Mr. Baconpants » Bacon

Recap of the Beer Bourbon BBQ Festival in NYC

Guest Blogger — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:35:54 +0000

This is a guest blog post by Adam Poch, the Heavy Metal Teddy Bear, on CBS’ Big Brother Season 13.

If you watched CBS’ Big Brother 13 over the summer of 2011, you saw me wearing Bacon T-shirts and screaming about the best food god ever created. To say I love Bacon would be an understatement! For the last 3 years, the last Saturday in January, la venue in NYC has hosted the Beer, Bourbon, & BBQ Festival. Bars & restaurants from NYC and all over the east coast as well as beer & bourbon distributors fill up the exhibit hall giving people lucky enough to get tickets tastes of the best they have to offer. There are 2 sessions, but every year I go to the early one nicknamed “THE BACON BASH”

As soon as you walk in, you get a sampling glass, and you proceed into the main hall. Standing right inside are the Daisy Dukes & Boots Girls handing you strips of crispy bacon! This is a great way to start any Saturday afternoon, hot chicks giving you bacon!! I am only going to recap the foods I ate – because there were soooo many different bourbons and beers I tasted, but I wanted to give a shout out to Cabin Fever Spirits for having the best thing I have never tasted before today. They make a Maple Whiskey that is just out of this world. Its so good that I want to make a plate of French Toast & Bacon and pour all over the top!

The following are just some of the highlights from my food consumption. Needless to say I may have forgotten a couple places due to the amount of Beer & Bourbon I was consuming throughout the afternoon.

Blacksauce Kitchen from Baltimore – Sweet Potato Bacon Pudding

This tasty little treat would be a great appetizer or side dish. Cut into little squares, and topped with a maple butter shows why the combination salty & sweet work so well together.
Idle Hands Bar, Billy Hurricanes & That Burger – Totchos

Idle Hands Bar & Billy Hurricanes in NYC have teamed up with That Burger to create a dish they call Totchos. Basically, it is a mashup of tater tots, bacon, ground beef, cheese, and jalapenos. It may not have been pretty on the eyes – but it makes your tongue come to life. These are going to be a new addition to their menu – and every Tuesday at Billy H’s & Idle Hands will be known as Totcho Tuesday.
Baconery – Bacon Desserts

Baconery, a new online only (for now) business that makes bacon desserts. Their menu of bacon muffins, bacon banana bread, bacon brownies, bacon cookies, and chocolate covered bacon will make you re-think dessert for years to come. I filmed a little ditty called Bakin’ with Bacon a couple months back ( see video here ) and have stayed in touch with them, even getting them hooked up with the promoters for this event. They had a table of their treats including Bacon Brownies & Cookies – but I guess they did not realize how many hungry mouths were coming in – because after a little more than an hour – they were all out. It’s a good thing I saw them early.
Hill Country BBQ – NYC Beef Brisket w/Sweet Potato Bourbon Mash

No BBQ is complete without some brisket – and Hill Country stepped it up and had some of the most tender slabs of meat. Adding a dollop of some sweet potato bourbon mash & a squirt of their tangy sauce, I could not help myself by mixing it all together. My girlfriend Fara makes one hell of a brisket – but I need her to figure out how to make that mash as well.
Little Red Pig Championship BBQ & Catering – Marshville, NC 704-624-2051

While waiting on line to get in – the people from Little Red Pig were outside smoking and grilling up whole pigs. When they brought them inside – they cut it open and had a sign at their station that read “Pull My Pork”. Once you finally got to the front of the line – they had someone just reaching their hand inside the pig and grabbing a handful of pork. The only negative thing I have to say is I wish they let us reach in there and rip out the meat ourselves, but I understand why they would not let us do it. But still CMON!!! I did see a guy walking around later in the day gnawing on a pigs leg.
Johnny Utah’s – Bacon wrapped Jalapenos stuffed w/shrimp & Spare Ribs

I am not a seafood guy – so I only sampled the spare ribs, but my girlfriend was blown away by how amazing the Bacon wrapped jalapeno’s stuffed with shrimp was. After I had a few more cocktails, I said – “ya know what, I should go try that.” Sadly by the time I got back, they were all gone! I guess everyone loved these as much as my girlfriend did.
Bourbon Street Bar & Grille – Bourbon Bacon Brownie, Alligator in a Blanket & 3 Little Pigs Nachos

