Also, please note, the interview happened the day after I got back from vacation so I was a little off my game. What I am trying to say is, it’s not Kevin’s fault for it being a slightly rough interview at times. In fact he seems like a really great guy and I wished I could have chatted him more.

If you couldn’t guess by the beginning of the video, Kevin is a part this year’s International Bacon Day Celebration in Cincinnati, Saturday September 4th. He will be hosting the Beggin’ Bacon Bash, a bacon event dedicated to our K9 friends and their owners. The event will feature live music and activities for both two-legged and four-legged bacon lovers.

“Because dogs – and their owners – share a hilarious obsession for bacon, Beggin’ wanted to create an exciting, dog-friendly event for the entire family that’s all about bacon,” said Stephen Trammell, assistant brand manager, Nestlé Purina Dog Snacks brand pet food.

I agree with Stephen that a dog-friendly bacon event needed to be created but I am not sure what they mean when they say our obsession for bacon is hilarious.

Anyway, I would like to thank Kevin for taking the time to talk with me about his love of bacon. And I hope his bacon event goes off without a hitch. For additional information about the events and attractions at the Beggin’ Bacon Bash, visit www.beggintime.com.

Today is an exciting day since I get to talk about a video game on my bacon blog. Uber Entertainment recently released “Monday Night Combat” on Xbox Live a few weeks ago. And guess what? Not only is it a fun third person team based shooter, it also has bacon through out every part of the game. Even the loading screen for the game features bacon high-fiving a shotgun shell.

Check out this video for game bellow to see one way they highlight bacon in the game:

Yes that right, in Monday Night Combat there is a power up that gives you more ammo and cooks bacon at the same time. Also, when you’re playing the game, if you are lucky enough to find some bacon it will make your character instantly better at everything. “Just like real life!” (That’s a quote from one of the developers.)

To save you from all the gamer (nerd) talk, since this is a food blog and not a game blog, you just need to know that this is a really fun game. If you’re into team base shooters with an arcade feel to them this game is for you. Just check out these reviews from Kotaku, 1up, and Joystiq for all the details on game play.

Uber is planing to release a free DLC update to the game in the next few months. They say they are adding new content. Lets hope that some of the new content is more bacon!

If you’re on Xbox live and happen to get this game, let me know and add me as a friend. My gamer tag is “Enjoy Bacon”. It would be awesome to play this game with some fellow bacon lovers.

The great thing about this contest is that there are three categories, which gives you three chances to win the grand prize of $3,000!

The categories are:

• Appetizer, Sides, and Entertaining – This can include anything from a bacon side dish, dessert, or beverage.
• Main Dish – This one is easy. Just submit your best breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner recipe. I hope you can all tell the difference between a side dish and main dish.
• Ready Bacon – This is for recipes that use Sugardale Ready Bacon. I am glad they put this in a category of its own since recipes using it may have a disadvantage when being judged on bacon flavor.

To enter all you have to do is go to GreatSugardaleBacon.com and submit your bacon recipes. You can only submit one recipe per category and they must use Sugardales bacon. Then they will pick the finalists in each category to compete for the Grand BAC-ON Championship title.

The prizes are:

• 1st Place $3,000 and the title of Grand Bac-on Champion
• 2ND & 3RD Place $500 and a year’s supply of Sugardale Bacon.

To win the contest you will have to cook your recipe at the live competition that is being held at this year’s Good Taste Pittsburgh event. They will pay for you to get in to the event but if you don’t live Pittsburgh you will have to find your own way here. But for a chance to win $3,000 it might be worth it.

We will be having a representative on Bacon LIVE September 1, 2010 to answer your questions live. If you can’t make it in the chat room, just email me your question and I will ask it for you.

Check out the official website for all the rules and details. They will be accepting entries until September 26th, 2010.

At Bacon Bash this year you might have been lucky enough to have a variation of the Atomic Buffalo Turd (ABT) cooked up by AJ Doyle (the guy that won the bacon eating contest). ABT’s have been around since 2005, you can find the original recipe here, but the ones at the event replaced the usual Little Smokies with pulled pork belly. This gave them the bacon flavor on the inside and out.

If you don’t know, a ABT is basically a jalapeno cut in half, then fill with something pork related and cream cheese, then lastly wrapped in bacon and cooked.

