Bacon Freak

Well by now, you know I am a fan of bacon and that I always consider how can I add bacon to dishes that I already like? I will be honest and admit that they usually turn out better then I had hoped or expected. This past weekend I decided to cook chili, well bacon chili that is and it turned out great. Here is how I did it:

Here is what you need to serve 6, the video below was for 80 people, that shows you how confident that I am that bacon will make any dish taste better.

Ingredients
• slices of Bacon Freak (Bourbon Street Cajun Bacon) chopped into small bits
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) pinto beans, drained
• 1 can (8 oz.) of black beans
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• At least 2 tablespoons of chili powder (season to taste)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika
• 3/4 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 ounces of olive oil
• Sour cream, green onions and cheddar cheese for topping

Preparation for bacon good Bacon Chili

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the cajun bacon, until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon and dice. Add olive oil followed by the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 7 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium and add ground beef and break it up and stir until it loses its red color. Now add in all the spices and garlic. Add the chopped bacon followed by the tomatoes and sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover partially.
3. Add beans and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring to ensure the sauce doesn’t burn. Add additional salt and chili powder to taste.
4. Serve warm, with toppings on the side.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

Recently, I had lunch with the founder of Bacontoday.com. Of course we choose to eat at a place in which we could surely please our carnivore habit. We spent several hours together talking about how we could rule the world with our knowledge of bacon. In the end we decided that we were a couple of Bacon Freaks and we both share a passion for gourmet bacon.

I want to spend some time introducing him to you, so I asked Mr B. several questions. The first was Mr. B. what is Bacon Today all about and how did you get the idea? He told me that Bacon Today is a daily internet publication that strives to both entertain and educate people about bacon. “It’s quite amazing to see peoples’ reactions and hear their suggestions when you speak with them about bacon,” says Bacon Today spokesman Corey James. From bacon wallets to bacon cinnamon rolls, there seems to be an endless supply of bacon-related stories to read about on BaconToday.com.

Next, I asked him, who is Mr. B? He told me that it’s been said about others, Mr. B. truly is the original enigma wrapped in bacon. He doesn’t like publicity, shys away from interviews, and entrusts a couple key people to write and communicate to the media on his behalf.

This is actually the first time he’s allowed us to elaborate at all on his life story, so we’re pretty honored to share some information with you. Mr. B. is a lover of all things bacon, plain & simple. Since he was a young boy, Mr. B. realized the joy that the mere mention of bacon could bring to a person’s life. He knew early on that it was his destiny to spread the word of bacon to the masses. For his entire life he did so by traveling the world and speaking directly to people without fanfare of any kind. That all changed in June 2008 when Mr. B.’s advisors finally convinced him to take his message to the internet and Bacon Today was born.

I then asked him, what’s next for Bacon Today? Mr B. told me the expansion of the site past the blog concept. We’ll be creating a more traditional news structure while keeping the social aspects of the site active. We need to make it easier for fans of bacon to find the high-quality articles we write on a daily basis. In addition, we’re consistently introducing new authors with fresh ideas. Recipes have been a big hit so far so we’ll be tapping into Mr. B.’s list of favorite restaurants to explore more interesting and elaborate bacon creations which we can share with the world. Overall, we will continue writing the best original bacon articles we can and travel the world in search of new uses of bacon and interesting products dedicated to bacon.

As always when we interview a bacon fan, we want to know what type of bacon, they love the most, Mr. B. tells me that he prefers his bacon extra thick with just the right marble, and either applewood or maple smoked with no pepper. How he cooks his bacon varies greatly depending on the season, time of day, and whether the bacon is a side dish or the main course. Mr. B. has special techniques for frying, baking, and even grilling his bacon that we’ll be sharing with you in the coming months on BaconToday.com.

Lastly we asked him, what is the most popular bacon-related item you’ve seen and/or made? He replied that bacon dessert foods are definitely the talk of the town. We’ve made both Mr. B.’s bacon sugar cookies and his bacon cinnamon rolls and they definitely created a buzz around the bacon community.

It was nice getting to know you Mr. B. and thank him for this exclusive interview. Additionally we provided Mr. B. with several of our gourmet bacons featured in the Bacon Freak Bacon is Meat Candy Bacon Club, we are anxiously awaiting his reviews.

If you would like to listen to a recording of this article click here bacontoday

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

Baconfreak.com

• Eating Bacon!!! #

A few weeks back, I spent a fun filled day in Morro Bay which is a beautiful beach town that is known for the famous rock that shoots up over 500 feet in the air. It is a spectacular rock that is a sanctuary to all kinds of birds and wildlife. It is certainly the most visible land mark on the coast line. On the drive back to Paso Robles, I wanted to stop by and visit one of the wineries that have been featured in the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club for over 5 years.

Harmony Cellars is just north of Morro Bay by a few miles. It is tucked up in the quite town of Harmony located just off Highway 1. The first thing of interest is if you blink you will miss the town as it only has a population of 18.

This winery provides a picturesque view of the countryside. When Chuck and Kim Mulligan built the winery, they did it to reflect the serene atmosphere of Harmony. Currently the winery and tasting room is being currently remodeled. None the less this winery is one of the best choices for a picnic. My wife and I brought lunch with us from the Flying Dutchman Restaurant and ate it just chit chatting and talking looking at the countryside.

Since we virtually offer all their wines through the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club, I sampled a few wines. The first was the 2006 Merlot, which is one of their newest releases! This wine shows a dark color and has aromas of plum and cherry. It has soft velvety tannins that balance the fruit flavors. I also tasted one of their dessert wines called Quartet. This wine is light and fruity. It is a blend of white zinfandel, white riesling and muscat canelli. It paired very well with some blueberry covered chocolates from Gils Gourmet. – The wine and chocolates was a treat!

Harmony Cellars was founded in 1989 and over the past decade has grown to produce up to 5,500 cases annually. As a boutique winery Chuck is the winemaker and makes the wine and his wife Kim runs the office and tasting room. Like I said before this is a small town and if you blinked you could miss it. Make sure to visit this winery. The wines and views are worth the trip!

If you would like to listen to this article please click here harmony_cellars_audio

Cheers!
Rocco Loosbrock
www.cvwine.com