The line for this booth was so long, so I decided to try a couple other things first and go back later. That was a mistake. By the time I got back to the table – I saw the last of the Alligator in a Blanket being handed to someone else. Once again, you snooze you lose. Damn! The description on their website of this makes my mouth water – Alligator sausage stuffed with apple, cheddar & bacon wrapped in a flaky pastry with honey mustard. I am still shaking my head, but I will have to hit up their midtown location someday soon. I did however get to taste their brownie, which was OK, but the star of the show (since I missed the Gator) was their 3 Little Pigs Nachos. They took a couple of tortilla chips and covered them with a mashup of Andouille Sausage, Pulled Pork, and yes… BACON! Now I know why the Big Bad Wolf was trying to get in their houses!!!
Kloby’s Smokehouse – St. Louis Ribs & Pulled Pork Sliders

Every year Kloby’s has been at this event (as well as other events I have been to) so I am a big fan of theirs. Always delicious and always plenty of food to go around. Besides these tastings, they also had a booth where you could buy food. I saw a few people walking around with Mason Jars full of food. I finally figured out it was the Jar-B-Que from Kloby’s. It is layers of Pulled Pork, Baked Beans, and Coleslaw.
Lucky 777 Chili Company – Gourmet Pork Chili

The 777 stands for 7 porks, 7 sauces, 7 spices. I dare you to find a better chili! Sweet & spicy, I licked the little plastic cup clean. (And then I went back for seconds). I saw them tweet yesterday: “3o gallons of chili, 3000 served in 4 hrs at #BeerBourbonBbqNYC.. cause that’s how we roll.” Damn, 30 gallons of chili?!?!?
Royal Rib House & Calvin’s Barbecue Sauce – Pulled Pork & Spare Ribs

I think they got to the event a little late – because when I first waled past their table it was empty (well, except the empty plates from their neighbors Kloby’s) – but later on I was walking past and saw them open & handing out ribs. I did not see any pulled pork, so not sure if they ran out or just didnt have any. Anyway – the rib I got was unbelievable good. The meat was falling off the bone and the sauce was just so tangy!!!

I am sad that this event only comes to NYC once a year – but the good thing for everyone reading, they do this event at several cities on the East Coast – so go to their website and see when & where they will be. If not – you know where to find me on the last Saturday of January every year!!!

Follow me on Twitter HeavyMetalTeddy

Sweet and Spicy Nutella-Coated Bacon

Sean Brett — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:00:30 +0000

A couple weeks ago on Bacon Live we came up with the idea to put Nutella on bacon for a fast chocolate cover bacon. Like every other idea we come up with we were too lazy to actually test it out and once again we’ve been beaten to the punch.

The Detroit Free Press now has a bacon/Nutella recipe on their website but this one takes a bit further by adding some chili powder and black pepper to give it an awesome kick.

If you have any recipes that combine the amazingness of bacon with the strangely addictive taste of Nutella let us know in the comments below.

What’s Up With All This Hardwood Smoking?

Sean Brett — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:50:51 +0000

As we pointed out on an episode of Bacon Live, Burger King has introduced new thick cut bacon that they describe as being “Hardwood Smoked.” This kind of confused us because most companies aren’t that vague with their bacon descriptions. In fact most companies seem proud to tell you what type of wood they use in their smoking process.

Wendy’s went all out to let you know their bacon was Apple Wood smoked, Dunkin Donuts proudly said in their commercials that their bacon was smoked with Cherry Wood, and even though Denny’s is using the same bacon they always have they started letting people know that it was Hickory Smoked but some companies just don’t’ want us to know what type of wood they use.

I’m not just picking on Burger King; long time bacon producer Oscar Mayer also lists their bacon as being “Hardwood Smoked.” So that got me thinking, what exactly is Hardwood? (and stop laughing right now or you’ll be excused from the class.) According to the Wikipedia entry for “wood” all wood from the dicotyledons family are considered hardwood. That basically means if it has broad leaves and flowers like Oak it’s a hardwood. So when a company says it uses hardwood that means it could be using one of almost 100 different woods or a combination of them.