Now this isn’t the first time I seen someone experiment with perfection. Greg Givan, a man that knows how to BBQ, fills the jalapenos with pulled pork and adds a little dry rub to the mix (pictured above). Check out his recipe bellow.

Atomic Buffalo Turds with Pulled Pork

Yields: 30

What you will need:

• 15 jalapeno peppers
• 1 8oz block of cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 cup smoked, pulled pork
• 1/2 tablespoon bbq rub
• 1 pound of bacon, preferably thinner cut
• 30 toothpicks

Directions:

1. Cut the peepers in half lengthwise, removing the seeds and veins. Optionally, if an even milder pepper heat is desired… soak the peppers in Sprite overnight.
2. Mix the cream cheese, pulled pork, and rub in a medium bowl. Fill each pepper half with the cheese mixture and wrap each pepper with half a strip of bacon, securing bacon in place with a toothpick.
3. Smoke the peppers at 225-250 degrees for approximately 60-90 minutes. Cook and eat remaining bacon while waiting.

Both Greg and AJ are quick to say that didn’t really invent anything here, but it’s still there personal touch on a classic BBQ dish. That’s the great thing about the Bacon Nation we are always inspiring each other to do great things with our favorite porky treat. Feel free to share you variation of the ABT in the comments.

Bacon Bash was a success. We had over 100 bacon lovers attend this year’s event at the Harris Grill, which almost double last year’s numbers. We also consumed over 140 pounds of delicious Sugardale bacon.

I would like to thank everyone that came out and our sponsors, you all helped make this the best Bacon Bash this side of the Mississippi.

The climax of the event was the bacon eating contest, where long time reader of the blog, AJ Doyle, won first place. He was also the guy that made the amazing Atomic Buffalo Turds (bacon wrapped jalapeños). Another thing worth noting is a 12 year old girl won 3rd place and she was only 2 ounces away from the winner. AJ won a year supply of bacon from Sugardale (which he gave to the 3rd place winner for being so awesome), Bakon Vodka, $40 in Grill Bills, water bottle, and a Harris Grill t-shirt that says on the bacon “I got 99 problems but bacon ain’t one”.

Since I was working the door most of the day I didn’t get a chance to take any photos/videos or try all the food. Lucky for me bacon lovers love to talk about their favorite food, so below are some links to what I found so far. If you would like to be added to this list just send me an email.

Photos, Videos, and Blog posts of Bacon Bash:

(This list will be updated throughout the week)

• Blog Post: Bacon Bash by Burghertime
• Photos: Bacon Bash by Dave W.
• Video: 2010 Bacon Bash Bacon Eating Contest by Gary (NSFW for explicit language)
• Blog Post: Bacon Bash 2010 by Watch Us Eat!
• Blog Post: 2010 Bacon Bash: Not Just Cured Meat by Boring Pittsburgh

We are going to be talking about the event on this week’s Bacon LIVE (Wednesday at 7pm ET) so make sure you check us out live.

I can’t wait for next year’s Bacon Bash, it’s going to be big, better, and have even more bacon!

The National Review even called it, “Obama’s Next Crisis: How Will the White House Handle Increasing Bacon Prices“. This got a lot of bacon lovers worried since we saw how long the healthcare debate took. We need relief today not months from now.

Bloomberg’s latest report, “Bacon Surge May Last Past August as Supply Tightens” gives us very little hope that the prices will come down during prime BLT season.

Wall Street Journal says “Pork Bellies Rise, Bacon Lovers Pay“.

This is true, no matter how high the cost of bacon gets, a bacon lover will never pass on making a BLT. Its prime home gown tomato session and we can’t let them go to waste.

These are hard times for bacon lovers everywhere. If you didn’t stock up on bacon and put it in your freezer I feel for you. If you do need to buy some bacon don’t reach for the cheaper stuff. Even with bacon prices high, that’s not excuse to eat subpar bacon.

Let us know what the bacon prices are in your area in the comments.

Stay strong and enjoy bacon!

Yesterday I get a message on twitter from Shop ‘n Save, a local grocery store in Western PA, asking me to pick the best bacon recipe on their “Our Kitchen Stories” website.

I quickly get to working looking over every recipe. Since I didn’t have time to make each one I had to make my decision based on creativity and simplicity. It was a hard choice, since there were so many good ones I could have pick, but I settled on the BLT Pasta Salad.

