Picked up some of this recently. something we had never tried before...
BEEF BACON?!!?
Wait, what??
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| John Morrell Beef Bacon |
I'm sure that's an oxymoron or some other incorrect use of two words. Bacon is a sacred thing, in our household for sure. We LOVE bacon. So I thought this might be a good chance to try something different.
It sure looks like bacon...
It kind of fries up like bacon, though the fat renders away pretty quickly. While it's cooking it smells more like beef of course, but it does cook quickly...
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| Fried Beef Bacon |
Here is the end result. It's VERY crumbly. Some pieces stayed whole for a bit, it definitely crisps up like good crispy bacon would, but they crumbled into bits very easily and quickly. For that being a match for bacon, we'd say fail on that. Maybe we cooked it too long, but we like crispy bacon and so we just copied the way we like that normally. If you are looking for bacon bits, well then that wins.
The taste is very good, kind of like what you might imagine brisket would taste like if you fried it. It's cured and smoked so it does have the bacon essence that you would want. Like I said, it was good in a "different than bacon" sort of way. If you don't eat pork for any reason, it would be a brilliant way to still have bacon for breakfast. Overall, we'd definitely buy it again. It has its place in rotation in the kitchen but we think maybe it would be even better as an ingredient in other dishes.
It is a bit hard to find, we found ours at Kroger, but I've been to other Kroger stores and none of them have had it.
Has anyone ever tried this?
The taste is very good, kind of like what you might imagine brisket would taste like if you fried it. It's cured and smoked so it does have the bacon essence that you would want. Like I said, it was good in a "different than bacon" sort of way. If you don't eat pork for any reason, it would be a brilliant way to still have bacon for breakfast. Overall, we'd definitely buy it again. It has its place in rotation in the kitchen but we think maybe it would be even better as an ingredient in other dishes.
It is a bit hard to find, we found ours at Kroger, but I've been to other Kroger stores and none of them have had it.
Has anyone ever tried this?
I add water to the pan, enough to cover the bacon slices. Simmering the water renders the fat, so by the time the water has boiled away and the bacon is crisping up, it won't splatter. It also makes it easier to achieve the ideal crispy yet tender texture.
ReplyDeleteBy completely covering the bacon slices with water; it does take a long time for that much water to boil off so adding just enough water to cover bottom of pan is best; at least for me anyway. Once the bacon is in a cold pan, yes, I start out with a cold pan) add just enough water to completely coat the bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until the water has evaporated. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the bacon until crisp.
Have also cooked bacon in the oven before.
Frying up Beef Bacon:;
Lay strips of bacon in a large skillet (cold). They can be touching, since once the fat renders out, there will actually be a lot of room in between the pieces. Set pan over low heat until fat starts to render. If you have a splatter guard, use it — bacon can sputter a bit as it cooks.
Increase heat to medium and continue to cook, turning occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered and the bacon is starting to crisp up.
Once edges are dark (but not burned), transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Bacon strips will crisp up as they cool. Serve whole, or crumble once cool. Be ever vigilant for hands that may suddenly appear out of nowhere and cause these crispy morsels to disappear!
Or you can also prepare your bacon in the oven.
Awesome idea, thank you for this. And is there nothing better than crispy, wonderful, fresh cooked bacon? Sigh. ;-P
DeleteForgot to mention: I do use a bacon weight. I cover a solid, ordinary brick with heavy duty foil and lay on my bacon as it's frying away.
ReplyDeleteWe have a bacon weight, it's something cast iron with a handle, my parents had it and I sort of inherited it. It makes some flat bacon. I love the idea of a brick and some foil, makes perfect sense!!!
DeleteI also have one of them which is rectangle shaped and has a pig on it.
DeleteI love, love, love beef bacon. Here in Alberta it isn't available in the supermarkets, you have to get it at a farmers market direct from the beef producer (rancher). Consequently it is VERY expensive so is only a very occasional treat.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that was a thing! How cool. Glad to know it's liked elsewhere. I'm not sure if we'll be able to find it again easily but we'll try. Thank you!
DeleteNever even heard of it. Have you ever tried Blue and Gold bacon? It is sold by groups of students and is the best bacon on the planet.
ReplyDeleteBlue and Gold bacon? Really? I have never heard of that but NOW I'm going to ask around because, well, WE. LOVE. BACON.
DeleteThis is the first time I've ever heard of beef bacon. I'll have to look for this the next time I go to the grocery store.
ReplyDeleteWe have found it now at two Kroger's store. I hope you find some it's worth trying.
DeleteNever heard of it before. I'll have to look for it. I know we have that brand where we shop. Now I'm hungry for BACON!! Yum...pig! Or beef, I guess now.
ReplyDeletePig or beef (though lets face it, pig bacon is AMAZING). I hope you find some and give it a try. It's always fun trying something new.
DeleteYou see it a lot in Malaysia because it's halal (also
ReplyDeletechicken sausage). I don't eat meat so I've never tried
it but my carnivore husband hates it. Maybe the American
version is better!
Wow, what interesting info, thanks for this. We did enjoy it, it wasn't like having real bacon of course but it was pretty close. Different enough to enjoy as something different to have on occasion. Hope you can find some for him. Thanks for the info, love it!
Delete1st Man,
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've heard of Beef Bacon! I guess the question I have is would you buy it again?
I know, it was new to us too. Yes, absolutely would buy it again. If we were wanting bacon and eggs would I buy it instead? I think I'd still want pork bacon but this was good enough that we're going to have it again and try it for other things too.
Deleteit looks delicious! I can almost smell it.
ReplyDeleteIt smelled REALLY good while cooking too. :-)
DeleteExistem muitas receitas de BACON em BLOGS em PORTUGUESES, pois é um produto muito utilizado na alimentação em PORTUGAL
ReplyDeleteI popped this into the translator and it came up with this:
DeleteThere are many recipes of BACON in BLOGS in PORTUGUESES, as it is a product widely used in food in PORTUGAL.
Thank you for this, I will have to check that out!
Obrigado por isso, vou ter que verificar isso!
I have found it at fiesta store too. it is expensive but it is so good. I've had a taste for it recently and I haven't found any.
ReplyDeleteWe've been looking too! I'll check around some more, if I find any, I'll post a comment here. It IS good isn't it?? YUM!!!
Delete