BACON!

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I'm Jewish, so this is what I do.

Step one:
Go to Findlay Market in downtown Cincinnati and go to Eckerlin Meats and buy a sufficient quantity of their delicious thick-sliced Cajun Bacon (not spicy, just flavorful).

Step Two:
Cook said Cajun Bacon in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet, preferably on a vintage stove, like my 1953 Magic Chef.

Step Three:
Place cooked bacon on a paper towel to drain off the excess grease. While it is cooling and draining, it is advisable to fry eggs in the bacon grease.

Step Four:
Enjoy

Dave

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www.eckerlinmeats.com
 
Bacon Noodles

Had a friend that used to make this dish. Believe of Polish origins. Others, feel free to make corrections on this.

Package of wide egg noodles cooked
Package of bacon fried, drained and then crumbled.
Small container of cottage cheese
Salt/pepper to taste

Combine the cooked, hot noodles, cottage cheese and bacon, then serve. May need to reheat if the cottage cheese is cold.

And yes, was one of those whose Mom kept the bacon grease, but usually in a can on the stove. Probably why I had a triple bypass two years ago! LOL
 
OK Rich & Chuck.......

Hey Toggles,

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I humbly agree with likening it to, "magic sprinkles!" You can do so much with so little, and just a little can make a big difference! And, yes, crispy is the way to go!

I also agree with Miracle Whip on a BLT! But, that's how I was raised. I rarely have it in the house any more because the better half prefers mayo.

Lemon/pepper on the 'maters in a BLT? Gonna have to try that one!

One of my faves that I only make about once a year... stuff a pitted date with a medium-soft gorgonzola and wrap it in 1/3 strip of bacon (NOT thick cut!). Bake 425-450f until the bacon is cooked.

Of course it's a must with wilted spinach salad. What else ya gonna do w/ it when you fry it to get the fat for the dressing? That is, assuming you don't have a little jar of the fat in the fridge (guilty).

Crumble a few crispy strips and mix in your meatloaf before baking.

Lay strips on top of a seasoned pork roast before popping it in the oven (secure each end w/ a toothpick).

Sprinkle in braised cabbage

Sprinkle in a sandwich or wrap. I've done it with turkey, roast beef, tuna...

What else ys got out there??

Chuck
 
Hey Mike,

I remember a dish that was similar, but it was w/ egg noodles, cabbage and bacon. The Polish name translated to something like 'hairy noodles.' Maybe Ray will know.

Chuck
 
Forgot the eggs

YES, that is proper to fry the eggs in the bacon grease and YES, I save the grease so Helen can do her culinary magic.

I've done bacon in a George Foreman grill. You have to kinda fold it in half and then turn it over but it comes out good and the grease falls onto the counter. OOPS (hurriedly slides the drip pan underneath). There, much better.

Volvoguy, what's in the Cajun bacon? I'M Cajun and I've never heard of it. What kind of meat is it? I thought pork wasn't Kosher ?
 
Then, there is

Rumaki. I prefer to make and serve water chestnut Rumaki, instead of the nasty chicken liver sort.

1 pound bacon...even "thickly sliced" will work
1 can sliced water chestnuts, drained.

Soy sauce (I use the Kikkoman Reduced Sodium-green label)
light brown sugar.

FLAT toothpicks ("cocktail sticks")

Kitchen scissors, broiler pan with slotted tray OR microwave bacon rack and paper towels.

Foil to line a big plate, and fold over.

Cut the bacon into crosswise thirds. Roll around a water chestnut slice, secure with toothpick, set onto foil lined plate.

Repeat until you run out of bacon, or water chestnuts, or patience.

Sprinkle with the soy sauce, lightly but thoroughly, and similarly with the brown sugar. Close the foil, refrigerate overnight.

Bake at 350F until brown and crisped, OR microwave on high until likewise brown and crisped.