There are reasons why a company might choose to go with a lesser known wood or a mixture of different woods. It might be they fill they get the best flavor from those woods or maybe it is a cost thing where they don’t want to inject smoke flavoring but it’s not cost affective to use Apple Wood.

Whatever the reason is they need to stop advertising it as “Hardwood Smoked.” When you have restaurants gloating about the wood they use and then you see some company slap Hardwood on their label it makes them seem like they’re just trying to jump on the band wagon without improving their bacon.

If you don’t want to tell us what wood you use because it’s a cheaper wood or because you use a mixture and “hickory/apple/cherry/oak smoked” wont fit on the label, that’s fine. Just leave it off. Trust me if you make a quality product just labeling it as bacon is enough for people to buy it

Can Bacon Make it Better? Um… Yes!

Sean Brett — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:00:47 +0000

I was bouncing around the internet and I came across this blog called Mancave Daily where he put up a somewhat troubling post called “5 Foods Even Bacon Can’t Make Better.” He starts off by saying he is tired of all the bacon lust out there today and that even though bacon is delicious it’s not the most wonderful food in the world. What the F?

How could a blog called Mancave Daily not fall down and worship the one food God created specifically with Man in mind, bacon! There is a reason why people “lust” for bacon as he puts it, because there has never been a more perfect food in the history of mankind. People don’t just like bacon, they live for it.

Now on to his claims. Here at Mr. Baconpants we have tried to come up with a food that bacon doesn’t go with and we just can’t think of any but Mancave man has come up with a list of 5 that include, SPAM, Ham, Rice Cakes, Liver, and Chocolate Chip Cookies. I’m going to talk a little about each one of these but first let me point out the SPAM is short for Shoulder Pork Ham so I’m going to count ham and SPAM as one item and officially change his post to, “4 Foods Even Bacon Can’t Make Better.”

4. SPAM/Ham

His augment for this is that SPAM’s disgusting flavor will drown out the bacon and Ham doesn’t work because “Adding a part of the pig to another part of the pig actually does nothing to improve either” and that it would be “pork overkill.”

Well guess what SPAM and bacon do go together. In fact they go together so well that the good people at SPAM saved us some time by combining the two for us.

The argument that pig doesn’t go with pig is about as crazy as saying Wendy’s French fires don’t go with a Frosty. Check out this link for a recipe for a ham and bacon sandwich. (Yes I said “recipe”, I guess some people can’t even make a sandwich without directions.) Or ask anyone that’s ever had bacon wrapped pork tenderloin if pig goes with pig.

3. Rice Cakes

I do agree with him that rice cakes are like flavorless pieces of insulation but what better place to show off the amazing flavor of bacon than on a blank canvas like Rice Cakes. You could wrap the cakes in bacon then bake them on low heat allowing the grease to be soaked up by the dry rice there for infusing it with bacon flavor. Sure it might over power the flavor of the rice cake but as I stated before Rice Cakes are flavorless so adding flavor would make them better.

2. Liver

I almost spit my Bacon Bloody Marry all over my laptop when I saw this one. I spent nights lying awake before family events wondering if my wife’s aunt was going to make her very addictive bacon wrapped chicken livers. They are so good I can’t eat just one.

Reading a little further into his post I realized the reason why he thinks bacon doesn’t go with liver is because he hates liver. There is no more to his argument than that. Look there’s one or two foods in this word that I don’t like but I can still put my bias aside for two seconds to understand why someone might enjoy it. Just because you don’t like the flavor of Liver doesn’t mean everyone hates it.

1. Chocolate Chip Cookies

This one is the biggest joke of them all. He doesn’t even give an argument. All he says is to keep your bacon away from his cookies. His closed mind just sees the words cookie and bacon and he goes running for the hills like a caveman seeing fire for the first time. I feel kind of sorry for people that are so stuck in their ways they won’t even try something like bacon in cookies. They will never know the joy of sweet and savory together. Seriously dude just try them here’s a recipe. If you don’t like them that’s fine just spit them out but at least try them.

So there were 4 foods that supposedly bacon can’t make better and I just showed you the opposite and didn’t even break a sweat. I would like a challenge, so if you think you know a food that bacon can’t improve then comment below so I can tell you how you’re wrong.

