Mr. Baconpants » Everything Else

Wendy’s is Testing New “Black Label” Burgers

Sean Brett — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 20:44:02 +0000

It’s pretty common knowledge that when a fast food chain has a new burger they don’t just release it nation wide and cross their fingers that it will be a hit. After it goes through extensive taste testing in their own privet kitchens the food the burger is then sent out to a “test market.”

A test market is when they pick a couple areas of the country and sell the burger exclusively in those areas. Then based on the sells they decide if it’s worth it to release it nation wide.

All chain restaurants do this and it’s a good way to test the waters before jumping in but I do have a slight problem with it. It used to be that if some small town in California got to test a special burger I wouldn’t find out about it until it was given the go a head and released across the country and if the burger failed I would never know it even existed but the internet has changed all that.

Thanks to the internet I now know that Wendy’s is testing out a couple new burgers they are calling their “Black Label” burgers. The “Santa Fe” burger is a quarter-pounder with pepper-jack cheese and guacamole and the “Bacon Portobello” is a quarter-pounder with mushrooms, muenster cheese, bacon, tomato, and pepper sauce. Those sound freaking amazing and I would love to sink my teeth into them but unfortunately they are only available in Columbus, Ohio and Wichita, Kansas.

So now I have to sit around and hope all those Columbus and Wichita people buy enough of those burgers so I can get a shot at eating them. I can’t stand having the fate of my dinner in the hands of people I’ve never met. Screw this I’m not going to sit idly by while others make poor combo selections and possible kill the “Black Label” burgers before they even have a chance to live. Columbus is only 3 and half hours from my house. If anyone needs me I’ll be in my car, driving.

Diabetes Y’all! Bacon Lover Paula Deen Comes Out

Sean Brett — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:00:17 +0000

Celebrity chef Paula Deen recently made an announcement that she’s been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. For anyone that’s actually seen her show this comes as no surprise. Paula is known for making good old fashion home cooking and that means lots of butter, red meats, and grease. In other words it means she makes food people actually want to eat.

A lot of people are contributing her diabetes to the food she cooks but I don’t think that’s very fair. Sure she featured The Lady’s Brunch burger on her show, a burger topped with egg and bacon served between two glazed doughnuts and her restaurant “Lady and Sons” in Savanna Georgia has an all you can eat buffet featuring fried chicken, gravy, and butter soaked collared greens but even Paula herself knows her food isn’t healthy.

Paula never once made the claim that her food was healthy and actually says that people need to enjoy her creations in moderation. Just because her show “Paula’s Best Dishes” is on almost everyday doesn’t mean you should eat what she’s cooking every day. It’s called self control.

Type 2 Diabetes isn’t caused from any one type of food. If that was the case a person could just cut out that food and be good to go. One of the biggest contributing factors in getting “the sugars” is being overweight and yes a case could be made that Paula Dean style food makes people over weight but once again that’s only if you let it.

Paula has said that she will not change the way she cooks and I for one applaud her for that. Every time I turn around I see more and more of the delicious food I grew up with disappearing. It’s like if something isn’t the healthiest choice it should be thrown away and never aloud to be eaten.

No one is saying BBQ bacon cheese burgers are healthy but that doesn’t mean you can’t have one every once and awhile. It all comes down personal responsibility. Paula Deen is a good chef and she understands what people love when it comes to food so don’t just abandon her because her recipes are unhealthy instead use her recipes to treat yourself once a week or so.

Sacramento’s Bacon Fest is this Weekend!

Sean Brett — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:12:56 +0000

Man, every time I turn around another Bacon Fest is popping up. Pretty soon there’s going to be a Bacon Event every month of the year. Not that I’m complaining. I just wish I could afford the air fair to check them all out.

The newest Fest is based in Sacramento. Local musician Brain Guido and Managing Editor for Sacramento News & Review have teamed up with five local restaurants for the first ever Sacramento Bacon Fest but unlike most Bacon Fests this one seems to be more of a weekend filled with bacon activities then just one day of pork belly love.

After seeing the success of the Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest in Des Moines and the Chicago Bacon Fest , Guido thought, why not Sacramento.

The event runs from January 20 through the 22nd with each day having a bacon inspired events at local restaurants.

Jan 20th -is Kevin Bacon Tribute Night at Luigi’s Slice where you can enjoy a special Bacon Supreme Pizza while local bands entertain your ears with covers of songs from Kevin Bacon movies.
Jan 21st -You can get your day started with a Bacon inspired Breakfast/Brunch at Magpie Caterers Market and Café but get there early because it’s only open from 7:30am until the food is gone.
Jan 21st -Starting at 4pm Pangaea Two Brews Café is having “Bacon in Beers.” Dinners will get a four item bacon inspired menu with each item being paired with a beer. Also they will be serving beer with bacon in the glass.
Jan 22nd -Brunch at The Golden Bear. It starts at 10am and will have many bacon dishes including a couple bacon cocktails for those that like to get an early start on the partying.
Jan 22nd -End the Fest with a Chef Competition at Mulvaney’s B&L Pig Next Door. Local celebrities will judge bacon-inspired meals created by local chefs and small bacon plates and wine will be served.