Serve to rave reviews.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Pork isn't kosher Jason,

but then again, I'm a bad Jew and I love bacon. I don't know what spices are in the Cajun Bacon, I'll inquire when I'm next at the market. All I can say is that yes, it's pork, and it's damn good!

Dave
 
Magic Sprinkles

What I love to do is go to the grocery store and buy the 4# box of "ends and pieces" which I bring home and pop in the freezer for about an hour. Put the meat grinder on the KitchenAid mixer with the "coarse" plate in it. Grind the raw bacon into my dutch oven. Put the dutch oven on high heat and keep frying until the bacon is very brown. Drain it in my colander and put it in a ZipLoc bag in the freezer. To the empty and hot dutch oven, deglaze the pan with about a cup of water and make sure I get up all of the good stuff from the bottom and reduce to about 1/2 cup.

The remaining half cup gets put in tupperware in the freezer.

When it's time to make Black Eyed Peas or Green beans, I then have some good bacon flavoring in the frozen deglazing liquid, I have the bacon already cooked all I have to do is chop an onion, sprinkle in some of the frozen bacon and the peas/green beans.

I then also have the bacon for salads, baked spuds, anything that calls for it. It saves a ton of time. If you need it hot, stick it in the microwave for a second or two and there you have it!

Duetboy
aka Jeff
 
Hungarian Version

Chuck, that would be wide egg noodles, homemade prefered, cabbage that has been grated, then salted down for a couple hours. And a chopped onion. My Mom used Crisco to fry the onion and cabbage after she squeezed the water out of it. Once all fried and a little burning didn't hurt it, add the cooked noodles and mix well. The house would smell to high heaven, but the result was wonderful! Usually was served as a meatless Friday night dish.
 
I love

Bacon wrapped shrimp stuffed with chopped jalapenos, garlic, and colby jack cheese. Jalapeno bacon is great for this, but the local store used to carry chipotle bacon which was awesome. Too bad it was discontinued. Marinate the wrapped shrimp in a little oil, tiger sauce, lime juice, dill weed, and a shot of rum. Then grill to perfection.

I too buy the bacon end pieces to use in beans and such, and I also have the container with bacon grease on the stove.
 
Spaghetti Carbonara

8 ounces dried regular spaghetti
6 thick rashers Niman ranch applewood smoked bacon(or yer favorite brand and type)
1 small plain onion, diced fine(optional)
3 eggs, beaten lightly
About 12 grinds fresh black pepper
1 handful fresh parsley, washed, dried and minced(also optional)
2 ounce chunk of Romano, Grana Padano or Parmesan cheese

1. Bring 2 quarts well-salted water to a brisk boil.
2. While water heats, cook the bacon until it is almost crisp. Remove from pan and leave grease in pan. Set bacon aside; drain it if you must. Now dice it up and keep it close.
3. Throw spaghetti into boiling water and stir so strands don't stick together.Cook onion in the bacon fat for about 8 minutes until it is translucent and just beginning to brown slightly.
4. Carefully and slowly beat hot onion/bacon fat mixture into beaten eggs. Grind black pepper into mixture. Have egg mixture, cooked bacon, minced parsley and cheese with a grater close at hand.
5. As soon as spaghetti is ready, drain it into a colander set over a large ceramic bowl. Leave boiling drained water in bowl(to warm it) and toss cooked spaghetti back into cook pot.
6. Take a moment to admire something in the room(allowing spaghetti to cool briefly). Then, leisurely, toss egg/onion mixture into spaghetti and toss it, con brio. If you're good, the egg mixture should thicken ever so slightly but remain creamy and uncurdled. If eggs curdle, throw the whole thing out and start again, you screwed up.
7. Toss in bacon then throw the whole thing into warmed serving bowl and throw parsley and cheese on top.
8. Without wasting a moment, eat your masterpiece for when it cools, it loses all its charm.
 
Canned?