Southern-Fried Egg Rolls Recipe With Bacon

Sean Brett — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:54:49 +0000

This recipe looks awesome! You all know I love bacon but you might not know that I also love egg rolls. Chef Marsha Bradley has combined the two and given them a southern kick.

These egg rolls are sure to be a hit at any tailgating or party event and this recipe makes about 3 dozen of them. That’s enough egg rolls for your whole party or for my lunch. Check out recipe and video to see how it’s done. Let us know what you think in the comments below or in the Mr. Baconpants Community.

Salt Lake City’s Chef War “Battle Bacon”

Sean Brett — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 21:36:57 +0000

If you’re lucky enough to live in the Salt Lake City area you are in for a real treat. Two local chefs will enter into the kitchen stadium to prove who is the true master of the swine in “Battle Bacon!”

Robert Deni from Cucina Toscanna and Tom Call from Fresco Italian Café will have to show their skill be creating three different dishes using glorious pork belly. At first that doesn’t seem too hard, I can think of twenty different dishes right off the top of my head but since the popularity of bacon has skyrocketed thanks to the internet it gets harder and harder to make a truly original dish.

To win this they are going to have to make something new that will blow away the bacon fanatics because unlike other kitchen battles their food isn’t just going to be judged by some up tight food critics the audience also gets a voice. Audience members will taste the dishes and vote for their favorite.

It all takes place on Tuesday, Jan 31st from 6:30pm to 9:00pm at the Ferguson Showrooms in Salt Lake City. Tickets are $39 a person and can be purchased at chefwar.com

If anyone out there gets a chance to go please snaps some photos and videos for us and if your able to sneak out some of the samples and send them our way.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimps with Tangy Mustard Sauce

Sean Brett — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:30:20 +0000

The Detroit Free Press is wrapping some shrimps with bacon and dipping those mofos in some tangy mustard. At first I was I little scared because I’m the type of man that likes my sauces to come premade in a squeeze bottle but after looking it over it seems like a pretty easy recipe and only takes about 45 minutes including prep time.

Check out the recipe here.

Fatty’s Burgers & More, Makes One Sweet Burger

Sean Brett — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:15:46 +0000

Have you ever sat down at your local dinner starring at your bacon cheese burger and milkshake dreading the physically draining task of picking up the burger, taking a bite, setting it down, then picking up the milk shake, slurping the straw, and then setting it down only to have to do it all over again. If only there was a better way?

Well thanks to San Antonio based restaurant “Fatty’s Burgers & More” no longer do you have to be a slave to normal eating procedures. They have introduced what they call the “Ice Cream Cheeseburger” and it is exactly what it sounds like. A big old meat patty covered in cheese and bacon then topped with a scoop of fried ice cream. They say it tastes like taking a swig of a milk shake right after a bite of a cheeseburger.

But Fatty’s doesn’t stop there they also have a Pancake Burger, Fried Egg Burger, BBQ Burger, and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Burger. I think this is a sign that the Baconpants crew needs to take a much needed road trip.

If you live in the San Antonio area get your butt to Fatty’s and let us know how it is.

IHOP’s New Hash Brown Stacks

Sean Brett — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:37 +0000

For a very limited time IHOP is allowing you to enjoy one of my favorite past times, combining food. Ever since I was a child I’ve been mesmerized by the concept of mixing foods. And yes I was the kid in high school that would put anything from mashed potatoes to peanut butter crackers on a bologna hoagie then scarf it down. Some thought I did it for the attention but I really did it for the taste. I enjoy peanut butter and jelly in the same jar, the KFC Bacon Bowl, and any sandwich that comes decked out with French fries, onion rings, coleslaw, and an egg. So anytime I hear a restaurant is experimenting in the ancient art of food combo I’m there.

From now until February 19th IHOP is taking things you would normally place apart from each other on a plate and stacking them together. They call this tower of breakfast yum yums the Hash Brown Stacks and they include hash brown, and eggs with a variety of toppings. There are four different Stack options but the only one I really care about is the one with bacon so lets focus on that one. It starts with the egg/hash brown base then cheddar cheese and bacon is added(and if I was the chef it would also include some BBQ sauce and a dollop of sour cream. Just throwing that out there IHOP.)

