I love almost anything bacon wrapped, steak medallions, scallops, shrimp just to name a few. I've had mixed success, trying various methods and could use some advice from the more experienced here ( please & thank you). For wrapping, I slice the bacon thinner. I've tried par cooking or not. Love to hear what you guys (& gals) like to wrap & your methods
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
The problem with me & bacon is that it tastes like breakfast food to me. It's not that I don't like it, I do, but I'm definitely not obsessed with it at all. Every time I put bacon on something it just tastes like I'm breakfastizing up my food. I don't know, I guess I'm crazy like that. To me, bacon is like popcorn. I'll eat it if it's there, but I could never have it again and be just fine.
My issue with adding bacon to anything is that it is such a bold flavour that it takes over and people think they are such gourmet genius' for making something taste good by wrapping it in bacon. There is no skill, it can be very delicious, but it is swimming in the extreme shallow end of the culinary creativity pool.
If added sparingly and used to deliberately complement another flavour then that's great, I just laugh at the people who think they are so awesome by adding bacon to everything.
Last edited by bbqoaf; February 10, 2015, 12:19 PM.
@bbqoaf right I agree it is bold and it makes everything I put it on taste like bacon, which to me is not that awesome as it is for some. I'm a cheese guy. I joke with my wife and tell her I'd put shredded cheese in my cereal if it were socially acceptable (I wouldn't, but I do love cheese).
Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt 40.2" 1200W Electric Smoker
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:​​​​​​
Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
Fireboard 1st Generation
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
2 Maverick 733
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
Bacon is such a special thing, I could talk about it all day, I cure and smoke my own which has made me a bit of a snob for the store bought variety, but I have noticed more artisanal bacon showing up in our local markets and it is commanding a high price. I smoke five bellies at a time so I can fill my freezer.
John Torode, a celebrity chef from Australia has a recipe that I I have tried that sounds odd but it outstanding, he makes a pouch in the side of a filet mignon and stuffs it with an oyster then wraps a piece of bacon around it and cooks it in a smoking hot cast iron pan, to cook the bacon properly just keep rotating them along the sides of the cast iron pan. I shuck an extra oyster for each filet I cook and when the steaks are almost done I add whole butter to the pan along with the extra oysters and serve each filet topped with an oyster and drizzled with the accumulated juices from the pan, finishing it with kosher salt fresh cracked pepper and some chopped parsley. I hade a picture of the finished dish but cannot seem to find it right now. If you don't like oysters just experiment with other fillings.
The one thing that I will use store bought bacon for is stuffed Jalapeno poppers. I slice the peppers in half lengthwise , remove the seeds, fill with cream cheese then roll a half slice of bacon around it. I cook them indirectly on a kettle grill then finish over the coals to crisp up the bottoms.
Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About meReal name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:
Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
Maybe once a year. I like it to be the kind with bacon, onion rings, cheddar cheese, and BBQ sauce, "cowboy burger" they're sometimes called at different places. Ruby Tuesday makes a good one.
When I make my own bacon, I often will do a more savory batch and use that to wrap foods that benefit from a crispy piece of pork goodness. I have used ideas from "Charcuterie - The Craft of Salting, Smoking and Curing" by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn. I highly recommend the work. For a more savory bacon, I use smashed garlic, bay and cracked black pepper added to a basic dry cure. I slice it thin. I find this savory cure better for wrapping some foods.
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
Bacon wrapped baby back ribs from the Anthracite Cafe, in Wilkes-Barre PA. The bacon is maple cured, the bbq sauce is maple based. The bacon is done, but chewy and thick, making it more like pork belly. It goes really well with the pork. this is an example of two excellent things combining to be spectacular.
If you are going to wrap something that has a short cook time like shrimp or scallops I recommend par-cooking the bacon before wrapping. This can be a simple as putting it on a cookie sheet and baking it at 350 for 10-15 minutes. It will still be pliable at this point and thus will be easy to work with but it will also be pleasantly cooked after the whole process is finished.
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