To bacon or not to bacon

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Is it truly the most amazing food group there is? (excepting coffee, of course....)
  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
    Originally Posted by barbling View Post

    Is it truly the most amazing food group there is? (excepting coffee, of course....)
    I like my bacon turkeyed!
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
      Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator View Post

      I like my bacon turkeyed!
      BLASPHEMER!!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
    Originally Posted by barbling View Post

    Is it truly the most amazing food group there is? (excepting coffee, of course....)

    Greasy, fatty, artery clogging goodness. I'd eat bacon on a flip-flop. Yes, I watch too much "Diners, Drive-In's & Dives". :-)

    I love the way it just fills the entire house with that aroma. You've got the bacon and coffee smells going on and can hear the sizzle of the bacon cooking as you approach the kitchen. Your brain (and belly) both scream BREAKFAST at the same time!

    I got yelled at by my wife yesterday for eating some leftover bacon. I guess she had plans for it. Serves her right for eating my leftover shrimp (for my fajitas) the day before. LOL

    Darn it! Now I'm getting hungry!
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    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      Originally Posted by Joe Stewart View Post

      Greasy, fatty, artery clogging goodness. I'd eat bacon on a flip-flop. Yes, I watch too much "Diners, Drive-In's & Dives". :-)

      I love the way it just fills the entire house with that aroma. You've got the bacon and coffee smells going on and can hear the sizzle of the bacon cooking as you approach the kitchen. Your brain (and belly) both scream BREAKFAST at the same time!

      I got yelled at by my wife yesterday for eating some leftover bacon. I guess she had plans for it. Serves her right for eating my leftover shrimp (for my fajitas) the day before. LOL

      Darn it! Now I'm getting hungry!
      Do you have any good fajita recipe's. I love em, but I cant seam to
      make them properly. Always dry and tasteless.

      Altho a little better each time. At this rate in about 50 more tries
      I will have a winner.
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      • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
        Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

        Do you have any good fajita recipe's. I love em, but I cant seam to
        make them properly. Always dry and tasteless.

        Altho a little better each time. At this rate in about 50 more tries
        I will have a winner.
        Sure, but I don't want to hijack Barb's thread. I'll PM you later with some ideas.

        Joe
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      • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
        Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

        Do you have any good fajita recipe's. I love em, but I cant seam to
        make them properly. Always dry and tasteless.

        Altho a little better each time. At this rate in about 50 more tries
        I will have a winner.

        Ken:

        Season your steak with your marinade or fajita rub and let it set 2-4 hours (or overnight). I recommend Flat Iron or Skirt steak for fajitas.

        Cook the meat as would cook your steak. Rest it as you would a steak. After resting, carve only what you plan to eat at that moment.

        If you'll hold the steak over heat (like at a party), cook the steak to a doneness level one step lower than you typically like. (Like a medium steak? Cook it medium rare). This is where dryness usually comes in. People cook the steak as they like it, immediately slice the entire steak and hold the cut up steak over low heat to keep warm. All it does is suck out the moisture and continue to cook the meat to eventual shoe leather.
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        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          Bacon is a food group - along with Butterfingers and chocolate milk shakes.

          That's just how it is.

          I have a lovely pound of Smithfield Applewood bacon (thick sliced) in my fridge at the moment. BLT tonight!
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          • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            Bacon is a food group - along with Butterfingers and chocolate milk shakes.

            That's just how it is.

            I have a lovely pound of Smithfield Applewood bacon (thick sliced) in my fridge at the moment. BLT tonight!
            Yes Maam'! :-)

            I also like to use either thick sliced Applewood, Maple or Pepper Crusted bacon (my personal favorite) in my pinto beans. I'll use a whole pound in a large pot. Slice each strip in 4 pieces, render about 1/2 the fat off and add it when the beans are about 45 minutes from being finished.

            I'll then add a pound of cubed ham, one large diced onion, around 5-6 fat cloves of garlic, a couple pinches of red pepper flakes, 1-2 jalapeno peppers and salt & pepper to taste.

            Just add some crispy fried potatoes and cornbread on the side and you got some good eats. If you want to get really creative you can make mexican corbread by adding creamed corn, pimentos, finely diced chili's and gobs of sharp cheddar cheese to the mix. I haven't done that in a long time. Hmmm....(light bulb).
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            • Profile picture of the author Kay King
              Peppered is my favorite, too, Joe - but it's hard to find around here.