The Bacon Fests I’m more used to consist of one day where people over indulge on various bacon dishes all while washing them down with a good beer. Although I like the concept of making the Fest an entire weekend and highlighting local restaurants I would really like to see an all day event like Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest does. But hey it’s their first year so it makes sense to start out small and I’m sure everyone will have a great time. Then next year they can expand and make it even better.

For more information click here and if anyone out there is in the Sacramento area and is going to the Fest, feel free to send sent us some pictures and video so we can let the rest of the world see what Sacramento has to offer.

Stop SOPA/PIPA: First Comes Internet Censorship, Then They Come for Our Bacon

Jason Mosley — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:46:45 +0000

Today, January 18, 2012 many high-profile sites are participating in an internet blackout to raise awareness about SOPA and PIPA. If you don’t know what SOPA or PIPA is you’re in luck. Just browse the internet and I am sure you will find one of you favorite websites blacked out today. If this is the only site you goto then I guess it’s my job to inform you. The following is from Wikipedia:

What are SOPA and PIPA?
SOPA and PIPA represent two bills in the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate respectively. SOPA is short for the “Stop Online Piracy Act,” and PIPA is an acronym for the “Protect IP Act.” (“IP” stands for “intellectual property.”) In short, these bills are efforts to stop copyright infringement committed by foreign web sites, but, in our opinion, they do so in a way that actually infringes free expression while harming the Internet. Detailed information about these bills can be found in the Stop Online Piracy Act and PROTECT IP Act articles on Wikipedia, which are available during the blackout.

I know what some of you are thinking. “You are a content creator. Wouldn’t something that helps you protect your copyright help you?”

The answer is no, if it comes with more government regulation, ambiguous laws, and is a threat to the very service I distribute my content on. We do not need the government to police the internet, that is the job of the people who have the copyrights. Also piracy would stop if the movie and recorded industries would just adapt and get with the times.

They need to realize the era of making tons more money selling tangible goods is over. We no longer need DVDs or CDs. Also, since we can now get great content for free or for a very low-cost. We will no longer pay top dollar for their garbage content. If they want to survive in a world with a free and open internet they only need to create killer content. Then use the current copyright laws to protect it.

Lastly, you may think its a stretch to say the if this bill passes that they will take our bacon but think about that for a second. If we can’t stand up and fight to protect the very thing that lets us share our love of bacon with the world. What makes you think we would standup and fight for our bacon.

Call, Write, and Scream at your Representatives and Senators and tell them you do not support this bill.

PROTECT IP / SOPA Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

UPDATE: I found this great site telling you where you Senators and Reps stand on this issue.

The Pig Fat Conspiracy, Why We Stopped Using Lard

Sean Brett — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 15:27:12 +0000

The Jan 6th episode of NPR’s Podcast Planet Money had a very interesting topic, Lard. They talked about how everyone used pig fat for cooking a hundred years ago but now it’s almost no where to be found.

Most people think the whole reason lard cooking went away is because it’s unhealthy for you but that’s really only half of the reason. It turns out it was a combination of the back lash from the 1906 novel “The Jungle” that exposed the horror stories of the meat processing world and Capitalism.

Although “The Jungle” is fiction it was very well researched and showed some of the very unsanitary and dangerous conditions in the world of animal products. After it was released people demanded better care be taken in the preparation of their food and people even started to shy away from mass produced meats. Slaughter houses today might not be perfect but there a heck of a lot better than 100 years ago.

Then you have the company that produced the lard alternative Crisco, Procter & Gamble. They weren’t always in the business of producing healthier ways of making fried chicken. They were in the candle business, and business was good. Everyone from the richest tycoon to the poorest steel worker needed candles. It was the only way a person could do anything after the sun went down besides sleep.

But then something happened that changed the world, the light bulb. The light bulb was on the fast track of replacing the need for candles in America and that meant Procter & Gamble had to reassess their business. The candles they produced were make out of cotton oil and with not as many candles needed that gave them a cotton oil surplus.

What did they do with that extra oil; they got a German scientist to figure out a way for people to eat it. By using the process of Hydrogenation they turned the now useless cotton oil into tubs of white paste that resembled lard and called it Crisco. Then it was as simple as starting a mass advertising campaign to convince the American people Crisco was better than lard and the rest is history.