I chose this recipe because I like the creativity and I am a big fan of people taking something that is classic and making it their own. I also like how simple it was to make. Plus, I am always looking for new ways to incorporate bacon in to every cookout and this would do just that.

Since tomatoes are in session right now this would probably taste amazing. I will have to make this soon and let you know how it was. Just follow me on twitter (@MrBaconpants) and you will be the first to know.

BLT Pasta Salad

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package medium seashell or rotini pasta
• 1 pound sliced bacon
• 1 1/2 cups light Ranch-style salad dressing
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, and cook until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water to cool.
2. Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat until browned and crisp. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the Ranch dressing, onion, and tomatoes. Mix in the cooled pasta. The pasta will absorb some of the dressing, so don’t worry if it seems like too much. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Crumble bacon over the top just before serving.

Recipe from My Kitchen Stories by CRovesti

Update: Aaron Tucker mentioned that this recipe is lacking lettuce. The reason for that is lettuce would wilt in the salad when you let it sit overnight. If you want to add lettuce, all you would need to do is use it as a garnish when serving. Beth had a good idea of using a lettuce leaf as a little bowl.

After everyone I know told me I had to try one I finally did. I had a Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger and it has changed my life.

I never knew that an amazing burger could be cooked for you in less than 10 minutes. I have been tricked by other fast food chains to expect fast food to be just ok. Thanks to Five Guys I know now that I must always demand the best.

The nearest Five Guys to me is about 30 minutes and when you live in the city that’s a long drive just for a burger. Well, earlier this week I found myself about 5 minutes away from this particular restaurant, so I made the slight detour to give the famous burger a try.

This is my first time being in a Five Guys so I was little taken back when I saw how bare it looked. It was just three menu signs hanging above two registers. Behind that was an open kitchen with just a griddle, fry station, and a center island. I thought “Wow this is it?” I am not sure what I was expecting but in my mind I thought it would be some kind of hamburger wonderland.

I walked up looking at the hanging menu and saw two things I liked right away: All toppings are free and so are refills. Two important things for a good burger stop to have.

After gawking at the menu some more I ordered a Bacon Cheeseburger with lettuce and tomato along with a regular fry and drink. I then hear the girl taking my order yell behind her “two patties” and pay for my order and wonder what the hell that was about. My order came to a little over $11 – it sounded a little pricey but I was not let down.

After waiting for five to ten minutes my order number was called and the sack containing my burger and fries was in my hands. The first thing I noticed was how heavy the bag was. It had to be at least a pound if not more!

When I got home I quickly grabbed a plate and dumped out the contents of the bag. To my surprise the fries filled one whole dinner plate, piled high! A quick review of the fries: they are fresh cut. Enough said. Then I unwrapped the burger and I quickly realized what she meant when she yelled “two patties”.

There in my hands were two patties, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and crispy bacon between two toasted buns. I seriously looked at it for what felt like an eternity. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was the perfect burger. Then I took my first bite.

The Five Guys Bacon Cheeseburger took my breath away. The patties were cooked to perfection. Even with them being well done (they don’t cook them any other way) they were still juicy and packed with flavor. The cheese melted in around the bacon creating a new kind of super condiment and even the lettuce and tomato were fresh and crisp.

You would think with all that going on in between the two toasted buns that the flavors would get lost but they were all there. The bacon, the most important part of the burger, had a great crunch and flavor. I really couldn’t believe that this was made fresh just for me in less than ten minutes. This is the bacon burger to beat!

Five Guys, thank you for changing my life and giving me hope that all quickly made food can taste amazing.

Side note: I found out after that if you want a normal burger that is just one patty you have to say you want a little burger. If you don’t specify like I did they will just give you the regular two patty version.

Photo Credit: Burger-at-Law

Well today I would like to share with you another recipe called the Elvis, this one is a banana injected with bacon and peanut Butter, then fried in butter and brown sugar.

The recipe was created by Tracy the owner of a blog called “I hate my message board”. Her post about how she created this recipe was pretty funny. She was basically making it up as she went along. This is my favorite part of the recipe:

Step 6 Try to get the bacon peanut butter into the banana. This would prove to be more difficult.

If you wondering she was inspired to do this after seeing a Nutella stuffed banana online.

Check out her blog for the full recipe, photos, and humor. I really like reading about people having fun with cooking. Especially when it involves bacon!

