Jump to content

  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Looking For Great-tasting, Artisanal Bacon

Shel_B

By Shel_B
in Kitchen Consumer

 Share

Recommended Posts

IEATRIO

IEATRIO

Posted
Posted
On November 6, 2016 at 11:38 PM, DiggingDogFarm said:

Lots of folks say that.

SO and I must have got some from a bad batch — the smoke flavor was horrible (reminded me of the scent of an ashtray.) :S

I bet that wasn't a bad batch and they make it that way on purpose.  That's the perfect way to describe some of the smokier bacons, especially Broadbent, and to a slightly lesser extent Benton.

 

It can be a bit off putting on first sniff, but I think Benton is a world beating product -- their ham is even more magnificent -- and they are practically giving the stuff away, at very reasonable prices compared to other quality charcuterie. 

btbyrd

btbyrd

Posted
Posted

Wrights is city bacon, and it's not especially smoky (and hardly smoky at all compared to Benton's, Broadbent's or Father's.) I don't think "horrible smoke flavor" that reminds someone of "the scent of an ashtray" is "the perfect way" to describe smokier bacon. And it's certainly not the way I'd describe Wright's bacon. If DDF got packaged that smelled/tasted that way, it was a defect and he got a bad batch.

 

Good country bacon smells and tastes like a campfire. It's beautiful.

But +1 on the prices for Benton's. Their bacon isn't expensive at all and it tastes delicious. Father's and Broadbent are also relatively inexpensive (and I love Father's country hams). The only problem is that while the product is cheap(ish), the shipping costs can be high. So it's best to place a big order and spread the shipping costs over a bunch of product. Speaking of which, lookie what just showed up on my doorstep...

 

 

IMG_4857.JPG

 

 

"End slices" are a tremendous value at $5 a lb. Some can be sort of gnarly looking, and they tend to be fattier than the leaner "proper" bacon, but they're ideal for sandwiches or making lardon or whatever application where you don't really care what it looks like. And frankly, I eat them just like normal bacon since I'm not precious about how the slices look. An even better value is the "bacon seasoning" which are the fatty tips that get sliced off the ends of the belly to make the rest of it easier to slice. They're a paltry TWO DOLLARS A POUND. I use those to make the Momofuku cookbook's ramen broth (which calls for a pound of Benton's) and as a seasoning for beans and greens. Pressure cook them with a couple quarts of water, and it makes for a great bacon stock to cook whatever you want with. (Sometimes I add kombu for a bacon dashi.) I do the same thing with Father's ham hocks, which are also dirt cheap. but I digress...

  • Like 8

Visit me on Instagram

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, btbyrd said:

Good country bacon smells and tastes like a campfire. It's beautiful.

 

Yes.

  • Like 3

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted (edited)

Not so much a camp fire. More a forest fire in a forest heavily populated with pigs.

A couple of nights ago, a neighbour knocked on my door fairly late in the evening. She had come by, she told me, to drop off some of her home cured and smoked bacon which was excess to her family's requirements. Actually, I think she was just worried that I didn't have any and couldn't possibly survive the winter without it. They are lovely, lovely people except the Stupids who live downstairs, but I ignore them as much as possible.

 

Anyway, this is a dry cured bacon which is then smoked until blackened. It is very smoked. It is a full blown lump of smokiness. I'm surprised you can't smell the smoke from wherever you are.

It is now hanging on my balcony next to an old New Year decoration which I have never got round to throwing away. (Neighbour suggested it could do with a bit more hanging - the bacon, not the decoration.) Unfortunately, this is also where I hang my clothes to dry - no electric driers here - so all my clothes now smell of smoked pig. No one seems to mind. Some get rather affectionate. Forget pheromones!


hanging.jpg

 

The thing weighs just under a kilo. It's probably not what you want on your breakfast plate or in a BLT. I keep looking at it and thinking "baked beans", but I can't find the beans, The locals, including neighbour, use it in hotpots and soups or sometimes in highly spiced stir fries. We don't go in for the delicate (insipid) Cantonese style of Chinese cooking here. We want our food to punch us in the mouth.

 

烟薰腊肉.jpg

 

I will try to let you know what I do with it.

Edited by liuzhou
typos and clarification (log)
  • Like 10

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

  • 11 months later...
Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted
On 11/6/2016 at 11:38 PM, DiggingDogFarm said:

SO and I must have got some from a bad batch [of Wright's] — the smoke flavor was horrible (reminded me of the scent of an ashtray.) :S

 

I recently tried Wright's again—no sign of 'ashtray' this time. 

  • Like 2

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

  • 1 year later...
Thanks for the Crepes

Thanks for the Crepes

Posted
Posted
On 11/6/2016 at 11:38 PM, DiggingDogFarm said:

Lots of folks say that.

SO and I must have got some from a bad batch — the smoke flavor was horrible (reminded me of the scent of an ashtray.) :S

 

I overpaid for Wright's not so long ago. I'll never waste money that way again.