Is Crisco really better for you than lard? It’s a hard question to answer because most of us aren’t doctors or food scientists so we just have to listen to what people tell us and make up our own minds. There are people on both sides of this issue and both make some interesting points but I think it’s safe to assume no matter what side of the fence you fall on we can all agree that eating foods fired in any type of oil is something we should do in moderation.

iPhone: Hero Academy, the game you should be playing

Jason Mosley — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:42:15 +0000

I told myself this year I was going to starting writing about more than just bacon on this blog. To make is simple for you to skip the non bacon posts (why would you do something like that) the first word of the titles will tell you the general topic. This one is about an iPhone game, so if you have an iPhone read on.

Very few things (other than bacon) would inspire me to jump on my bacon blog to immediately tell you about it. Well today I came across an iPhone game that did just that. It’s called Hero Academy and its was created by Robot Entertainment, the guys that made Orcs Must Die (if you don’t know that game and like games, do yourself a favor and learn about it).

Hero Academy is a head-to-head tactics game for iOS devices. Think of it like chess on crack with a little randomness tossed in the mix. The best part is it has asynchronous multiplayer. That means you can battle friends when they have a few moments of free time. A push notifications well tell you when it’s your time to move. It’s basically Words with Friends for nerds!

I am not going to get in to all the gameplay now. You can watch this video for that or read this great review from Board Game Geek.

This game is amazing and it’s what iPhone gaming is all about. It has great looking graphics, easy to pick up and play, and a ton of fun. If you’re looking for something to pass the time with your friends pick this one up. My only complaint about the game is that there is no single player. You have to play with other people online, but that’s a minor gripe.

Hero Academy just came out today and is a free download. They plan to make money with in app purchases for new teams and stuff. Don’t worry this is nothing like FarmVille or a time suck game. Also you don’t have to buy anything to be competitive, it’s not a game were you are forced to pay money have fun. These guys know what they are doing and you will have no problem spending a buck for a new team or two.

iTunes link: Hero Academy (Free)

Mad Mex, Pittsburgh’s version of a Tex-Mex Restaurant

Beth Mosley — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:05 +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.

While this isn’t the best “mexican” food in Pittsburgh, I would recommend this Mad Mex (McKnight Road location) for the following reasons:

It is one of the few bright lights of hope in the dark soullessness that is McKnight Road (a highway heading north of Pittsburgh that is full of chain restaurants). It will hands down beat any previously frozen salty disaster you order at Red Lobster, Chili’s, Olive Garden, etc.
This Mad Mex stands out from others in that the service is OUTSTANDING (although I rarely have bad experiences at any of them). The waiters and bartenders are extremely pleasant, especially the waiter we had this particular night (8/1/11), named Justin. He went out of his way to be courteous and went above and beyond to make sure we got exactly what we wanted.
The seating/atmosphere is nice. Even when crowded you can hear your dinner mates. If you have to wait for a table there is usually room near or at the bar.
The beer selection is always fantastic and they usually have a few specials running. This time we each got Bell’s Oberon, our summer favorites.

This particular occasion we got the chips and salsa, I got the Wing-o-rito with San Fran/Wild, and Jason got a special, Corn and Chicken burrito. The food is always consistently good, but never mind-blowing. I would recommend the Wing-o-rito or the Carnitas burrito.

Overall experience at this Mad Mex is always positive and I’m sure I’ll be back again!

Mr. Baconpants’ two cents: I really like Mad Mex. Even with the lack of bacon on the menu I enjoy the food. There burritos are as big as your head and stuffed with yumminess. One day I hope to get a bacon burrito on their menu but for now I will have to settle for Wing-o-rito with wilded buffalo sauce.

Burger King: Proud to be Number 3 in Fast Food

Sean Brett — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:39:43 +0000

It was announced last month that for the first time since opening their doors the fast food chain Wendy’s is surpassing Burger King in sales to become number 2 behind the raining champ McDonalds. There is a very clear reason for this and as a life long Burger King fan it saddens me to say it but Burger King quite frankly, you suck!

To be more specific your food sucks but it didn’t always. For most of my life the debate of “who is better, Burger King or McDonalds?” caused heated arguments with people on both sides. I was in the Burger King camp and would defend my Beef Lord the ends of the earth. Their burgers tasted better, they had onion rings, they had better marketing, and they where the home of the Whopper, one of the largest burgers a fast food chain had to offer. God I be loving me some BK in the day and just talking about this now makes me feel all nostalgic and I’m a little temped to hit up their drive thru for dinner but then I snap back to reality and know I will definitely drive right past BK on my way to Subway.

That’s right Burger King you have now forced me to eat Subway!

So how did Wendy’s beat you? Simply, because they care about their customers. Wendy’s has taken steps to improve the quality of their food. They’ve introduced new burgers and new cuts of bacon, redesigned their fries, and even went through the trouble of creating some good tasting salads for the health conscience on the go. They’re still far from perfect in my mind but I know from first hand experience that they are at least willing to listen to customers.