Years ago (1980s) I used to buy canned bacon packaged by Celebrity IIRC. It was handy for unexpected overnight guests (ahem) who deserved breakfast. It was pretty good but quite salty, I used to rinse it (in the opened can) with running water for a couple of minutes to remove as much salt as possible. I haven't been able to find it anymore so I started freezing packaged bacon (see previous post). Has anyone run across canned bacon in your travels?

(Jeff G I sent you an e-mail, probably in your spam folder)
 
For bacon, I only buy the thick cut slab bacon at the slaughter house, divided into 1 lb packages wrapped in freezer paper. When cooking bacon, I lay the strips out on a broiler pan or a cooling rack ontop of a sheet pan, I bake at 375 for about 25 min. I naturally pour the drippings into my 1 qt jar I keep in the fridge. All meats get browned in bacon fat, as well as eggs and potatoes get fried in it and the grease is the base for my macaroni and cheese.

One of my favorite uses for bacon is in a broccoli salad, it is broccoli florets, minced red onion, shredded cheddar cheese, crumbled bacon, dried cranberries all mixed in a mayonaise dressing.
 
Grilled Bacon

I put bacon on the grill... not only gives it a great flavor but no mess to clean up inside.... I also have dropped it in the deep fryer... if you drain it well its not any more greasy than pan frying and makes it very crisp very quickly.
 
Hey Ken,

I'm surprized your recipe doesn't call for pancetta instead of bacon. Usually, if it calls for bacon, it's an American recipe and also calls for cream!

Jeff, I sometimes grab the same type of bulk box. I've seen it labeled 'Seasoning Bacon.' I take out what can be used as breakfast meat, then cut up and freeze the rest for bulk usage. Never thought of processing (grinding/cooking) it all at once and freezing for easy use! Cool!

Yes, to agree in another way with other posts, when we make a full breakfast, both potatoes and eggs benefit from the bacon (or sausage) drippings!

Chuck
 
Who grew up in a house where mom saved the bacon grease in a

I raise my hand!! However, the only thing I iknow she used the grease for was when fried chicken was made. But I odn't know what the ratio of bacon grease and oil was though. Now, all I can eat is Canadian bacon. :-(
 
Another green bean/bacon approach--- (no slam intended to Je

This is a loose interpretation (my version of Ma's) of the Pennsylvania Dutch way.

In large, non-reactive kettle, scissor bacon strips crosswise, in a thin manner. Apple wood smoked bacon is excellent for this, but hickory or corn-cob smoked bacon will also do well. Cook until bacon starts to render drippings, stirring frequently, for about 4-5 minutes, over medium heat. Don't let them get brown, (or too brown). Remove bacon from kettle, set aside. Keep the dripping in the kettle.

In the dripping, brown one/one and a half finely chopped onion, stirring often, and keep it in the kettle.

Add about a quart of green beans. Ma preferred home canned, or DelMonte. (2 15 ounce cans, if using commercially canned.) I prefer either fresh, or a 16 ounce +/- bag of frozen ones. All are good, all work. If using canned, include the brine ("can juice"). If using fresh or frozen, add about 1.5 cups water. Stir well but gently. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, on medium low heat.

NOW, trim and peel one potato (high starch, like a Russet or other baking potato) PER PERSON-or portion. 4-6, anyway. Keep the first ones in cold water to cover until you are done with the last one. Add to the beans and onions, look at the level of cooking liquid, add from potato holding water as necessary. Season with a tiny bit of freshly ground black pepper. Cover, cook until potatoes are tender, but not falling apart, check at 30 minutes, topping off with water as need be. This is NOT a soup at all, but this should not be dry!

Return the bacon, stir VERY gently. Cover, simmer 5-10 more minutes.

Finally, add about 2 teaspoons to 4 teaspoons of vinegar, apple cider vinegar (works with any bacon, SUPER with apple smoked bacon) or red wine vinegar.

Serve, in soup bowls, with a potato, lots of beans, and a measurable amount of the cooking broth, and smile.

If there are any leftover, they microwave well enough.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 

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