If you’re a member of the Bacon Nation on Facebook you probably heard about Aaron Tucker ordering (I mean sending his wife to get him) a Bacon Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen. Well here is the full behind the blizzard look at what went down that day.

Here is the story from Aaron:

I had written to our town’s DQ a few weeks ago about the Bacon Oreo Blizzard and they said, “If we’ve got the ingredients, we’ll put it in a Blizzard!”

So I sent my wife to pick up a Bacon Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I didn’t think she was going to do it because she said she’d be so embarrassed.

She drove up to the window and said, “This is going to sound weird.”

The voice from the box said, “OK?!”

“My husband said that the manager told him you could make him an Oreo Blizzard with bacon in it. That’s what I want.”

There was silence for a few seconds, and the voice in the box said, “You want an Oreo Blizzard with bacon? That sounds kinda good actually.”

So, with that out of the way she ordered herself a little chocolate Blizzard and drove up to the window. What she didn’t expect was to see was the manager running up to the window screaming, “Is he here? Is he here? We want to see him! He’s got balls!”

My wife just sat there in shock. Another employee came to the window to see what was going on.

“We’ve been waiting forever for your husband to come and order it,” the manager said. “We’re all excited in here. Can I get a picture of it before we give it to you?”

The manager disappeared for a minute to take pictures of the Bacon Oreo Blizzard and another employee arrived at the window to complete the transaction and also asked where I was. They were pretty disappointed that I hadn’t shown up in person.

After a bit more waiting, they (the manager and two employees) brought out the Bacon Oreo Blizzard and the chocolate Blizzard and asked my wife if she was going to try it for them right there.

She said, “No, I’ll let my husband try it first,” and she drove home as fast as the law allowed. She called me on the way to let me know that I was very famous at DQ even though I’ve never been there personally.

Minutes later I was in possession of the first and only DQ Bacon Oreo Blizzard the world has ever seen. The first thing we did was take pictures. By the time I got to enjoy it, it was starting to melt over the edges of the cup. Every bite was loaded with Oreo and bacon. I had no idea the bacon would stay so crunchy! It was awesome!

The Dairy Queen Manager wrote almost immediately and asked if I liked it. I sent back pictures and my thoughts. I also mentioned that I’d really love a bacon peanut butter cup Blizzard and a Bacon Peanut Buster Parfait. I hope they try it too!

I don’t know what’s funnier, the managers reaction or the fact that he sent his wife to get it for him. On Bacon LIVE this week Aaron gave us a few updates on the DQ bacon situation. I guess the corporate office frowns upon using bacon in Blizzards because of some kind of cross contamination that could happen. So before you go walking in to a DQ asking for a Bacon Oreo Blizzard make sure they have a cool manager that likes to bend the rules a little.

I would like to thank Aaron for sharing this story with us. Be sure to “like” the Bacon Nation page on Facebook so you can get more of his DQ bacon updates.

Of course you knew that, because you’re not 5 years old. (And if you are 5 years old and are learning this for the first time, deal with it, and oh yea and Santa’s not real) PETA seems to think that anyone that eats meat is some kind of retarded caveman that doesn’t actually know where pork chops come from.

We all know what happens to animals in slaughter houses but do we really need PETA at every event handing out flyers showing a gutted chicken? PETA’s whole strategy is to gross you out and guilt you into not eating meat. But does this even work?

I personally have no problem watching them burn the hair off of a pig’s corpse as I enjoy a large BLT, but I know that not all people handle the sight of blood the same. Even someone that becomes physically sick over these pictures is more than likely going to swing by the McDonalds drive thru and order a double cheese burger when their appetite comes back.

Meat eaters have matured past the time of kindergarten and Disney movies and have gone on to accept the natural order of the food chain. As children, Vegan’s watched way too much Bambi and Charlotte’s Web. Now they can’t walk past a deli counter without crying.

But the Vegan child doesn’t stop there. Just like a little kid, they want everything to be their way and if it’s not they have a temper tantrum. But were a kid’s temper tantrum is a bunch of stomping and crying, the temper tantrum of a full grown Vegan man child includes but is not limited to; protesting, screaming, censorship, destroying privet property, and in some extreme cases causing personal injury and risking lives.

If a person decides for whatever reason to become a Vegetarian or Vegan that’s fine. It’s their life and in this country you are free to live how you see fit. We just don’t need you getting in people’s faces and yelling lies about your lifestyle trying to convert others. Just sit back and eat your Veggie-burger and shut up.