Burger King on the other hand just seems like they stopped caring. It’s like they know their quality is slipping and they don’t give a crap because number 3 is still pretty good. They think that the American people are conditioned into just scarfing down whatever swill fast food restaurants try passing off as food because it’s cheaper and easer than cooking. So no matter how bad their food gets people will still buy it because they’re dumb robots and fast food isn’t supposed to be that good to begin with.

This attitude is what has led the BK Chefs into a creative slump. Think about it, when was the last time Burger King introduced a truly new burger? All they do is slap some extra toppings on a Whopper and rename it. Double Whopper , Triple Whopper, Whopper Jr, California Whopper, Angry Whopper, Iny Whopper, Windows 7 Whopper (Japan Only), Veggie Whopper, Pizza Burger made of Whoppers and pizza toppings, Rodeo Whopper, and the Cheddar Salsa Whopper. They even had a Chicken Whopper and opened restaurants called BK Whopper Bars where you can put whatever toppings you want on your Whopper.

And what mind blowing concept are they coming out with that will win back their number two spot in 2012. They but bacon on a BK Topper. That’s it. Yes I would agree that adding bacon to any burger increases it’s awesomeness but not Burger King bacon. Time and time again I crawl back to Burger King like some kind of battered wife that still believes deep down he really loves me and time and time again I get slapped in the mouth with thin chewy flavorless strip of pink stuff they call bacon.

Burger King you really need to step up your game and start providing good food again before you lose us all. I’m still here Burger King waiting for you to show me you care but many have turned their backs for good. So please Burger King, give me a reason to stay. That’s all I ask.

It’s Official, the Bacon Nation Now has a Mrs. Baconpants

Jason Mosley — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 20:52:51 +0000

As many of you noticed I was MIA for almost two months, but don’t worry I have a good reason for the absence.

September was a busy month. Not only did I have to plan Pittsburgh’s biggest bacon event, I also had to help Beth plan our wedding. It seemed scheduling two important events in the same month was not my best idea.

Then, after the wedding (I will tell you all about that soon), Beth and I enjoyed our honeymoon and spent a lot of time getting our house back in order. We had crafting supplies everywhere from before the wedding and wrapping paper, boxes, and tons of new things from after.

I guess what I am trying to say is… I didn’t have time for Baconpants.

That’s going to change and now I have a Mrs. Baconpants (aka Beth Mosley) to help me share our love of all things beer and bacon!

Now on to the details. The wedding was great and everyone had an amazing time. Sean (aka Bacon Knight) was in my wedding party and he inspected all the bacon that day to make sure it was perfect. We had a whole station of bacon on the buffet which had: Bacon Mac and Cheese, bacon wrapped stuffed mushrooms, pulled pork (not bacon but close), and a lot more stuff that I can’t remember. I was a little nervous so I didn’t eat much that day.

For our wedding cake we had Maple Bacon Cupcakes and they were fantastic. We also has red velvet, but I told everyone that they would be a weirdo if they skipped on the bacon cupcake. I am not sure why people are so afraid of bacon on desserts. They don’t know what they are missing.

Don’t worry, I am done boring you with my wedding details but I am sure you were all wondering if we had bacon at our wedding. We did and it was perfect.

Bacon Knight’s Preview Review: The Smurfs

Sean Brett — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:34:38 +0000

The Smurfs
Rated PG
Staring: Neil Patrick Harris, Jonathan Winters, Hank Azaria
Release Date: July 29th 2011

Well it’s once again time for Hollywood to rip out your heart and take a big dump in the wound with the release of The Smurfs. It’s a typical day in the village, everyone is just smurfing around until they are discovered by the evil wizard Voldemort… or I mean Gargamel. Gargamel can’t contain his bigotry anymore, so he dawns his large flowing robe and chases those blue people out of there homes. While running for their smurfing lives a few of the Smurfs take a wrong turn and get sent through a portal to New York City where they meet up with Doogie Howser MD and precede to do all kinds of cute disruptive things that cramp Doogie’s style. Unfortunately not even in this brave new word can the Smurfs hide from the Gargamel’s racist rage. The wizard follows them to New York to continue his genocide.

I have so many problems with this movie I don’t know where to begin. It seems that every time some studio signs a dealt to get the film rights to a popular cartoon or TV show it also comes with a mountain of crack that contractually must be smoked before working on the script. Then when the writer is at the appropriate level of tripping balls he decides the best course of action is to change everything that made the show popular to begin with.

For some reason Hollywood doesn’t think stories based on cartoons can work unless those characters are placed in our world. That is exactly what their doing with the Smurfs and it never ever works. I don’t want to see the Smurfs running around our world trying to figure out how toothpaste tubes or light switches work; I want to see them in their own smurfing world, going on adventures. They would never try to pull that shit when adapting something like the Lincoln Lawyer but when it comes to the Smurfs, Fat Albert, Mario Brothers, and Masters of the Universe they think it’s ok.