And if the power of breakfast stacked is too powerful for your heart, don’t worry it comes with a side of fruit. But if you’re a real man the fruit can easily be replaced with two amazing pancakes swimming in a sea of butter and syrup. All for only $5.99. The other flavors are, Spinach and Mushroom, Ham and Swiss, and for all those trying to stick to a New Year’s resolution the Simple and Fit Spinach and Mushroom.

The only real bad thing I can find about it, it’s it god awful commercial with dancing baggage handlers.

The Clean Smell of Bacon Scented Hand Sanitizer

Sean Brett — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 21:30:16 +0000

When you think about all the companies out there trying to give us the best bacon experience possible Thinkgeek.com is one of the top runners. They have bacon toys, bacon frosting, bacon t-shirts and now bacon scented hand sanitizer.

I’m a strong believer that hand sanitizer will be the downfall of mankind. Every time some kid picks up a goose turd in the park his mom comes running over with a gallon jug of Purell and pours it over his whole body. Sure she thinks she is doing the “good mother” thing by protecting her child from the evil germs of the world but really she is weakening his immune system. Sometimes a kid just has to get a little poop in their mouth so their white blood cells can learn how to fight off bacteria leaving them stronger and more capable of survival in this disgusting filth covered world.

But if the thought of having dirty hands for more than a millisecond is too much for you to bear then at least you can clean them with the smell of the Gods. PorkKleen Bacon Scented Hand Sanitizer will not only clean your tiny pick pocket hands but will let the world know that you’re a Bacon lover. So if you must sanitize, do it with bacon.

PorkKleen Bacon Scented Hand Sanitizer is available at ThinkGeek for $3.99.

You can also buy other bacon goodies at the Mr. Baconpants Bacon Store.

Bacon Wins Huston’s 10th annual Tailgater of the Year Contest

Sean Brett — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 22:00:04 +0000

The Huston Texans held their 10th annual Tailgater of the Year Contest on New Year’s Day. At a time when most people were snoring away in a pile of smashed party hats, confetti, and human filth, nine dedicated teams of tailgaters, fueled only by Lobster tails and jell-o shots stepped up for the 5am start time.

The competition was ruff. What food would bring home the $1,000 grand prize? Would it be the Biscuits ‘n’ Gravy, the Chili-Cheese Fries, or the Chicken and Beef Fajitas? One team, the Battle Red Wagon Tailgaters knew that only one food is powerful enough send any food judge into a lustful craze. That’s right, they used that amazing not so secrete weapon of bacon.

By using the masterful technique of bacon wrapping they were able to take home the gold with their Cream Cheese and Bacon Wrapped Chicken and Bacon-Wrapped Duck Breast. On top of their $1,000 prize they also receive the coveted “Tailgater of the Year” flag and the privilege of helping judge next year’s contest.

Is Denny’s coming out with a Bacon Doughnut?

Jason Mosley — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 18:06:47 +0000

Today on Denny’s Facebook page they posted the following photo. Last time Sean and I were at Denny’s HQ for the Baconalia meeting they said that this would be the time they would starting working on the next celebration’s menu. Does this mean they’re kicking around the idea of having a Bacon Doughnut on the menu? I hope so!

Given that the photo is not from the Denny’s own test kitchen makes me think this is still on the drawing board. The photo is actually from Cafe Dulce.

With that said, we as the Bacon Nation need to support this idea. Head to Denny’s Facebook page and comment on and share the photo. While your there read the comments. It seems that some crazy health nuts/Vegans are trashing the photo. I commented with the following:

Anyone that thinks this is a bad idea is a wacko and hates the finer things in life. Go do yourself a favor and enjoy a bacon doughnut before you realize life is too short to pass judgment on something before you even try it.

I get really fired up when I see people saying things like gross and bacon in the same sentences. I wanted to throw a few choice words in my comment but I thought better of it.

The Smiling Moose Reinvents itself with Good Food and Bacon!

Beth Mosley — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:00:10 +0000

The following is a review written by Beth aka Mrs. Baconpants. She is a prolific Yelp reviewer so I thought it would be a good idea to post some of her reviews on Mr. Baconpants. Even if a few of them have nothing to do about bacon.

