What's the Deal With Bacon?

The bacon salt... (4.00 / 3)

is, unfortunately, from here in Portland.  And for that matter, there isn't even any real bacon in it... it's basically a chemical goo in salty powder form -

A few months later, Dave and Justin began trying to make Bacon Salt in Dave's kitchen by mixing bacon drippings and sea salt together. The results were disastrous. From there, we found some people in the food industry and asked them to tell us everything they knew about how to realize our bacon-driven vision of making a condiment that made everything taste like bacon. Then, with funding from a 3 year old boy, we did it. We made Bacon Salt, a low sodium, zero calorie, zero fat, vegetarian and kosher seasoning that makes everything taste like bacon. At worst, we thought, we'd make something that we'd want to use at every meal. At best, everyone else who loves bacon (which is everyone) would embrace it too.

Yeah, no thanks...

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:09:17 AM UTC

Jay, I once had a craving (4.00 / 4)

for bacon that was SO bad, I ended up using a pound of it (for two people) in a few dishes.  Of course, I hadn't eaten the stuff in probably the preceding two-three years...maybe I just needed a good sodium-and-preservative-filled meal.

But when I get cravings that bad, I usually figure something is missing from my diet...b/c I almost never get cravings that bad.

I STILL would not have tried to quell that craving with bacon salt...or bacon ice cream...or bacon-flavored gum (yeah, I made the gum up, but is it really a stretch at this point?).

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:26:22 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not a stretch at all! (4.00 / 3)

I'd be shocked (shocked!) if there wasn't already bacon-flavored gum somewhere.

After all, I remember "buttered popcorn"-flavored jellybeans from when I was like 13, so that was 17 years ago...

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:39:43 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Holy Shit! I totally missed (4.00 / 3)

"buttered popcorn flavored jellybeans."  I mean, totally missed.

Of course, I don't eat jellybeans (^.^)

But when I want buttered popcorn, I, y'know, like, pop the popcorn and melt the butter & toss with salt or grated parmesan or whatever.

For pizza popcorn, you add garlic (I use a garlic press or sharp knife to finely mince the fresh cloves) to the butter while it's melting, plus oregano & paprika after it has melted & the minced garlic has softened, toss it with the freshly popped corn, add the grated parmesan, toss & serve.

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:49:26 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Absolutely... (4.00 / 2)

I always have a stash of real popcorn kernels, for whenever the mood strikes.

I like stovetop popcorn sprinkled with cumin these days, although of course I still do the melted butter and salt thing once in a while...

I've never heard of that "pizza popcorn" thing before, sounds good!

I've heard it's also great with just a sprinkle of shredded (or was that grated?) parmesan, too.  Have to try it that way one of these days.

I should do a mid-day Sunday diary on stovetop popcorn next week.  "How ya like it?"  :)

I've heard lime juice goes great with stovetop popcorn, too...

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:05:45 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Don't know about lime juice... (4.00 / 2)

That sounds odd to me.  Although, I guess you could mix it into the melted butter.

The "pizza popcorn" recipe came from the Philly Inquirer eons ago, when I was in college & a roommate used to read it.  The original recipe is long gone: but I've given you the ingredients -- I have them memorized -- specific amounts, however, are up to you.

Just don't do what I did, once, and grab the cayenne thinking it's the paprika.  I must have added close to a tablespoon...it was a large batch of popcorn...and I thought it was paprika until I tasted it.

Ouch!

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:15:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Oh, meant to say... (4.00 / 2)

I think the lime juice works with the cumin best, is what I've heard.  No butter, just squeeze some fresh lime on top and sprinkle with cumin.

Just don't do what I did, once, and grab the cayenne thinking it's the paprika.  I must have added close to a tablespoon...it was a large batch of popcorn...and I thought it was paprika until I tasted it.

Ouch, indeed!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:17:59 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

mmm, love cumin (4.00 / 2)

I usually work with cumin seeds, though.  & yeah, lime juice would be great w/cumin.

But not on my popcorn, LOL!

Srsly, I'd have to taste it first, it might be wonderful.  But I doubt I'll experiment without a more precise recipe, Jay.

(^.^)

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:24:11 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Ah, and that's the problem with me... (4.00 / 2)

I don't do recipes, I just throw a bunch of shit in a pot and see what works.

:)

When I try something like that, I go all out.  Lol...

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 09:00:32 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Stands to reason (4.00 / 1)

since somewhere at its core, popcorn is just a puffy tortilla chip. :)

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 19:55:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

oh dude (4.00 / 3)

I remember those. Can't believe I ate that.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:54:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Heh... (4.00 / 2)

And that probably wasn't even the worst 'flavor' we ate back then, was it?

:)

Or okay, maybe it was.  But others had to be close!

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:07:52 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

If it's jellybeans, it must be (4.00 / 2)

Reagan-era, right?

I haven't eaten a single jellybean since that jelly head got elected...srsly, I am off of them for life.  Just thinking about jellybeans makes me remember Reagan...and that always makes me nauseous.

He and his Voodoo Economics wrecked the country...