This is exactly why every time Hollywood makes movies based on something from our childhoods we cringe at the thought of it. These filmmakers are truly not fans of the creations they are currently butchering because any person that has ever seen the cartoon even once knows this is a bad idea. Then if setting this thing in New York isn’t bad enough they decided to create a couple new Smurfs for the movie. That’s right I guess the hundred or so Smurfs that appeared in the comic and TV show just weren’t good enough to use and we needed two new ones. All those Smurfs you love will now be joined by Gusty Smurf, a kilt wearing Scottish stereotype voiced by Alan Cumming and Panicky Smurf that as you can guess panics a lot.

Just when I think things can’t get any worse I hit up IMDB and find out that George Lopez is in this thing doing the voice of Grouchy Smurf. Seriously ever time I turn around that no talent kidney stealing womanizer is in another kids movie. When it comes to kids movies would it kill the movie industry to hire an actor that’s not a big piece of shit. And while were on this topic what’s the deal with hiring miss “I run around half naked all the time, singing songs about being probed” Katy Perry to voice the wholesome Smurfette. Maybe director Raja Gosnell has some kind of weird Smurfette fetish.

Overall I think this movie will be horrible and I don’t want to see it at all but that’s not going to stop it from making money. Kids will watch literally anything as long as there is some kind of cartoon element and funny voices and the parents are just glad they can take them to a movie they might actually pay attention to.

I’m giving The Smurfs a Preview Review of 1 Rascals out of 5

Thanksgiving 2010: The Year of Bacon

Sean Brett — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 20:10:34 +0000

It’s that time again, when your mom slaves over a hot stove for hours, your dad kicks back on the couch watching football, and you and the dog are forced to wait outside until dinner time, because neither of you can be trusted around the food.

For the last 389 years the fourth Thursday in November has officially been called Thanksgiving, but everyone has dubbed it Turkey Day. (By the way, whose bright idea was it to make it a Thursday? Come on really, who the heck wants a Thursday off of work only to have to go back on Friday? Not to mention that makes the Friday after Thanksgiving a prized vacation day that leads to all kinds of interoffice battles that can lead to hurt feelings and lost promotions.)

Turkey has had its time in the spot light for far too long. It’s time to change things up, kick it up a notch, crank that mother to 11, and blow the socks off grandma. I propose that this year we make Thanksgiving all about BACON!!! And to keep with the spirit of gluttony that is Thanksgiving we need to give people “bacon over load.”

Here are just a couple ideas off the top of my head of ways to incorporate bacon into every dish.

How to incorporate Bacon:

The Sides:

Corn – if you’re just a plain corn in a bowel kind of family goes ahead and crumbles some nice crispy pepper bacon in there. But if you’re a corn on the cob kind of man then wrap that son of gun in some bacon and throw it on the grill.
Green Beans – Go for the classic bacon and green beans. Wrap some green bean bundles with semi cooked bacon and cook them in the oven. Don’t forget to save the dripping and pour them directly on the beans before serving.
Mashed Potatoes – give your potatoes a kick with some Swiss cheese and crispy bacon chunks. Before serving just stir in the cheese and bacon.
Sweet Potatoes – make your sweet potatoes the same way you always do with the marshmallows, brown sugar, and butter but this time add some nicely fried up maple bacon. It will add a level of savor that you might never recover from.
Bread – how about some bacon bread? All you do is sauté up some red peppers, onions and garlic in some bacon grease then coat your biscuits with the mixture adding bacon bits, melted butter and cheese then pop them in the oven.

Main Course:

Turkey – Wrap the whole thing, inside and out with bacon. Remember to put some under the skin and you will have the moistest bird you ever put in your mouth.
Stuffing – cook it inside the bird like god intended, none of this stove top bull crap. If you have already wrapped the turkey in bacon and put some strips in the cavity then your stuffing should already have a nice bacon flavor to it, but it never hurts to crumble up some more and add it.
Gravy – Now that your bird is done you will have bacon/turkey drippings. Add some white wine, some flour and BOOM; you got yourself some Bacon-Turkey gravy.

Desert:

Pumpkin Pie – There is only one desert that should ever be served on Thanksgiving, pumpkin pie. It’s hard to mess with perfection but I will try. Why not make some candied bacon and put it on top. Just lay your bacon on a cookie sheet and cover everything with brown sugar then pop it in the oven. Be very careful when it comes to candied bacon at just about the time you say “I just checked it, it’s fine.” It will turn into little rashers of burnt fire.

So that’s my way to make bacon the front runner this Thanksgiving. Let us know how you plan to use bacon this holiday season by commenting below.