When I heard that there was good food at the Smiling Moose I have to admit my stomach turned a little. The Smiling Moose that I knew is kinda dirty. The Smiling Moose that I knew is smokey. The Smiling Moose that I knew had loud bands downstairs and staff that were way too cool to be bothered to get you a beer. The Smiling Moose was the place we’d leave in a huff to go to Dee’s (another Pittsburgh dive bar). I’m so happy to report that the Smiling Moose that I knew is gone.

We went to watch the Pens game at the Moose last weekend. We were the only people sitting at their CLEAN NEAT dining area (seriously). The game was on a giant screen. There are less than 10 tables total, and all of them were filled by the time the game got underway. This is a GREAT bar to watch hockey! So much better than other places I’ve been on the South Side.

The menu is an assortment of sandwiches, soups, salads and sliders. We ordered a cup of the soup of the day, a Chickpea Chili with Ostrich. It was perfectly spiced and very tasty. The soup came with a big chunk of bread and was a meal in itself. I also ordered the grilled cheese sandwich, which comes with tomato and bacon. Several different cheese blended perfectly and gave me my gooey cheese fix. The bread on this sandwich adds a lot, too – thick but soft. My husband got the BLT sliders and really loved the Pesto Mayo.

The food at the Moose is quality, so the prices may be a bit more than you’d think. These aren’t $5 footlongs. Sandwiches are between 7-10 bucks and come with a side. All of my drinks were all 5 each (but I am a beer snob, I’m sure the PBR was cheap). All in all worth every cent. We will be back…. a lot. Especially during hockey season.

Mr. Baconpants’ two cents: The bacon they used was a thick cut applewood smoked bacon. It was very flavorful and cooked to perfection. I usually don’t like to get BLT’s at restaurants since they usually lack the amount of bacon I expect on one. But the Moose did it right. There was a lot of bacon and the Pesto Mayo was a nice touch.

Welcome to the New Mr. Baconpants in 2012

Jason Mosley — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 17:44:49 +0000

It’s that time of the year again. Where I make lofty goals for Mr. Baconpants. Well this year I got a head start on completing my goals.

As I am sure many of you have noticed, in the last week of 2011 I made a few big changes to the site. First, I updated the design of the site to make it more fun. I thought the old design looked stale.

Second, I added a message board (Community) to the site. This was something I always wanted to do but never got around to it. I plan to do contest that focus around this new section of the site. So if you’re not a member this is a good chance to sign up and start the new year off right.

Lastly, I added a new section on the site called “Restaurants“. I haven’t updated content on this section yet but it will be a place for people to find out what restaurants are doing great things with bacon near them. If you know of any in your area make sure you let me now so I can add it to the list.

My goals for this year are simple. Finish the new restaurant page, add a few new items to the store, and update the site often again. Last year my goal were unrealistic. Why on earth did I ever think I would meet Kevin Bacon.

Anyway, Happy New Year and Enjoy Bacon!

Let me know if there is anything I can do to make this site something that will bring you bacon enjoyment in 2012. Thanks!

Baconpocalypse Now: “I love the smell of bacon in the morning”

Jason Mosley — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 20:16:05 +0000

December 20, 2011 (Des Moines, IA)- On a warm Saturday afternoon last July, while stocking canned bacon on the shelves of a bomb shelter at an undisclosed location, organizers of the 5th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, “Baconpocalypse Now: I love the smell of bacon in the morning” began to question whether hoarding was the right thing to do.

“Look guys, we know that fears of the 2012 apocalypse could lead to a massive bacon shortage at any time,” John Tiffany, Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival historian explained. “But what if our hoarding sparks a bacon-buying frenzy that could have been avoided?”

Seth Hall, Chief Bacon Enjoyment Officer, agreed. “John has a point. We can’t possibly purchase enough frozen pork belly futures contracts to feed 4,000 festival attendees without creating panic in the markets and pushing retail bacon prices over $10 a pound.” The room went quiet. Seth continued. “Dudes, we need to look at this problem from a global perspective. I’m talkin’ synergies, accountability, core competencies, a paradigm shift, a Win/Win–” Brooks Reynolds, Chair of the Iowa Bacon Board and festival co-founder, interrupted, shouting, “A strategic partner! We need to go straight to the bacon source and find a pork producer with enough hogs to satisfy our bacon needs for the next 20 years, apocalypse or not.”