Tune in next week for “Let Me Soy You Something”.

Read more about the evil Vegan Agenda!

By Sean Brett

Its been a long time since I did a Weekend Cooking so I thought I should try to bring it back. Beth is also going to help with with this weekly segment in the future.

The following recipe was created by Mary, an avid reader of the blog. She said she wanted to try making a dip that would be simple to make and make it possible to enjoy the flavors of a BLT at any occasion. I think she pulled it off well.

The dip made an appearance at a party I had at my house a few months ago and I must say it was good. It wasn’t a heavy dip like the popular buffalo chicken dip. It had a clean taste just like a a good BLT does.

I feel that this would be a good dip to bring to a cookout, especially if you have fresh garden vegetables to use. Also I would have used a bread bowl instead of the bagel chips. I feel the addition of bread would have enhanced the BLT like flavors.

Give the dip try and let us know what you think.

Ultimate BLT Dip

Ingredients:

• One 8 oz package of chive cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• One package of bacon (cooked crispy and diced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 small tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 Avocado (chopped)
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese (finely shredded)
• 2 cups Lettuce (shredded)
• 1 package bagel chips (garlic suggested)

Directions:

1. Mix softened cream cheese and mayonnaise together until smooth. Spread into 8 x 8 pan or casserole dish.
2. Spread the bacon, tomatoes, avacado, and cheese over the cream cheese/mayonnaise mixture.
3. Top with chopped lettuce.
4. Serve with Bagel chips.

Bonus Tip: Instead of using the cream cheese, mayonnaise and bacon, use J&D’s Bacon Ranch Dip.

When I was browsing the newswire for interesting bacon stories I was delighted to see the following headline in a New York newspaper:

“Try this burger with bacon and cheese served on a sugary doughnut bun, but no lard included”

I quickly clicked the link expecting to see the same Bacon Cheeseburger Doughnut that has been floating around on the internet for a while. To my surprise it was something new, but something didn’t look right with the photo. I didn’t see the bacon. I posted the photo above so you can inspect it yourself.

Turns out, the mystery meat hanging out on top of the burger is turkey meat paste and not bacon. My heart sank and I felt betrayed by the New York Daily News. Why would they make such a huge mistake like that?

It is time we as bacon lovers reclaim the word bacon.

• Bacon IS cured meat prepared from pork belly (or back for you crazy Canadians and Brits).
• Bacon is NOT processed turkey meat.
• Bacon is NOT tofu or vegan.
• Bacon is NOT simply a smoky flavor added to novelty products.

If your religion or diet restricts you form eating bacon, why would you want to eat a food that replicates it? You don’t see me trying to create tofu made from bacon.

Leave bacon alone. If you want to eat it then suck it up and eat the real thing. It will not be the end of the world and if you eat it in moderation will not take a year off your life. Just enjoy bacon.

Well I have my “Mmmerica” shirt from Tee Fury (sorry if you missed) so now I am officially ready to celebrate our independents in style. I might even wear the shirt all weekend.

I figured now would be a good time to pull out some older posts that should help you have the best 4th of July cookout ever.

Beer: You got to have beer at a cook out here are some of my favorites, Brew Free! Or Die IPA, Big Hop IPA, Racer 5 IPA, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

Food: Other then beer, food is the second most important thing at a cook out. Here are some ideas for you, Bacon Burger Dogs, Grill around the Globe, Heart Attack Snack, and the Bacon Explosion.

I hope those help you have a great time this weekend. I have a lot of other posts I could have added but it would have took me for ever to find them all. If you think I missed any important ones just link to them in the comments. Just search for your favorites or browse the archives.

Have a great weekend and remember to buy your Bacon Bash tickets.

Enjoy Bacon!

One of my favorite style sandwiches are Paninis, so I was happy to find out that there was a whole blog dedicated to them. PaniniHappy.com has been going strong for a few years now and they cover just about every kind of Panini you can dream up.

Last year they posted about a Bacon and Peaches Panini. You would think that peaches and bacon wouldn’t mix well but Kathy, author of the blog, thought otherwise.

I had a hunch that peaches would taste great with bacon and it turned out to be true. It’s that sweet-savory thing I just can’t get enough of.

Not having my own Panini press I have not been able to try this out but I am going to take Kathy’s word for it. Give that she is an expert an all. Check out here blog for more Panini ideas and amazing photos of them.