By Sean Brett

Bacon Craft: The Bacon Magnet Bookmark

Jason Mosley — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:55:26 +0000

Do you remember reading books when they were printed on paper? Yeah me either.

If you still read paper books, then I found the perfect bacon craft for you, the bacon bookmark. It’s really simple to make. All you need is a printer, scissors, and some magnet tape. If you need detailed instructions, head over to the inventors website, Wild Olive, and she will get you up in running in no time. She even has premade designs for you to use!

Now after you have your bookmark you going to need some books to read. Here are two that every bacon lover should have on their reading list.

Bacon: A Love Story – This book is written by Heather Lauer of Bacon Unwrapped. She, like me, is one of the bacon blogging pioneers. Her book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about bacon. It’s the perfect reference book to have handy when your friends start asking you the history of bacon.
BBQ Makes Everything Better – Do you remember the Bacon Explosion? Well this book is written by the creators, Jason Day and Aaron Chronister. I didn’t know a thing about how to barbeque, but then I got this book and now I am expert (or at least I think I am). They walk you thought everything, what you need to get started, how to cook, and how to have fun doing it. This is a must have if you own a grill!

It’s also worth noting that I am featured in both of the books, so you may think I am a little biased. But these really are the best bacon books available right now. Just read the Amazon reviews and you can see for yourself.

FYI: The links above are affiliate links to Amazon.com. That means if you buy the book after clicking those links I get a little bacon spending money.

The Vegan Agenda Part 5: Restaurants without vegan options

Sean Brett — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 18:01:24 +0000

The last page of this magazine is one I find the most telling of what true jerks the Vegan community are. It’s a bunch of tips of what to do when you’re a Vegan eating away from home. Some aren’t bad like ordering tofu or eggless fried rice at a Chinese restaurant, but then it gets rude.

They say if you’re stuck at a behind the times restaurant without a vegan option to ask the chef to cook something special just for you. How about this, if the restaurant doesn’t offer a vegan menu don’t F’n eat there. We don’t live in a third world country where food is scarce. We are in the USA, there is a food available on every corner I’m sure one of them will have steamed broccoli with soy butter, so go there. And suggesting that a restaurant is behind the times because they don’t cater to your life style is exactly what I would expect from a bunch of stuck up hippies.

Let me let you in on a little secret, at the dawn of man we ate raw foods because we didn’t have the mind power or technology to cook it. Then we discovered fire and have been cooking food ever since. That would mean that your Vegan Raw Bar would actually be the one behind on the times by about 1 million years.

When dining at a friend’s home they say to ask if you can bring a vegan dish to share. Then they put in a little remark about how you can use this opportunity to try to brain wash your friends into the vegan cult. When eating at someone else’s home it is polite and generous to bring a dish, as long as you ask to bring it before hand. The problem I have is that the vegan isn’t bringing this to share as a side; he’s bringing it for his whole meal. If you can’t go to someone’s home and politely eat the food they cooked for you then you need to decline the invitation.

One of the last things they talk about is what chain restaurants have veggie alternatives. They list Hard Rock Café, Denny’s, Chili’s, Johnny Rockets, Red Robin (yum), Burger King, and Taco Bell for their selection of veggie burgers and bean burritos. OK now, do they realize that those seven chains are responsible for killing millions of animals every year? But they still say it’s ok to eat there. This is one of the hypocrisies of the vegan/vegetarian life style. If what these places are doing is so morally wrong then why are you giving them money? If it came out tomorrow that PF Changs was really a front for an underage prostitution ring, I wouldn’t eat there anymore, but I guess the Vegans would.

This concludes my journey into the world of Vegans. I learned a lot and confirmed a lot I already knew. If you have anything to add by all means leave a comment. And remember to always Enjoy Bacon.

Read the whole Vegan Agenda here!

By Sean Brett

Pigson: What is this Bacon Bash?

Jason Mosley — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 18:32:15 +0000

So last week I just assumed that Pigson knew about Bacon Bash since he was making bacon sushi but this is not the case. It seems that this week Pigson and Mr. Baconpants meet for the first time. Pigson had no idea there was an event going on all about bacon.

I wonder if pigs even eat bacon or if Pigson is really a pig? He could be an alien that just happens to look like a pig or maybe he and everyone else doesn’t realize what he is. I guess we will find out as this strip continues.

[Read more Pigson comics here]

The Vegan Agenda Part 4: Let Me Soy You Something

Sean Brett — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:45:14 +0000

This PETA magazine is so informative that it will even show you how you can eat good meals without meat. Except that almost every recipe includes some kind of imitation meat.

Could it be that mankind evolved to eat meat and that is why we have such a hunger for it? Even the Vegans can’t deny their cravings and produce products like tofu bacon and imitation chicken nuggets. Shouldn’t they should be happy eating grass and berries?