One month later, at his Bacon-On-A-Stick stand at the Iowa State Fair, Reynolds couldn’t help but notice a sea of people marching down the concourse wearing black shirts. As the group came closer, the green and red logo came into focus – Iowa Select Farms. “It was like a sign from God,” Reynolds recalled.

As the largest Iowa-based pork producer, Iowa Select Farms was celebrating an employee family outing – 2,200 people in all. Reynolds seized the opportunity to gain an introduction to Jeff Hansen, CEO of Iowa Select Farms. The two exchanged contact information and just last week, Iowa Select Farms signed on as the presenting sponsor of the 5th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival.

Asked to explain the logic of the partnership, Jeff Hansen, CEO of Iowa Select Farms said, “Look, Iowa is number one in pork production. Our company and employees have always taken great pride in that. So how could all of us at Iowa Select Farms sit idly by while the organizers of the best bacon festival in the world lose sleep over the fears of a bacon shortage? All of us at Iowa Select Farms are proud to support this event and ensure that there is enough bacon to keep the celebration alive.”

With the presenting sponsor for 2012 secured and risks of a bacon shortage avoided, tickets for the 5th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, “Baconpocalypse Now: I love the smell of bacon in the morning” presented by Iowa Select Farms are set to go on sale exclusively online at www.blueribbonbaconfestival.com beginning at high noon on Thursday, December 29th. The festival will be held at the Varied Industries building at the Iowa State Fairgrounds from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sat., February 18th.

Organizers plan to accommodate 4,000 bacon lovers. Tickets are $45 for general admission into the main event, entitling the holder to a commemorative T-shirt, koozie, a wide array of bacon-inspired delights from various restaurants, unlimited bacon samples at the Bacon Showcase, live music and bacon educational lectures.

Other ticket options include:

$625 for a reserved table for 10
$135 for a general admission ticket paired with a seat at the Bacon Elegance Dinner on the evening of February 15. Due to 2010’s quick sellout, the maximum general admission ticket purchase will be two (2) per order.

Jay Leno’s Bacon Lube Commercial

Jason Mosley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:00:21 +0000

Last week on the Tonight Show Jay Leno said a few jokes about J & D Foods new product baconlube. Strangely Justin and Dave never asked us to review this yet. I guess there are afraid of what Sean and I would do with it on Bacon LIVE.

Watch the video here.
Buy baconlube here!

The Royal Ontario Museum has a Bacon Rock

Jason Mosley — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 16:50:42 +0000

Kim, who works for pork company in Ontario, sent Sean and I this interesting photo. She calls in Bacon Rock and its was taken at the Royal Ontario Museum.

“Who would have thought a rock could look this tasty?” said Kim.

I will have to agree, it is a yummy looking rock.

Looking at it makes think that there is a monster that wonders the universe eating planets. And this is his prized food, rock bacon. One day we may have to come to the hard choice of either giving the monster our rock bacon as a pace offering or to protect it with our lives. I hope that day never comes.

The Top Bacon Dishes in the USA

Jason Mosley — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:45:06 +0000

Infographics are all the rage now so the folks at GiftRocket decided to create one. Knowing that the internet loves bacon it was no surprise that they picked it as the topic. But I will have to give them credit. Instead of just recycling old bacon facts, they did some research and found out the most popular bacon dishes.

Now it’s not the most scientific study since they used social media as their data pool but its bacon so who cares. They searched for the top bacon dishes in all the major cities: New York, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Austin, San Diego, Atlanta, Boston, Philly, and Seattle.

In New York, Bacon-wrapped Hot Dogs is the top dish. I find this strange since its West coast dish but it’s nice to see New Yorkers making it their own. Other than that it’s a cool graphic and its amazing to see how each city uses bacon. Check it out for you self below.

Created by GiftRocket gift cards

Win a Bacon Explosion on International Bacon Day

Jason Mosley — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 22:47:29 +0000

I am a little late on posting this but you still have time to enter. All you have to do is go to BaconAddicits.com and enter your name to win. Read the Press Release below for all the details.