 

Do you want to know what is the Good Stuff? It's Broadbent's bacon! This stuff will make you remember your childhood when the hickory smoke perfume would actually pull you out of bed. 

 

I have to say I'm not much of a fan of Grandma's country sausage because it's too fatty and aged, when I don't think a sausage needs to be aged. Perhaps this a throwback to before refrigeration, but I don't like it. That said, I'll eat the rest of the two pounds that I froze after the initial experience. It cooks up crispy like cracklin's with some pork meat in there. 

 

Oh, my God! The BACON, though! If you long for the nostalgic bacon of your childhood, this is where you need to go to get it: Broadbents. I also have some country ham from them that I haven't tried, but when I do, you will hear about it.

 

This is the BEST bacon I have ever eaten in my whole life. I like hickory smoke, though, and that is what this bacon is all about. It is a treat that I love to look forward to and it perfumes the house every time I cook it. I cannot get over how good this bacon is. Treat yourself and try it. I cannot imagine anyone not liking this bacon. It is the stuff of dreams!

  • Thanks 1

> ^ . . ^ <

 

 

kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted (edited)

I can testify to Broadbent's bacon. I get their big packages of bacon seasoning pieces, which I then use to make bacon jam, which is the most divine condiment known to modern man.

 

However, being an adopted Arkansan, I would be remiss if I did not at least get in a plug for hometowners Petit Jean Meats. You won't go wrong with anything you get from them, and that black pepper bacon is sublime. I would also put in kudos for their smoked turkey breast, and their pastrami.

 

 

Edited by kayb
to add link. (log)
  • Like 1

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted (edited)

I just got a Broadbent re-supply , of ends and things.

 

I posted here :

 

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/149834-mail-order-virginia-country-hams/?page=6&amp;tab=comments#comment-2187149

 

 

perhaps I should have posted here ?

 

bacon was involved

 

the big question 

 

who has had  Benton's , Father's and Broadbent bacon 

 

all hickory smoked

 

at the same time ?

 

Edited by rotuts (log)
  • Haha 1
boilsover

boilsover

Posted
Posted

I wish there was a better in-vogue word than 'artisanal'.  It even sounds nasty.  Are folks intentionally misspelling it to take the butt out  -anal?

 

Craft?  Micro?  Charcuter?  Premium?  How about "not total dreck"?

 

One time I was driving through a small town, hungry, looking to grab a bite somewhere.  In my windshield appears a roadhouse with one of those old grocery readerboards out front:  "TODAY: 5TH ANAL CHILI COOKOFF"  Mmmmmmmmm, pedal down... 

  • Haha 1
Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Artisan or artisanal and gourmet are marketing buzzwords that definitely MUST die!!!

I'm okay with handcrafted.

 

A few comical things I've seen written on the specials/menu boards at redneck greasy-spoon establishments:

Scalped Potatoes

Half Baked Chicken

Ham and Pee Soup

Certified Anus Beef Burger

Sweat Tea

Coke, Diet Coke, Spite

Brokely Cheese Soup

No Smoking Aloud

 

xD

 

  • Like 1
  • Delicious 1
  • Haha 5

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

  • 1 month later...
btbyrd

btbyrd

Posted
Posted

Zingerman's is having their spring sale, which includes some bacon products. I stocked up on some apple and cherry smoked Neuske's bacon. I'm looking forward to having it again -- it's been years! The first true country bacon experience I ever had was Neuske's purchased direct at Zingerman's deli in Ann Arbor. My life would never be the same...

  • Like 1

Visit me on Instagram

  • 5 years later...
rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

I thought Id place this here :

 

I was thinking of a restock of some country cured bacon , hocks and end pieces .

 

I was looking at Bentons , for the bacon 

 

and Broadbent for some hocks and ' pieces '  for soup etc

 

found this  for Broadbent :

 

Hocks :

 

https://www.broadbenthams.com/Country-Ham-p-Seasoning-Hocks_pp4-1-Lb-Pkgs/productinfo/84/

 

Ham seasoning

 

https://www.broadbenthams.com/Premium-CountrypHam-Seasoning-Pieces_pp-4-1-lb-Pkgs/productinfo/830/

 

not available in CA and MA.

 

Fathers and Bentons seem to be available .

 

Ill call Broadbent tomorrow.

  • Like 2
btbyrd

btbyrd

Posted
Posted

These days I mostly get Nueske's applewood smoked bacon from an upscale grocer for $9.99/lb. I used to order it through the mail at twice the price (factoring in shipping) so I feel lucky. It's a fantastic all-around bacon... good for eating, good as a seasoning, tasty fat. Not quite artisanal, but very good. 

  • Like 2

Visit me on Instagram

donk79

donk79

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, AlaMoi said:

Amazon wants $25/pound . . .

Hmmm....  I just smoked and sliced ten pounds of bacon last week.  Was starting to wonder about the economy of this when paying $4.50/lb for the belly, given the work that goes in.  Appreciate you giving me encouragement!