Let me go out on a limb and create a conspiracy. I’m going to say that PETA has stock in soy farms. They produce countless publications all saying that if you want to live a healthy guilt free life you need to eat soy. Then they promote soy milk, cheeses, and meat substitutes. All so they can bank in on your love of animals.

They say they are against eating meat but then try to disguise their recipes by giving them names like “Sweet and Sour Meatballs” and “Hearty Beef Cassoulet”. Why don’t they just call it what it is instead of feeling the need to trick people? Because if they did that no one would eat it, Hearty Bean Curd Cassoulet anyone?

They can’t even leave pizza alone. There are many pizza topping they could eat like mushrooms, peppers, and olives, but that’s not good enough for them. They want you to use veggie bacon, soy parmesan, and yeast! That’s right yeast. Now I’m no scientist but isn’t yeast a living organism? But for some reason it’s ok to keep this living creature locked in an air tight jar, literally crammed next to millions of their brothers and sisters, then giving them a small taste of freedom by letting them run free on top of your pizza seconds before popping it in the oven baking them alive at temperatures reaching 375 degrees. What monsters!!!

They make soy out to be this magical food from heaven that does nothing but promote healthy living. There are some studies showing that soy is not all it’s cracked up to be. The Food Renegade had a good article about it, you can find it here. Basically soy will give you a higher level of estrogen, destroy your thyroid, and cause digestive problems. Trust me stick with meat, or better yet bacon.

Next week we will wrap up the Vegan Agenda.

By Sean Brett

Pigson: Makin’ Bacon Sushi

Jason Mosley — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 16:25:00 +0000

It’s time for another Pigson comic. I know I said I was going to post these on Saturdays but I forgot this weekend. Its hard to get in to a new habit.

This week Pigson is making his favorite, Bacon Sushi. I guess he heard that Bacon Bash will have it on the menu. He then got so excited he had to make some of his own. I am not sure if Pigson can make it better then the Harris Grill, but I guess he can try. It also looks like he saw that new Karate Kid movie, I will have to ask him what thought about it.

[Read more Pigson comics here]

Bacon & Nacho Cheese Hotdogs from Sheetz

Jason Mosley — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 19:46:04 +0000

You probably heard me talk about them on Bacon LIVE but let me introduce you do the Bacon and Nacho Cheese Hotdogs from Sheetz.

For those of you who don’t know, Sheetz is a gas station that serves the most amazing gas station food ever, they call it MTO (Made to Order). All you do is walk up to a touch screen and build you food from the ground up. They serve hotdogs, subs, sandwiches, French fries, salads, fancy coffee drinks, just to name a few of the items they have. Everything you want can be made to order, you can even do a special requests of they don’t have the option you need on the magic touch screen.

What’s more amazing then the food and the way your order is how fast they get everything done. Everything is made fresh, even the fries. But enough about that, let’s get on with the hotdogs!

One of my favorite things to eat from Sheetz is what I believe is my own invention (I know it’s highly unlikely that I am the only person to think of this but just let me believe that) the Bacon and Nacho Cheese Dog.

On the hotdog is one strip of bacon, mayonnaise, onions, and nacho cheese. I added the onions to give the dog some veggies so the health nuts would get off my case. And the mayonnaise was added to kick it up a notch and counter act the healthiness of the onions (take that health nuts).

Sheetz does a really good job with the bacon. I feel it’s just as good as the McDonald’s bacon that is found on the bacon Angus burger. When Sheetz was making the bacon I watched them cook it and saw they just popped in the microwave for a few seconds. I know I usually hate microwave bacon, but it really does taste better then the stuff I made at home.

If you’re ever driving through PA and see a Sheetz, stop and get yourself a Bacon and Nacho Cheese Hotdog. You will not regret it and be sure to order a cup of their fries too.

The Vegan Agenda Part 2: Milk the Silent Killer

Sean Brett — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:33:05 +0000

Continuing my journey through the Vegan propaganda magazine (read the whole journey), I found a few references to dairy being the cause of osteoporosis. Could this be some new conspiracy where our government and the dairy farmers had lied to us for decades telling us to drink milk so our bones will be strong, only to have that very milk be the cause of the weakening of our skeletal system? All in an attempt to make money and one day easily concur and enslave us in our weaken state. Or could it be possible that once again someone is twisting the data to push their life style on you?

I know most people believe anything they read, especially if it’s in the form of a fake newspaper. Then they go on about it in length at family functions and the work place without taking ten seconds to look any information up about it.

I took those ten seconds and found a website that explains the debate and even sites the research. PETA claims milk causes calcium to be leached from the bones because milk containing protein acidifies your body and your blood pulls bases like calcium out of your bones and teeth to stabilize the acid/base content of your blood. The problem is that milk is not just protein it is also fats and carbohydrates and also eating anything with your morning milk like cereal or fruit would take care of evening out the acid/base ratio.

