504829]She is. I'm not.

As part of our compromise, she does cook some meat products for me to eat.

I, in turn, eat a mostly-vegetarian diet with her.

Works well.[/QUOTE]


I'm on that plan, but I refuse to eat soy and tofu. Do get a decent amount of home cooked Indian food, which I like.

[dustykeller]

Up here in America's Hat, bacon is a condiment.