Bacon Buzz Kill

[leechlake]

This morning I mentioned to my wife that I was thinking about starting a store solely devoted to bacon and bacon items. My daughter laughed but mentioned it was a cool idea and that there are a ton of related bacon items that the store could have. Her and I brain stormed. Besides carrying a variety of bacon we could have bacon snacks, bacon appetizers, various items to cook bacon, bacon t shirts etc. Fun conversation while I drank coffee and my daughter waited for the school bus.

My wife then stated, "the margins would be too low and the business would never work."

Why can't a guy throw out a fantasy, non-serious idea and get to dream a little. Oh well, I guess I will go to the butcher today and get all the items needed to make my own bacon in my little smoker. I've always wanted to try it and now I will. I have a recipe that keeps it safe and I'll get to live my dream if only with my Masterbuilt smoker on my deck. Geez...

[picksbigwagon]

you can always start small, maybe talk to a local bar about having "Bacon Night" and you can sell things with bacon in it while the bar does bacon themed drinks like Bacon Martini's, bacon bloody's,etc all while have bowls of bacon on the bar instead of peanuts and pretzels.

Your banner could read, "This Saturday is Bacon Night at (insert name of bar) Come on in and have a real swine time!"

you could have a wheel of bacon where the bartenders charge $5 and they must make what ever drink comes up on the wheel and it must have bacon in it............

[eyeguy 54]

might have gone over better if you were drinking bacon flavored coffee and offered her some.

[toughguy]

It just might work at MOA.

[Mid-Lake Rock]

Someone recently sent me an advertisement for bacon flavored prophylactics.

Santa put bacon flavored dental floss in my stocking a few years back.

People like weird bacon stuff. I like the idea. There is an online bacon store you can checkout.

Consider making it a chain and put one in Avoca, next to a PBR store. You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams.

[RebelSS]

Bacon Bubble gum. Yum.

[leech~~]

You could have "Kevin Bacon" show up at the opening weekend and sign your new Bacon shirts!

[leechlake]

just finished applying the cure to two pork bellys. 7 days in fridge and they are going on the smoker. In my rookie attempt I'm not using a cold smoke method but one where you smoke it at higher temps and take off the smoker at about 155 degrees. I did a lot of research and want to give this a whirl in my first try. I added maple syrup to one belly and just brown sugar with the cure for the second one.

My neighbors dad has been a butcher over 50 years and I'm getting together with him this weekend to get some tips from the wiley veteran.

I will post some photos of the bacon in 8-9 days, obviously with a few hard boiled eggs next to it.

[Duffman]

Consider making it a chain and put one in Avoca, next to a PBR store. You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams.

LOL......well played Sir, well played.

[toughguy]

obviously with a few hard boiled eggs next to it.

Obviously

[LABS4ME]

obviously with a few hard boiled eggs next to it.

correction... hard boiled POKED egg!

Good Luck!

Ken

[Walleye Guy]

The bacon store concept has already been developed in the on-line version. Check out bacon freak dot com if you want some ideas. There are some other out there too.

[NEANGLER]

Let us know how the higher temps turn out, that high you will have cooked the belly where you could eat it off the smoker if you want. Never heard of this concept before but would be interested on how it looks, tastes.

[leechlake]

Neangler,

yes, at that temp you can/could eat it off of the smoker. I may try one that way first in case it isn't good. I've followed this particular smoker/bbq guy on a lot of things and he has the cold smoked bacon on his HSOforum and the higher temp method also and said in his opinion he prefers the higher temp method. Since I've had success with his other techniques I thought I'd give it a try.

[Kidd]

Here's something you could add to your menu: pork belly confit

[McGurk]

[leechlake]

I'm not in love with the name, why did he include "pants" in it. When I hear bacon I salivate, when I see it incorporated with some guys pants it takes a little away from it.

I guess in twenty years when I'm at the World Bacon Expo Convention is Las Vegas I can meet the guy and find out why he chose the name, he'll probably tell me that as long as you have bacon you can put anything after it and be successful. I will then try to tell him about poking eggs and he will tell me he invented it.