              I love pinto beans (almost any kind of bean, actually) and have some in the freezer right now. They freeze beautifully and taste "Just cooked" when thawed.

              I make old fashioned "corn sticks" - cornbread baked in cast iron "stick pans".
              Love those things!

              Oh wow - the WF recipe section!
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          • Profile picture of the author HeySal
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            Bacon is a food group - along with Butterfingers and chocolate milk shakes.

            That's just how it is.

            I have a lovely pound of Smithfield Applewood bacon (thick sliced) in my fridge at the moment. BLT tonight!
            You forgot a very important food group, Kay.

            Cheese. Cheese and bacon combined is the most powerful combo of food groups on the planet. Anyone who says otherwise is feeding you disinformation. You NEED bacon and cheese to survive...........or at least to care much that you are.

            Okay - nuff said. I have to get out of here and do my grocery shopping. This was a terrible thread to fall into BEFORE going to the store.
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            • Profile picture of the author Kay King
              Oh yeah - cheese is a given. It goes well with everything.

              I'm gonna have a BLTC.
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            • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
              Originally Posted by HeySal View Post

              You forgot a very important food group, Kay.

              Cheese. Cheese and bacon combined is the most powerful combo of food groups on the planet. Anyone who says otherwise is feeding you disinformation. You NEED bacon and cheese to survive...........or at least to care much that you are.

              Okay - nuff said. I have to get out of here and do my grocery shopping. This was a terrible thread to fall into BEFORE going to the store.

              I've found that bacon, sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream is an awesome combination! Especially in breakfast burritos.

              I fry up my bacon and set it aside. Then I cut up some russet potatoes (skin on) about 1/2 inch thick, add a small onion, clove of garlic, a few Tbls of vegetable oil and a tad of bacon fat.

              Get them crispy, scramble some eggs in another pan, heat up my tortillas, add sour cream, 3-4 strips of bacon, grated cheddar and potatoes. Roll it up and eat it with Pace picante (hot!). Somehow nothing else seems quite right to me on that burrito. It's gotta be Pace.
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        • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
          Alright, since Dan already hijacked the thread I'll put in my two bits worth. :-)

          Let me just say in advance that you can add bacon liberally to any recipe I share now and in the future. Are we cool, Barb? :-)


          Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

          Ken,

          Season your steak with your marinade or fajita rub and let it set 2-4 hours (or overnight). I recommend Flat Iron or Skirt steak for fajitas.

          Cook the meat as would cook your steak. Rest it as you would a steak. After resting, carve only what you plan to eat at that moment.
          I agree with the choice of steak. If you use chicken I recommend gently pounding it until it's all close to the same thickness. If you're using shrimp simply peel, de-vein and rinse.

          There are plenty of marinades that you can use, including store bought. The best experience we've ever had with store bought fajita mix is the Kroger brand (store brand) at Fry's here in Arizona. That stuff used to be .25 each until people caught onto how good it is. Now it's almost $1.00.

          You can Google "fajita marinade recipes" and probably get thousands.

          I like to use my own salsa recipe, or a variation of it, as a marinade.

          Here's the recipe.

          8 Roma tomatoes - diced
          1 15 Oz. Can diced tomatoes w/juice
          1 Large yellow onion
          1/4 bunch of cilantro - diced (Note: Don't overdo it. This stuff is tasty, but strong!)
          2 Cloves Garlic - minced
          2 Large jalapeno peppers - diced - (you can substitute mild green chili's or add some of each)
          2 Habanero Peppers - diced (optional)
          1 Juice of one lime (Note: When choosing limes go for the light green, not the dark. They're riper and juicier. Roll them back and forth on the counter a few times to break up the pulp a bit before slicing them in half.

          Ground cumin - I use a heaping tablespoon. It enhances the flavor like you wouldn't believe. Cumin is an important staple in mexican cooking.

          Salt & pepper to taste.

          You could also add a teaspoon of chili powder if you'd like.

          Put it in a blender or food processor and purify it. Note: If you're just using it for salsa pulse it and leave it a bit chunky. That way it's good for scooping with chips. Also, I'd skip the chili powder if I were using it for salsa.