Another claim is that in the United States milk is consumed at higher rates and we also have higher rates of osteoporosis and countries like Mexico have low consumption of milk and have lower levels of osteoporosis. So that proves it right? Wrong.

There are many differences between the United States and Mexico that could be linked to osteoporosis like genetic inheritance, people closer to the equator get more vitamin D from sunlight, and the Mexican people are more active when it comes to work and play. (You might work in an office building sitting in front of a computer all day then go home and watch TV while in Mexico they don’t have our luxuries so they have to work labor intensive jobs and instead of video games they play soccer.)

I’m sure all this information that shows other possible reasons for osteoporosis was just left out of this magazine by error. PETA would never intentionally try to mislead you.

This s*** rag of a magazine also claims that eating a non-meat diet is just as healthy if not healthier than one including meat. If that’s true, then why does every vegetarian I know take supplements?

One of the articles entitled “What About Protein, Iron, and Vitamin B12?” states that Vegans get all of their needed iron and proteins from soy, nuts, and beans. What about B12? They say that 50 years ago people got their B12 from the bacteria found in water and on fruits and vegetables. As a society we decided it would be better to drink clean water and not eat bacteria covered produce, so we started filtering water and washing tomatoes. So where is one to get their B12 now? You guessed it, meat or supplements. They recommend multivitamins saying they have ample amounts of B12 and claim that B12 in pill form is better, because it will be better absorbed then the B12 from meat.

So after all this talk about this wonderful healthy organic life style it turns out you don’t get all the vitamins you need and you feel it’s ok to replace them with a pill created in a lab. That’s getting back to nature.

Speaking of nature, tune in next week for “Farmers from Hell”.

Pigson: What! You didn’t watch the World Cup?

Jason Mosley — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 14:14:17 +0000

Who is Pigson?

Pigson is a web comic created by Carlos “Charlie” Robles. He is currently 26 years old and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

The story follows the life of a pig by the name of Pigson. Will Mr. Baconpants eat him one day or will they be friends forever. I guess you are going to have to wait and find out.

I plan to post more of these every Saturday when Charlie has time to make them. This first one is about the end of the World Cup. It seems that Pigson actually watched it in South Africa and is excited that it will be in Brazil next year.

Next time I see Pigson I will have to ask him to give me a recap of what I missed. After the US lost, I tuned out for the rest of the tournament.

The Vegan Agenda Part 1: Celebrities are so smrt… ur smart.

Sean Brett — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 17:01:32 +0000

I was down in our nation’s capital (That’s Washington D.C. for those of you that went to public school.) When I was walking down the street, about 3 blocks away from the White House I came across an interesting looking news paper stand. We have all seen these; they’re the big plastic ones that say free on the side and mostly contain house listings. This one was different it had a bunch of pictures of celebrities and I saw in big letters it said recipes inside. I figured I’d check it out since I’m always down for trying new recipes.

As I raised the small news paper to my face the first thing I noticed was Tobey Magurie’s smiling face, the second was big lettering that said, “Go Vegetarian Go Vegan!” Normally I would just throw this away in the nearest sewer drain but I decided to check it out. It’s always a good idea to see other points of view even if you don’t agree with them.

I turned to the first page of this PETA sponsored Vegan Starter Kit and instantly knew I made a mistake. The first two pages were covered with smiling celebrities and quotes’ proving that once again all you need to make it in show business is looks. Here are some of the gems that stuck out.

Sir Paul McCartney: Says “chickens are as intelligent as dogs, cats, and some primates”

I have personally have never seen any of these smart chickens but if they’re as smart as dogs, cats, and monkeys then that must mean they also play, throw and eat their own poop. That must also mean that if we can prove an animal is dumber then a dog it would be ok to eat them.

Constance Marie: (yea I never heard of her either.) Held a chicken once during the filming of “Selena” and it was at that point in her live that she realized for the first time that animals are alive and where chicken nuggets come from.

Carrie Underwood: Says killing animals for meat just makes her sad. I guess we’ll just have to kill them for sport and the sheer fun of it.

Pam Anderson: Says chickens, pigs and other animals are interesting individuals with personality and intelligence. She’s right, have you ever talked to a pig? They are down right charming and would be the life of the party at any social gathering. Especially when they do that trick were they roll in their own feces

I read through all 22 pages of this garbage and found some interesting recurring themes. They like to mention over and over again that Vegans are in perfect health and meat-eaters are over weight. I found 20 different comments saying this, but what I want to know is, if Vegetarians and Vegans are all the perfect body weight then what the hell are Alec Baldwin and Forest Whitaker doing in this magazine? If you believe that Alec Baldwin doesn’t eat cheeseburgers you probably also believe that milks CAUSES osteoporosis. Oh wait… I’m sorry, they claim that too.