Bacon & Peaches Panini

Serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

• 1-2 large yellow peaches, pitted and sliced
• 4 slices bacon, fully cooked
• Fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (as much as you like)
• French baguette, sliced crosswise into 5″ sections OR ciabatta rolls (I would not recommend sliced breads)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the Panini grill to medium-high heat (375°F).
2. For each sandwich: Halve the bread lengthwise. In between the halves, layer on the cheese, two slices of bacon and as many peaches as will fit neatly inside the bread.
3. Grill 4-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the bread is toasted. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Here are a few more bacon recipes from Kathy:

• Bacon Breakfast Burritos
• Bacon Tuna Melt Panini
• Bacon, Cheddar & Grilled Tomato Panini

Let me know if you try and of these out or were I can get a cheap Pinini press in Pittsburgh.

Something is troubling in the world of bacon. When you go to your local grocery store you will now see many products with a label that states, “with bacon.” You will also notice that many restaurant menus are also featuring the meat treat known as bacon. This should be a time to celebrate because it looks like bacon is finally being taken seriously.

Unfortunately it appears that many of these products are just trying to toy with our emotions. The promise of bacon is just not there. After trying the Kraft’s Deli Deluxe Bacon Cheddar I have reached my breaking point. As one of the bacon communities most active members (Iheartbaconsalt) put it, “The Bacon is A Lie!”

These companies know how passionate bacon lovers are and are using that to make a quick buck. They think that if they put the slightest hint of bacon flavoring (or just the appearance of bacon) in there products they can raise the price and we will buy it. And they are right. People see the word bacon and their wallets magically open.

Sadly I am guilty of this myself from time and time. Every time I see that new product with bacon I have to rush to the store and buy it. I always have high hopes that maybe just maybe this time they got it right. Only to have my dreams crushed again and again.

But Not All is Lost

Once again were the large corporations failed the small independently owned restaurants are stepping up their game. After having my heart broken over such products like the Burger King double bacon cheese burger I was ready to throw in the towel. I was going to make a vow to only eat bacon prepared by me in my own kitchen.

Then I went to a small bar near my house called The E Town. On their menu was a Rodeo Burger that came with onion rings, cheese, BBQ sauce, and bacon. Once again, against my better judgment the love of bacon made me order it.

At first glance it didn’t seem all that special and then I took a bite. I actually sat back in shock and for a split second didn’t recognize the taste in my mouth. I was expecting cheese, ground beef, or BBQ sauce to be the first flavor, but no it was the bacon! Not once during the entire burger was the bacon flavor over powered. Every bite was filled with delicious fried pork belly.

That one meal brought back my faith. This small bar served me one of the best bacon burgers I have ever had and they did it with out emptying my wallet. ($6.99 for half pound burger, fries, and coleslaw.) And if this place can do it why can’t Burger King, Applebee’s, or Kraft?

It’s time we stand up for our rights as Bacon Lovers and demand value for our hard earned money. No longer will we pay $5.99 for a bacon burger, to only taste grease! No longer will we buy into the notion that bacon flavoring is as good as real bacon! No longer will we support companies that use marketing ploys to hide their incompetence! And no longer will we stand idly by and watch the bacon we love become a mockery!

Enjoy life; enjoy friendship; and most importantly Enjoy Bacon!

By Sean Brett

Have you ever been at a cookout and had to make the tough decision to either have a hamburger or a hot dog? Well thanks to the internet and strangely enough “The Cosby Show” you no longer need to make a choice. You can now have your cake and eat it too with the Bacon Burger Dog!

The recipe for the Bacon Burger Dog is simple. You take a hot dog and wrap it with hamburger. Then wrap that with your favorite brand of bacon. After you have them all ready, toss them on the grill for about 20-30 minutes over medium heat. You can find more detailed instructions at JohnnyRoadTrip.com.

If you’re having a suburban cookout this summer you need to make Bacon Burger Dogs. If you do, you will be the most popular person on your cul-de-sac and be known as the Grill King (or Queen) all summer long. Anyone living in suburbia knows how important cul-de-sac politics are.

If you’re a city griller you will need to be careful. If your crazy crack head neighbors smell these bad boys cooking you’re going to have a fight on your hands. If you are feeling brave and you’re a Republican make sure you’re caring your sidearm while cooking. Oh, and load it with hollow points. I don’t think crack heads feel pain once they smell the Bacon Burger Dog.