          When it tastes good to you it's ready for the meat. Important! I never marinade the meat for more than 2-4 hours for this method, as the acidity in the lime and tomatoes can actually begin to cook the meat. That's pretty much how ceviche is made (along with orange juice) and although you can do that with this if you're using shrimp, that not the goal here.

          If you choose a sweeter marinade recipe you'll need to be very careful when cooking because sugar burns quickly.

          Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

          If you'll hold the steak over heat (like at a party), cook the steak to a doneness level one step lower than you typically like. (Like a medium steak? Cook it medium rare). This is where dryness usually comes in. People cook the steak as they like it, immediately slice the entire steak and hold the cut up steak over low heat to keep warm. All it does is suck out the moisture and continue to cook the meat to eventual shoe leather.
          I like to use a grill, charcoal or electric is fine, but you can use a skillet. Cast iron is my favorite. As Dan said, you'll want to undercook the meat one level lower than you want to serve it at as it will continue to cook as it rests wrapped in foil. I recommend resting meat for at least 10 minutes.

          You can tell how well a steak is cooked by using your hand. Located the muscle on your palm below your thumb. Next, touch your index finger to your thumb. That's apx what a rare steak feels like. Now touch your thumb to your middle finger. That's medium rare. Touch your thumb to your third finger and you'll feel medium well and touch your thumb to your pinky and you'll feel how a well done steak feels.

          I like to serve steak for fajitas cooked medium well.

          Chicken breast meat cooks very quickly, especially if it's pounded evenly. You want it cooked thoroughly, but not bone dry. I'll usually choose one breast to cut and test to make sure it's getting close to being done before I remove it and put it to rest.

          I put shrimp on a skewer and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes per side over medium high heat depending on the size of the shrimp. You want to make sure the transparency is gone and the meat is white. Try not to overcook them or they'll become rubbery!

          That's about it. One more thing, if you like fresh guacamole simply buy 3-4 large avocados (soft at the top is best), remove the pits, remove the flesh, put it all in a bowl and mash it up until it's broken down well, but still a bit chunky.

          Next, add about a few scoops of the salsa mix above before you blend it (and before adding chili powder, if you choose to!), a little bit of lime juice, add a pinch of salt to taste, stir it well and pop it in the fridge while the meat cooks to chill it. Yeah, buddy. :-)

          If the recipes are too much, cut them in half. If they're not enough, double them. Unfortunately, the guacamole won't last well in the fridge, so don't overdo it by making too much. It turns brown quickly overnight.

          Oh, and don't forget the bacon! Actually, it's awesome when you wrap the shrimp in it.

          HTH


          Joe
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        • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
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          Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

          Ken:

          Season your steak with your marinade or fajita rub and let it set 2-4 hours (or overnight). I recommend Flat Iron or Skirt steak for fajitas.
          Sorry. Boneless rib eye (Delmonico) is the only way to fly with filet mignon running a close second. Melts in your mouth with the added bonus of artery-clogging fat. Deelish!

          Cheers. - Frank
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Ten
    Bacon can taste wonderful, but it's definitely not an everyday thing for me.
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    • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
      Originally Posted by Michael Ten View Post

      Bacon can taste wonderful, but it's definitely not an everyday thing for me.
      Absolutely. Everything in moderation.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
    My wife also used to make a bacon wrapped stuffed jalapeno recipe that had diced chicken breast stuffed inside the peppers. Those were really good too, though I would have liked some cheese in them.

    My wife is making me a quesadilla right now, as a matter of fact. That woman is the quesadilla queen. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I'll have you people know - I am not at all happy with this thread. I had to go out and spend $60 on groceries after talking about bacon and cheese. NOT funny.
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  • Profile picture of the author barbling
    But! What do you do with the bacon grease after cooking it??

    It makes for a great salad dressing base (instead of olive oil) and also tastes great in soup as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    And in beans. Or to fry eggs in.
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  • Profile picture of the author David Braybrooke
    It's gotta have the rind on. And it has to be crispy.
    As a child, my family travelled across the country in a caravan, like gypsies.
    Bacon was our staple. Delicious!

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  • Profile picture of the author MikeTucker
    Bacon. Wrapped. Shrimp.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Mike -

      Crab stuffed - bacon wrapped - shrimp....oh yeah!