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:20:20 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Don't knock the bacon salt (4.00 / 1)

We have over 100,000 US servicemen and -women currently stationed in Iraq, a Muslim country that forbids the import of pork-based foods. (Several other Muslim countries in the Middle East do this also.) They are in an environment where they might need a bit of extra salt to keep their electrolytes in balance, and they crave the taste of the bacon they can't get in country.

I'm sure you can see where this is going. These entrepreneurs apparently made quite a bit of money making and selling bacon salt for delivery to US troops in the Middle East.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 19:53:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

LOL! Jill, (4.00 / 3)

who'da thunk it?

Bacon seems to be the Pet Rocks fad of the '00s!

I mean, I like bacon too, but jeez, bacon ice cream? (yes, it exists).  Bacon salt?  Bacon briefcases? (saw that elsewhere, and should mention that it wasn't exactly a real briefcase, more a recipe that, when cooked, would resemble a briefcase).

Pet rocks were a fad during the economic downturn of the 1970s.  I guess an obsession with bacon is the result of our current Great Recession (that's Paul Krugman's term, not mine).  As in "bringing home the bacon" except right now: who can afford it?

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:19:12 AM UTC

Ali S on the blog Gastronomalies (4.00 / 3)

frequently posts about bacon-related products, so I've seen some of these things (the mints and the band-aids?) before. But not all of them. And I've also seen other things that are bacon-themed items (check out The Bacone: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/p... ). At first I was going to take a few pics and send em to Ali for her blog, but then I realized there were so many bacon items that I should use 'em for a post on here.

"I can understand someone from Iowa promoting corn and soy, but we are not feeding the world, we are feeding animals and soft drink companies." - Jim Goodman

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by: Jill Richardson @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:22:21 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

As long as they don't... (4.00 / 3)

besmirch beer, I will leave them be.

But the second I see "bacon beer"?

It. Is. On.

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:24:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Heh. Wouldn't surprise me. (4.00 / 3)

But I doubt bacon beer would be widely distributed...probably a microbrewery would do it.  When is Denver's Great American Beer Festival?  I'd check the reports from there, if I were you...  ;-D

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:29:16 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hmmm... (4.00 / 3)

I don't know about the microbrew thing.  The real, serious craft / microbrewers love good beer and would never screw around with such bacon blasphemy...

Heh.

If anyone would do it, I'd put my money on the Sam Adams types, or the phony "microbrews" like Budweiser and Jimmy Buffett's "Land Shark Lager".

We will run them out of Portland on a rail! :)

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by: JayinPortland @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 07:36:48 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Jay. Never doubt (4.00 / 2)

the ability of an amateur to push the envelope: garlic ice cream is a case in point (California, natch).

Cherry flavored beer is NOT one of my favorites.  Even when it's made using real cherries (which I love, btw...they just don't work well with hops, imho).  Raspberries do play well with hops...I just don't like them in Belgian beers, which I consider undrinkable.  ("I've never met a Belgian beer I could drink without grimacing at the taste of." -- testimony from Youff)

Anyway, I didn't mean to suggest that anyone would seriously market bacon beer, just like they don't seriously market garlic ice cream.  What I meant to say (& obviously didn't say properly) was that these flavors will be lurking around us as long as they are the national fad.

& I still say it's bacon b/c we have that whole "bringing home the bacon" cliche...and all of a sudden, over 10% unemployment.

Everyone is craving bacon...especially those who can't afford it.  It's part real hunger...and part hunger for a real job.

IMHO, of course.

The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found. -- Calvin Trillin

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by: Youffraita @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:03:28 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sounds like a challenge (4.00 / 1)

Jones Soda has made Thanksgiving dinner turkey-and-dressing flavored soda, green bean soda and all sorts of other oddball flavors. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if they've made bacon flavored soda.

Just because you can, though, doesn't necessarily mean you should.

I have succumbed to the Twitter craze. @Omir55

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by: Omir the Storyteller @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 19:58:21 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I remember that about Jones Soda (4.00 / 2)

Has anyone ever watched the original Iron Chef program on Food Network? This is the original series from that network in Japan. They made ice cream in many of the battles. What they made with milk from fish in the form of different ice creams was beyond odd. I'll never look at fish or ice cream the same way.....

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 20:26:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

that should have been (4.00 / 2)

with milk and fish

Regarding locavores as elitists - explain to me how supporting local business is elitist....

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by: Joanne Rigutto @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 20:27:01 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Cultural obsession with Bacon (4.00 / 3)

Here's an item that combines Bacon-madness with an even more classic obsession.

http://gizmodo.com/5345912/bac...

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by: damfino11 @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 08:13:55 AM UTC

I don't know what it is (4.00 / 3)

but bacon is the only pork product that I have the slightest desire to eat. I have no interest in ham, pork chops, etc., but there is something about bacon that makes me eat it several times a year.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 10:53:27 AM UTC

Love (4.00 / 3)

the bacon bandages, lol!~  

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by: nycstray @ Tue Sep 08, 2009 at 13:57:05 PM UTC