Totally given up on bacon

[227bhp]

I'm not really missing it either.
I did enjoy it now and again, mainly at the weekend, but was becoming more and more concerned and annoyed by the foul stuff that comes out of it when cooked. The final straw was when I had to pause part way through frying some, lift it dripping out of the pan and pour the water down the sink That and the white stuff that forms on top.
Whether it would be any better at a farm shop or not I don't know, I don't have time to shop anywhere else but the Supermarket.

Decent quality Sausages at the weekend from now on.

[HorneyMX5]

Cheap water filled bacon, nasty stuff.

Proper butchers bacon is awesome.

[Fastchas]

Get dry cured thick cut.

[Eversleigh]

Dry cured vs. brine (wet) cured is night and day with Bacon. Don't you give up on it just yet, it's worth buying the good stuff.

[bigandclever]

227bhp said:

I don't have time to shop anywhere else but the Supermarket.

And yet you seem to have access to the internet, loads of places do proper bacon delivery

[Bill]

You're replacing bacon with sausages because of the crap in cheap bacon?

[Johnnytheboy]

Funnily enough, I can take or leave bacon, even though I'm a big meat eater.

It's part of that group of foods (also coffee, onions) that smell far better than they taste.

[227bhp]

bigandclever said:

227bhp said:

I don't have time to shop anywhere else but the Supermarket.

And yet you seem to have access to the internet, loads of places do proper bacon delivery

I've never heard of dry bacon delivery online. There are cost implications too, although it has to be said, we're being conned there aswell. It looks like you're getting more for your money with water injected muck, but when it's dried out there isn't much left.

Anyhow bugger off, I'm enjoying my Toulouse.

Edited by 227bhp on Tuesday 30th August 10:15

[dapprman]

HorneyMX5 said:

Cheap water filled bacon, nasty stuff.

Proper butchers bacon is awesome.

Except most the butchers I've tried use the same (probably due to local farms) brine cured cr*p, so also produce water and the white foam. There are some commercial dry cures that are fine - onyl one I can think of at present is the Heston sub-brand from Waitrose, but there are more.

[brrapp]

If you are able to happily give up bacon, why not simply give up on crap bacon and give yourself a treat every now and again with really good stuff straight from a local producer.
I've done the same with all meat, coffee and alcohol, I eat a vegetarian low toxin diet most of the time and only break the diet for very good quality stuff (fresh ground coffee, organic aged beef, dry cured bacon , single malts, real ale etc.) That way I get the health benefits of a low tox diet , but really enjoy my 'treats' when I do have them. It's reawakened my love for food and drink.

[227bhp]

dapprman said:

HorneyMX5 said:

Cheap water filled bacon, nasty stuff.

Proper butchers bacon is awesome.

Except most the butchers I've tried use the same (probably due to local farms) brine cured cr*p, so also produce water and the white foam. There are some commercial dry cures that are fine - onyl one I can think of at present is the Heston sub-brand from Waitrose, but there are more.

This is it, i'm tending to think the practice is more rife than we realise.

[PugwasHDJ80]

brrapp said:

If you are able to happily give up bacon, why not simply give up on crap bacon and give yourself a treat every now and again with really good stuff straight from a local producer.
I've done the same with all meat, coffee and alcohol, I eat a vegetarian low toxin diet most of the time and only break the diet for very good quality stuff (fresh ground coffee, organic aged beef, dry cured bacon , single malts, real ale etc.) That way I get the health benefits of a low tox diet , but really enjoy my 'treats' when I do have them. It's reawakened my love for food and drink.

This is ezxactly what i'm trying to do and really applaud you

when a chicken can be bought for less than a pint of beer you know something is wrong in the production chain somewhere.

We are trying to eat much better meat but once a week as a treat- its no more expensive, but much much tastier!

[brrapp]

dapprman said:

HorneyMX5 said:

Cheap water filled bacon, nasty stuff.

Proper butchers bacon is awesome.

Except most the butchers I've tried use the same (probably due to local farms) brine cured cr*p, so also produce water and the white foam. There are some commercial dry cures that are fine - onyl one I can think of at present is the Heston sub-brand from Waitrose, but there are more.