      Poor man's version: Lengthwise cut in hot dog - stuff a piece of sharp cheddar in the cut - wrap hot dog in bacon and broil. Yummy!
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  • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
    Bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos are awesome too. Actually, you can buy a grill/kitchen pan, utensil, whatever you call it that holds the peppers upright while you cook them. We've been using the poor man's method for awhile and it works well.

    Although some things are very enticing, I have a hard time justifying buying every new utensil that comes along, handy or not. I have to ask myself questions like "how often am I going to use this", "how much space is it going to take up", "how much does it cost", "is the cost worth what the item will do for me in the long run", etc?
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  • Profile picture of the author George Wright
    You haven't lived til you've had chocolate covered bacon. Crispy of course.

    George Wright
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    • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
      Originally Posted by George Wright View Post

      You haven't lived til you've had chocolate covered bacon. Crispy of course.

      George Wright

      Hmmm...sweet + salty. I can see that working.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        What do you do with the bacon grease after cooking it??
        Fried potatoes and onions - cooked salad dressing - maybe eggs - hot German potato salad

        I also pour a bit on the dog's dry kibble once in a while - she loves it.

        If I have a use for the bacon grease, I use it - if not, I toss it. It's not something I want to use often or in quantity.
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        Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
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        Please do not 'release balloons' for celebrations. The balloons and trailing ribbons entangle birds and kill wildlife and livestock that think the balloons are food.
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        • Profile picture of the author Joe Mobley
          *Devils on Horseback.

          Bacon wrapped scollops broiled in butter.

          (Sell my clothes, I'm going to heaven.) :rolleyes:

          Joe Mobley

          *I think there are several recipes called Devils on Horseback.
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          • Profile picture of the author Daniel Evans
            I watched a dinner date show yesterday and the guy exclaimed "I don't like bacon".

            I had to rewind the Tivo to check that I was hearing correctly.

            Worse still, the girl agreed with him.
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            • Profile picture of the author Joe Stewart
              Originally Posted by Daniel Evans View Post

              I watched a dinner date show yesterday and the guy exclaimed "I don't like bacon".

              I had to rewind the Tivo to check that I was hearing correctly.

              Worse still, the girl agreed with him.
              More for us. :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author rwbovee
    I think bacon and all pork products are very unhealthy to eat.
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    • Profile picture of the author BigFrank
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      Originally Posted by rwbovee View Post

      I think bacon and all pork products are very unhealthy to eat.
      That may be true, but you only live once and there is a distinct difference between "living" and just being alive.

      I've never met a pork product that I didn't like. Of course, I grew-up in an Italian household where mom would cook pigs feet in spaghetti sauce for 8 hours over a flame the size of your thumb.

      I love you, mom.

      Cheers. - Frank
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      • Profile picture of the author HN
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        Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

        That may be true, but you only live once and there is a distinct difference between "living" and just being alive.
        That makes no sense. If you only live once, why would you want to shorten your life? I'd avoid it BECAUSE I only live once. There are 500 books in my 'to read' list. By the time I finish these, I would have probably added another 500 or 1000. There are at least 50 more languages I 'd like to learn and also obtain degrees in anatomy, physiology and genetics.
        Dying from cardiovascular disease or cancer at the age of 70 doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

        Is it true that doctors in US only live to 62-65? (Dead doctors don't lie)
        I wonder why? Maybe because they practice what they preach.

        There are exceptions to the rule. My grandma is 93, the oldest person in the town. She lives alone, on the 4rd floor (without elevator), does her own shopping, except in winter when sidewalks are covered with ice and snow. Until last summer she took daily 3 mile walks and went to forest to pick blueberries. She probably haven't seen a doctor in 25 years. But she does eat what I call junk food - diary products and white bread. She still reads (newspapers), but her ears and eyes are failing, most likely due to milk (galactose).

        Originally Posted by BigFrank View Post

        ... there is a distinct difference between "living" and just being alive.
        What do you call living? Wasting 2 hours a day on cooking the food, then feeling tired for next 2 hours after consuming it? I gained at least 4 hours extra time a day (that I can spend on activities that I like) after I quit eating junk food. I require only 6 hours of sleep vs. 8 and no longer waste time preparing the food.
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  • Profile picture of the author TLTheLiberator
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  • Profile picture of the author Harkonan
    I say TO BACON!!!
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