Second to last day of Bacon Week.  Today’s a day for tips on bacon itself.

But first, I have to brag about a new toy I got in the mail yesterday…

 

This is a Lodge 12″ diameter cast iron skillet, and I am super excited.  This is one of those cooking implements that I’ve been lusting after for awhile now, and it being Bacon Week and all, I thought I’d treat myself.  Plus, now I have a perfect weapon for the Zombiepocalypse.*

Today I’ll do a few tips on bacon in terms of cooking, safety and flavors!

First, let’s talk about makin’ bacon!

While cooking bacon is a pretty straight forward process, there are a few items that I wanted to bring up having to do with bacon safety (put on your bacon goggles, please).

 

Please don’t ruin your favorite shirts in the name of bacon!  Put on a grungy one or snag a cheap apron to keep from getting spattered.  I nearly ruined a few shirts this week due to not paying attention – don’t follow my example!

Remember – don’t toss your bacon grease down the drain!  Bacon grease will congeal in your pipes and either clog the drain on its own or catch hold of other food particles and clog your drain with them.  Instead pour the grease into a heat-proof container (I always use a cut-off soda can) and let it solidify in the freezer.  Once it’s solid, toss it into the trash (or keep it for frying up some eggs in the morning!).

 

Using my brand new skillet, I cooked up three flavors of bacon yesterday to determine exactly how much of a flavor difference there is between them.  Here are my takes on the flavors.  Unfortunately my end results were a bit predictable, but I did the research (IE, ate some tasty bacon – hey, somebody’s gotta do it), so I may as well share it!

We have three flavors: from left to right, Hardwood Smoked, Applewood Smoked, and Maple.  Unfortunately I couldn’t find all 3 flavors in the same brand; the Hardwood and Applewood were a higher quality Gwaltney brand, and the Maple was a Hormel brand.  Just so you know.

Hardwood Smoked Bacon:

This bacon was, as you can see from the pictures, slightly thicker cut.  It was the more savory of the three, though not overly salty, which was really nice.  Some less-well made bacon tends to have a much saltier flavor which can be okay if that’s what you’re craving, but it dries out my throat and tends to make me feel parched and greasy.  There was also, of course, a very light smoked flavor to it.  It was delicate, but there.  A tasty slice!

Applewood Smoked Bacon:

This bacon was much more thinly cut.  I’m not sure why, but I can only postulate that it was in order to hold the applewood flavor better.  Like its brother the Hardwood Smoked bacon, this flavor too was not overly salty.  The lighter salt content made it easier to identify the applewood background, but it was extremely delicately sweet.  So light, in fact, that it was almost not identifiable, but in comparison to the Hardwood smoked bacon it was definitely there.

Maple Bacon:

The maple bacon was also more thinly cut, but unlike the others had a much stronger flavor, which was kind of nice.  Perhaps because it wasn’t as higher quality a brand it was also definitely saltier. Still, the maple had a tasty sweetness to it which balanced the salt relatively well.

 

Which was my favorite?  It’s a tough call, but probably the Hardwood Smoked,  It was a thicker cut of bacon, which I liked, and it wasn’t heavily salted, also a preference of mine.  Which do you prefer?  Sweet or savory?  Thick or thin?

Now, I’m off to BaconFest!  More on that tomorrow.  Don’t forget to join Bacon Week if you so desire!

* I actually prefer something for a little more reach as a weapon for the Zombiepocalypse, but after a baseball bat, I think that this skillet is a perfect secondary weapon with enough oomph to finish off whatever zombie might get into closer melee range.  Just sayin’.