Anyway, these things are pure comfort food and I can’t wait to try and make these at the next cookout I attend. Yes you read that right, at this time I do not have my own grill, so I will have to wait to try and make these. I am waiting until I buy a house before I buy my ultimate grill and/or smoker.

I first thought was that our bacon palates were so use to the top shelf bacon we usually review, that we couldn’t taste the bacon flavor. Quality bacon has a very intense smoky flavor so maybe we were use to that. It’s been a long time since I ate regular old bacon. So I asked a few people on Twitter and Facebook and they all said the same thing, “It’s good but where is the bacon?”

If this was just a review of the Deli Deluxe Cheddar it would have been a glowing review. The cheddar part is great and really does taste like something you would get from your deli counter. It has a smooth rich taste with just the right amount of sharpness to not offend most people. But sadly for Kraft this is not Mr. Cheddarpants’ blog.

The bacon in the new cheddar is half missing since you can see it but you can’t taste it. During the review on Bacon LIVE, Sean dug out the biggest bacon bit he could find and still he couldn’t taste it. The cheese doesn’t even smell like bacon, all you smell is cheddar.

I thought that maybe if you heated the cheddar the melting and heat would bring out the bacon. Even the recipes that Kraft sent me told you heat it, so I thought I was on to something. But sadly even that didn’t really help. The flavor was still missing or weak.

Here are what a few bacon loving Twitter followers Facebook fans have to say about it:

• metalchick666: I hated it, no bacon taste at all!
• Phil A.: I’ve had it, it’s not super bacony but I definitely taste the bacon.
• Aaron Tucker: The bacon is a lie!

As a cheese the Deli Deluxe Cheddar is good, but as a bacon cheddar it’s disappointing. If you a real bacon lover I would stay away from this one. Let this be something the pretend bacon lovers say they enjoy because it says bacon on the packaging.

I hope Kraft sees this review and quickly goes back to the test kitchens to get this one right. They’re halfway there; they just need to add the bacon flavoring.

Sayings that are made better by using bacon as a verb

• If you can BACON it, you can EAT it.
• Don’t bacon in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t bacon behind me, I may not lead. Just bacon beside me and be my friend.
• To Bacon , or Not to Bacon: What a Stupid Question!
• Bacon is the hidden language of the soul
• All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to bacon them.
• No Matter what you bacon there will be critics.
• Just bacon it.
• Let’s go back to my place and bacon.
• “I done baconed my pants”.
• Let’s get ready to BACON!
• Bacn’ Bacon.
• Did somebody just baconed in here?
• Stop, drop, and bacon.

Some of these are kind of stupid but if you think of better ones please share via a comment. I am going to try and start using bacon as a verb in my day to day life. This maybe more challenging then I think it is but we’ll see what happens. I wonder how long it will take for my friends catch on to what I am doing and get annoyed. I guess I will just have to bacon and find out.

While browsing the web (for bacon) I found a great recipe for Maple-Bacon Corn Muffins and I just had to share it with you. I know this recipe idea has been done a few time before, but the images that go along with this rendition are great!

For me bacon is not just meat candy, it’s eye candy and I am a sucker for it. I love seeing pictures of food and I am not alone in this fetish. There are sites (This is Why Your Fat) and TV shows (Iron Chef) dedicated to “food porn“, and I am not talking about the kind of porn that has sexual content so this stuff is safe for work. Just be careful what you type in to Google when your looking for it.

When I found this recipe the reason I feel in love with it was because of the photo bellow. Looking at a pile of perfectly cooked bacon bits just makes my day. After you’er done drooling, be sure to check out the story behind recipe and more photos at Sommer Collier’s blog “A Spicy Perspective”.

Maple-Bacon Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

• 4 oz. bacon
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1 Tb. baking powder
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Cooking Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400*. Heat a skillet to medium-high. Chop the bacon and cook until slightly crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set the skillet aside.
2. In a large bowl combine all dry ingredients. Whisk in the milk and eggs, followed by the melted butter, maple syrup and 1/4 cup bacon grease.
3. Stir the bacon pieces back into the mixture.
4. Place muffin liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the mixture into the liners. Bake for 15 minutes—until golden.
5. Remove from the muffin tin and serve warm! Makes 12.

Recipe by Sommer Collier “A Spicy Perspective“