We've got some great butchers around here, small market town surrounded by farming, 6 real butchers shops to support a population of less than 15000, but most of the bacon is crap. I have to go an extra 10 miles to the next town to get genuine local bacon. The butchers shops all pride themselves on the quality of their beef, lamb, game etc but simply don't have the facilities (or inclination) to cure their own bacon and therefore all buy it in from the same wholesaler. I've questioned my favourite (beef ) butcher on this and he says it isn't for want of trying, simply that most customers, although happy to pay £25 for a Kilo of fillet steak, won't pay any more than supermarket prices for bacon.

[brrapp]

PugwasHDJ80 said:

brrapp said:

If you are able to happily give up bacon, why not simply give up on crap bacon and give yourself a treat every now and again with really good stuff straight from a local producer.
I've done the same with all meat, coffee and alcohol, I eat a vegetarian low toxin diet most of the time and only break the diet for very good quality stuff (fresh ground coffee, organic aged beef, dry cured bacon , single malts, real ale etc.) That way I get the health benefits of a low tox diet , but really enjoy my 'treats' when I do have them. It's reawakened my love for food and drink.

This is ezxactly what i'm trying to do and really applaud you

when a chicken can be bought for less than a pint of beer you know something is wrong in the production chain somewhere.

We are trying to eat much better meat but once a week as a treat- its no more expensive, but much much tastier!

Yes, if I've got a recipe which I would have used cheap supermarket chicken in previously (Fajitas, curries etc) I use Quorn instead, save the good chicken recipes for the odd occasion when we eat one of our own free range chickens from the garden.

[227bhp]

PugwasHDJ80 said:

brrapp said:

If you are able to happily give up bacon, why not simply give up on crap bacon and give yourself a treat every now and again with really good stuff straight from a local producer.
I've done the same with all meat, coffee and alcohol, I eat a vegetarian low toxin diet most of the time and only break the diet for very good quality stuff (fresh ground coffee, organic aged beef, dry cured bacon , single malts, real ale etc.) That way I get the health benefits of a low tox diet , but really enjoy my 'treats' when I do have them. It's reawakened my love for food and drink.

This is ezxactly what i'm trying to do and really applaud you

when a chicken can be bought for less than a pint of beer you know something is wrong in the production chain somewhere.

We are trying to eat much better meat but once a week as a treat- its no more expensive, but much much tastier!

It's supply and demand which brings the price differential, what % of the population eat chicken compared to drinking a pint at a pub? If everyone went to the pub for a beer every night (as was more popular years ago) it would go down in price.
Some things are easy to give up on, for me bacon is one. I did stop putting butter/marge whatever, on my sandwiches once (in a vain attempt at eating slightly healthier) and haven't looked back, it was easy.
Stopping having a drink on an evening? No chance!

I put lots of flavour on my cooking as I don't think my tastebuds are very sensitive and I do like very flavoursome food. I couldn't tell one chicken from another once it's been doused in garlic, herbs and roasted.
I do wonder how many could (in a blind test) I bet a lot couldn't.

Edited by 227bhp on Tuesday 30th August 10:45

[Bradgate]

You're buying the wrong bacon.

Try your local farmers' market. There, you will be able to buy the proper stuff straight from the producer. Of course it will be more expensive than the bog-standard supermarket stuff, but it's actually better value, as you're buying meat, not brine.

[Turbodiesel1976]

To give up on bacon is to give up on life itself

[V8mate]

Bill said:

You're replacing bacon with sausages because of the crap in cheap bacon?

Exactly!

Sausages, whilst delicious and certainly a part of my 'diet', are truly the devil's work when it comes to clean eating. A bigger threat to humanity than zombies and ISIS, I'd wager.

[Smollet]

Quality of bacon is all important. Why drive a Tata if you can afford a Ferrari.

[Dogwatch]

Co-op dry cured is pretty good IMHO. As is a lot of their stuff if you compare labels against 'top' brands.

Or should I be in the Council thread?