International Bacon Day Bacon Explosion Giveaway from BaconAddicts.com

New York, NY – Announcing a great way for bacon lovers to celebrate International Bacon Day on September 3, 2011 … BaconAddicts.com, the Website dedicated to unique gourmet bacon food and novelty items, will be giving away five Bacon Explosions on International Bacon Day.

From now until midnight Eastern time on September 2, 2011, visitors to www.BaconAddicts.com can enter their name for the chance to win one of five $75 Bacon Explosions. Bacon Explosions, which serve 12 people, have taken the country by storm, and have been featured throughout the media. Great for barbecues, tailgating, and entertaining, the Bacon Explosion is a bacon-stuffed, bacon-wrapped Italian sausage enhanced with a classic Kansas City style barbecue sauce and rub, then smoked low and slow in a special blend of oak and hickory wood.

Part 5: The Milk Shake Factory, or as some might call it Heaven.

Sean Brett — Mon, 01 Aug 2011 11:30:17 +0000

Pittsburgh Chevy Burger and Shake Crawl 2011!

Sadly our day had to come to an end but luckily for us we had one more stop, The Milk Shake Factory. Located in Pittsburgh’s South Side this chocolatier/milk shake joint has been open for 97 years and is on its 4th generation of owners. After trying what they had to offer I can defiantly say, there is a reason they’ve been around so long, they know how to do it right.

They offer 55 flavors of milk shakes all with home made syrups, tons of home made chocolates, and their very reasonable prices aren’t going to bankrupt you. I have already made a vow on Bacon Live that me and Jason will not rest until we’ve tried all 55.

We were given the opportunity to sample three shakes. It was a hard choice but for me when I heard the words, “Cajun Chocolate” I knew that would be my first. Some people tend to steer clear of strange combinations when it comes to food but I’m always looking for the weird combo that blows my socks off and after taking a sip of the Cajun Chocolate I had to check to see if my socks were still there.

At first it tastes just like a real good creamy chocolate milk shake but as soon as you swallow your mouth is filled with the fire of the Cajun Bayou. For those of you that don’t handle heat very well, don’t worry it’s not that extreme but it is enough for you to want to immediately take another sip and get that cooling Chocolate. Then after that sip the heat hits you again so you take another sip, then another, then another. Next thing you know you’re out of milk shake and the only thing to do is order another one. I’ll take the Red Velvet please.

The Red Velvet Milk Shake has got to be one of the best shakes I have ever tried. It was creamy, had just the right amount of thickness to it, and tastes just like a big piece of Red Velvet cake. I’m not the only one that loved it because when they first introduced it they couldn’t even keep it in stock. Out of the all the shakes we tried there seemed to be an overall consensus that the Red Velvet shake was the best, and don’t worry about them running out, I have been assured that they taken care of their Red Velvet ice cream supply so they are always available.

There comes a time in a person’s life when they have to make a really hard decision and no matter how prepared you think you are when faced with the choice your mind goes blank and you start panicking. That is exactly what happened to me when faced with what my last flavor would be. Strawberry Banana, Classic Vanilla, Carrot Cake, they all sounded so good but I had to go with my inner child and select the Peanut Butter and Jelly Shake.

First thing I did was take a big whiff of the BP&J and was instantly transported to my childhood. It smelled like I just opened my lunch box and unwrapped the cellophane from the PB&J sandwich my mother made me. If the smell isn’t enough to send you back to better times the taste sure will. The flavor was a perfect blend of peanut butter, jelly, and ice cream with just the right amount of sweetness. The only complaint I had was that it was made with strawberry jelly and I’m a grape jelly kind of man, but I was pleased to find out they did in fact try it with grape but the flavor just didn’t work as well. So instead of making a subpar shake just to pander to grape lovers like myself they made the decision go with a quality flavor and I salute them for it.

Sadly it was time to leave but before we went we were treated with a chocolate sampler box. We got to pick any three pieces of chocolate that could fit in the box. I went with a Peanut Butter Melt Away, Raspberry Truffle, and Blackberry Cordial. This really was some of the best chocolates I’ve ever had and I now know where I’m going for all my candy needs.

Just for the record I spent the rest of the day running around like a three year old with ADD until my sugar high finally wore off.