[SkunkedAgain]

Well, if he actually sold or wore a pair of bacon pants....I would be impressed.

Why can't a guy throw out a fantasy, non-serious idea and get to dream a little.

Because marriage can be a soul-crushing dream-crushing endeavor, or so I hear

I did buy the Amazing Bacon Bowl at the As Seen On TV Store at MOA. It is a bacon lovers dream. For $10 it really works well. Here are two pics of my first attempt:

[leechlake]

oh man, my son and I have seen that commercial and vowed to get one. Gonna have to find one today. I'm thinking some ice cream in it with hot fudge. First spoonful crushes it and bacon bit hot fudge sundae.

My store will obviously serve those.

[Eric Wettschreck]

Consider making it a chain and put one in Avoca, next to a PBR store. You will be rich beyond your wildest dreams.

I know a couple fellas that would frequent this establishment on a regular basis.

[leechlake]

as the resident expert on bacon here (self proclaimed) I will review the bacon bowl contraption. I had seen it reviewed on one of those weekend morning local news shows. I can't remember exactly what that gal said but she had some tips on making it work better. Obviously being an expert, the following is from my own experience.

My first attempt used thick cut bacon and I did it in the microwave. It took twice as long as the instructions said and it shrunk to half size. Still good but it was a mess and too much shrinkage.

Attempt #2- oven. You can't heat the oven more than 375 degrees per the instructions. My favorite way to make bacon is on a cookie sheet in the oven so this appealed to me. Instructions said 35 minutes. Mine took 45 minutes, way too long unless it's an occasion of sorts. They did turn out better and shrunk very little. Except for the time this worked well.

From my on line research I've learned that thinner cut bacon works better for the bowls. Makes sense that mine took so long since I used thicker cut bacon. Will try that sometime when I but some cheap thin bacon some time. I try to shy away from that, especially since I am an expert. What expert would have thin cut bacon?

In conclusion I think that I could easily make bacon bowls without this contraption. First, since the package only contains two what if you want to make 4 or 6?. Even on a rainy day like today I'm not sitting in the kitchen making 3 batches in the oven. I will give this product a B because B is for Bacon and I think it will bring more people into making good food. Also since its an "As Seen on TV" product the expectations can't be too high, although the Flex Seal I bought this Winter is still sealing my wifes wall mounted water fountain that I accidentally screwed into the wall below the water line. That stuff gets an A.

[Jim Almquist]

I am all about baking bacon. I put the bacon in the oven and set the temp for 400 degrees and when it hits 400 the bacon is done to perfection. Always thick cut if possible for me.

I don't need a bowl of bacon but would much rather have a plate full

[leechlake]

Jim,

you gave me a vision of a large bacon bowl filled with strips of bacon.

I may sacrifice one of our Large Metal Mixing Bowls. I'm guessing it will take a full pound of bacon or maybe 1-1/2 pounds. Get it nice and browned in the oven. Now the options start:

1. fill with a nice green salad, I'm seeing a chopped salad with plenty of other stuff

2. A bread bowl inside the bacon bowl filled with a creamy soup or chili (this may be the winner)

3. Popcorn (we're leaving for a movie right now, I have popcorn on my mind)

4. Carmel Corn. Couple pieces of carmel corn and nip off some of the bacon bowl…mmmm.

Feel free to add to my list. I have drool running down my chin and my lab is watching me drooling too, dog's have a sixth sense.

[SkunkedAgain]

The instructions do say not to use thick bacon. My only trial was in my toaster oven which also took about 45 minutes. You could certainly use a big metal bowl and make a big bowl. This was a nice morning surprise for Mrs. Skunked Again, and for that, it was well worth $10.

I only bought it because they profiled the inventor in a WSJ Money article. I figured those guys don't profile As-Seen-On-TV guys unless they hit on a jackpot.

[toughguy]

I am all about baking bacon. I put the bacon in the oven and set the temp for 400 degrees and when it hits 400 the bacon is done to perfection. Always thick cut if possible for me.

+1. Baking Bacon is the way to go.