Benton's Hickory Smoked Bacon

Bacon. The mere mention of the word brings forth a rush of memories from my childhood. When we went to my grandmother’s house on Sunday, it was always mass in the morning and then a full sized breakfast. The menu was fairly basic, with fluffy pancakes, bacon, eggs and toast, with plenty of ice cold milk and orange juice to boot.

My grandmother would fry up the bacon in her trusty cast iron skillet, followed by the eggs. She used to cook them in the bacon grease, carefully flipping hot grease on top of the egg. I shutter and delight at these family memories, fearful for the clogging effect, delighted by the gentle grin on my face as I type these words.

I’ve never been a bacon connoisseur, nor sought out artisinal bacon. I fear it would take over, with a mad desire to try all that could be found in the quest for that perfect bite of crisp, sweet and salty. After attending PRIMAL, the hunger took over. Think vampire craving. You know you want the bacon, but you know it isn’t good for you. With a slight hesitation, you give in and then the damn bursts and it is on in full, the unabashed consumption to fill a craving that has no end. I put Benton’s Bacon (along with some others) on my wish list and behold, my Mrs. Clause came through with 4 lbs of heavenly pork delight.

The first pound and a half was sacrificed on Christmas morning. The pieces were cooked from medium to crispy, something I’ll have to keep under control the next go ’round. With the oven on a warming 170 degrees, the bacon did get a tad more cooked than the family preferred (except me, I love it crispy and crunchy), but it was still scrumdeliumptious.

The quality of the bacon could be seen in how they didn’t shrink by 50% like the typical grocery store fare. It was thick, meaty and very smoky. If you don’t care for hickory, you are sticking your snout in the wrong trough. Only those with a penchant for well smoked meats should order. I loved the taste and while everyone else gave up after a few pieces, I kept on digging in. This is some rich, stomach filling delight. Next time, I’ll definitely get some ripe tomatoes, crisp romaine lettuce and hearty bread to make BLTs with this.

Bacon lovers, do yourself a favor and order the 4 lbs. It will cost you just over $30, which is a bargain for such porky delights. Imagine all the gastro delights you can make with this. Wrap it around scallops or filet. Make BLTs or throw it onto a cheeseburger. Eat it with your morning biscuits and wave good-bye to the golden arches. Just do yourself a favor and order some, if not for yourself, then the pork lover in your life. They will thank you the world over.

Haiku
Crispy pig belly
Salty hickory delight
Gastro ecstasy

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