  • Like 2
donk79

donk79

Posted
Posted

@rotuts

Please share your results.  I have only cold smoked bacon. I recall many people starting out with a hot smoke, though.  I am quite envious of the indoor smoker.  My smoker setup requires quite a lot of babying in cold temperatures for best results. 

 

That said, Edward's is the only purchased bacon I have found comparable.  Mass market brands don't get close.

TdeV

TdeV

Posted
Posted

I'm no longer tolerant of heavy smoke, especially added smoke flavouring. When I lived in California I used to be able to choose between two bacons at the meat counter. One had a pronounced smoke flavour and the other didn't.

 

Do anyone know of a quality bacon with a very low smoke flavour?

 

What is Broadbent's Premium Country Ham flavour, @rotuts?

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

@TdeV

 

I have not had Broadbent's hams.

 

just bacon //hocks//bits and ends.

 

too bad they cant ship ti MA.

 

I called Broadbent.

 

they can ship cooked products , and a honey bacon

 

but not plain smoked products .

 

#)_%@Y#&%*Y&@#)%Y@#&%.

  • Thanks 1
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted (edited)

1972, I was living in a very remote cottage in the countryside near Bath, England. It belonged to my then girlfriend’s family and we were basically house-sitting while they were living abroad for work reasons. Neither of us had been there before. One day, we went for a walk across the fields to investigate our surroundings and ended up in an old pub with attached smallholding in the middle of nowhere – real Thomas Hardy territory and Thomas Hardy locals.

 

Unusually for the time, the pub did food, so we decided to eat. A ploughman’s lunch seemed appropriate. It came with their own cheese, their own bread, home made pickles etc and was utterly wonderful. They mentioned to my girlfriend that they also cured their own bacon. Turned out the entire menu was produced in the pub grounds.

 

Even more unusually, they did breakfast so we returned the next morning (and for the next many mornings) and breakfasted on the best bacon sandwiches I have ever eaten.

 

After a year, we had to leave the cottage and also went our separate ways. 50+ years later I have no idea where she is, if even alive. Cést la vie. Nor have I been back to Bath, a beautiful city.

 

For that half a century and especially recently with things like Google maps, I’ve been trying to find that cottage and that pub, but without success. Probably long gone.

 

But, although I’ve found good bacons in Europe and even China, I’d be ecstatic to find anything that good again.

 

If anyone knows the area, I have a vague recollection that the pub was called The Apple Tree or something apple related, but that could easily be a false memory. I do remember her name.

 

 

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 4

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted

Living in the mid-west, we seem to be surrounded by good bacon and apparently good hogs, though I don't know any hogs personally. I do know some butcher-chefs who make their own bacon, but there are a number of places to buy excellent local products.  The best bacon I've had was from Steve's Meats but I'm not sure if they ship. I am pretty sure that both Local Pig and Paradise Locker do ship and I've had fabulous bacon from both.

  • Like 1

Deb

Liberty, MO

rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

@Maison Rustique

 

thanks for those links.  great fun looking over their sites.

 

Local Pig does not ship to MA  and the shipping charges for PL are a bit high.

 

but fine looking stuff     would be nice to love near any of theses sites.

  • Like 2
Katie Meadow

Katie Meadow

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, liuzhou said:

1972, I was living in a very remote cottage in the countryside near Bath, England. It belonged to my then girlfriend’s family and we were basically house-sitting while they were living abroad for work reasons. Neither of us had been there before. One day, we went for a walk across the fields to investigate our surroundings and ended up in an old pub with attached smallholding in the middle of nowhere – real Thomas Hardy territory and Thomas Hardy locals.

 

Unusually for the time, the pub did food, so we decided to eat. A ploughman’s lunch seemed appropriate. It came with their own cheese, their own bread, home made pickles etc and was utterly wonderful. They mentioned to my girlfriend that they also cured their own bacon. Turned out the entire menu was produced in the pub grounds.

 

Even more unusually, they did breakfast so we returned the next morning (and for the next many mornings) and breakfasted on the best bacon sandwiches I have ever eaten.

 

After a year, we had to leave the cottage and also went our separate ways. 50+ years later I have no idea where she is, if even alive. Cést la vie. Nor have I been back to Bath, a beautiful city.

 

For that half a century and especially recently with things like Google maps, I’ve been trying to find that cottage and that pub, but without success. Probably long gone.

 

But, although I’ve found good bacons in Europe and even China, I’d be ecstatic to find anything that good again.

 

If anyone knows the area, I have a vague recollection that the pub was called The Apple Tree or something apple related, but that could easily be a false memory. I do remember her name.

 

 

Sweet dreams are made of these. That pub sounds like heaven, or what heaven should be.  When you figure out where it is let me know. 

  • Like 1
liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted
Just now, Katie Meadow said:

Sweet dreams are made of these. That pub sounds like heaven, or what heaven should be.  When you figure out where it is let me know. 

 

You'll be first!

 

 

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...