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Why the local bacon is better
For some reason, bacon is a common topic of conversation amongst our peers in Hamtramck. The September/October issue of Cook's Illustrated includes an article about the differences between artisanal and mass-produced bacon that I thought some of you, both for and against bacon, might be interested in.
Follow up:
Mass-produced bacon often starts with frozen pork bellies that are thawed and tumbled in a metal drum to soften the meat, then placed on hangers and pumped full of a liquid cure solution. This solution includes curing salts such as sodium erythorbate and sodium nitrite, along with phosphates that bind the water to the cells in the meat, plumping it up (and also causing it to shrink in the pan when cooked). The meat is not actually smoked - liquid smoke and other flavorings such as sweeteners, herbs, and spices are added to the cure. After curing for a few hours, the bellies are often sprayed with more liquid smoke and heated in a thermal processing unit (often referred to as "the smokehouse") to destroy bacteria and infuse smoke flavor throughout the meat. Finally, the slab is quickly chilled, machine-pressed into a uniform shape, sliced, and packaged for sale.
By contrast, artisanal bacon takes much more time, as well as hand labor and real wood smoke. It begins with fresh pork bellies, which artisanal producers say make bacon with superior texture and flavor compared to starting with frozen bellies. While the pork is sometimes soaked in a "wet" cure, it is traditionally dry-cured, which means the meat is hand-rubbed with a dry mixture of herbs, sugars salt, and curing salts. Artisanal producers leave the bacon to cure for anywhere from a day to a month, then slow-smoke it over wood fires, generally from one to three days, depending on the maker. The extended curing time intensifies the pork flavor and shrinks the meat so that the bacon doesn't shrivel much as it cooks.
The rest of the article is about bacon available nationally, ranging in price from $8 to $15 per pound before shipping. I may try to restrict my bacon consumption to Stan's and Bozek's from now on.
8 comments
However, I do have a hard time convincing myself that I would only need 3-4 slices of bacon at any given time. Geez, the bacon monster (Tim) who roams the house once the cooking smell blossoms, can easily sneak a piece when my back is turned.
I also didn't like the idea of cooking bacon in a microwave ... that is,until I saw Jaques Pepin make "pig candy" from bacon in a microwave, on one of those special bacon cooking dishes with ridges. It only took minutes. Damn!
I had to look up pig candy, and I can't believe people eat that. Then again, great-grandma's best cookies were made with bacon grease.
Do they really have artisanal bacon at Stan's and Bozek's? Or is it just the same stuff before it goes to the packaging plant? One of my neighbors built a giant smoker out of a scrap restaurant-fridge, and we regularly get little chunks of what he smokes. I never received meat as a gift before in my life, but we both *really* enjoy it. It's one of the great things about living here that I never would have imagined. People give you meat. Balances out some of the crappy things about living here that I never would have imagined.
They really have artisanal bacon at Stan's and Bozek's, and probably at Srodek and Kopytko, too, though we haven't tried the bacon there. A friend of ours always has to get Stan's "gypsy bacon" when he visits.
I don't know about bacon at Kopytko, but I wouldn't be surprised. In addition to some of the best smoke kielbasa in town (a friend calls it gourmet), they also smoke a lot of nice fish. Smoked Sable fish is outstanding on rye bread (or crackers), with a little cream cheese and dill.
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