Obama says no to bacon, bans pork

[Rotobeast]

(10-13-2015, 03:26 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: See, this is why I can't wait to get a house and a smoker. I'm going to be making my own sausages and whatnot. I will control what goes into it.

I can tell you that our quality control is pretty epic.
We throw away probably 3-4000 lbs of product per day, just for falling on the floor.
It goes out to be used for soap and the like.
I don't even think it gets used for dog food.
And since it will get asked, I work for Oscar Mayer and my plant makes around 96% of all the companies bacon.

[Belsnickel]

(10-13-2015, 03:31 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: I can tell you that our quality control is pretty epic.
We throw away probably 3-4000 lbs of product per day, just for falling on the floor.
It goes out to be used for soap and the like.
I don't even think it gets used for dog food.
And since it will get asked, I work for Oscar Mayer and my plant makes around 96% of all the companies bacon.

QC/QA on bacon is different than it is for sausages (and sausage like products) though. Even the stuff that is 100% allowable in a lot of mass produced sausage is questionable, IMO.

If I had my druthers, though, I'd probably raise a few pigs of my own. From sow to skillet.

[Vas Deferens]

(10-13-2015, 03:31 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: I can tell you that our quality control is pretty epic.
We throw away probably 3-4000 lbs of product per day, just for falling on the floor.
It goes out to be used for soap and the like.
I don't even think it gets used for dog food.
And since it will get asked, I work for Oscar Mayer and my plant makes around 96% of all the companies bacon.

I don't know if you actually buy bacon at the store or just pick some of that off the ground, but lets assume you do purchase it just like the rest of us dumb shlubs.  Aside from the obvious stuff, center cut / thick slices, etc; is there anything you look for in terms of where the fat lies / marbling or any preservatives / ingredients you avoid?

I'll just be sitting here smashing F5 eagerly anticipating your response.  Thank you.

[*bfine32*]

(10-13-2015, 12:34 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: If anyone has any bacon questions feel free to lay em on me...lol

Do Canadians call our bacon American Bacon?

Also isn't Canadian bacon just ham?

[Belsnickel]

(10-13-2015, 04:36 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Also isn't Canadian bacon just ham?

I can answer that one, no. It's actually back bacon and comes from the loin.

[Rotobeast]

(10-13-2015, 03:45 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: I don't know if you actually buy bacon at the store or just pick some of that off the ground, but lets assume you do purchase it just like the rest of us dumb shlubs.  Aside from the obvious stuff, center cut / thick slices, etc; is there anything you look for in terms of where the fat lies / marbling or any preservatives / ingredients you avoid?

I'll just be sitting here smashing F5 eagerly anticipating your response.  Thank you.

It depends on what cooking I'm doing.
If I want it just for bacon in it's own right, I look for the smaller (shorter in height of slice) bacon.
The smaller the belly, the less fat it contains, as it is younger.
The "taller" slices tend to be so because of extra fat content.
You can also look for a package that has a "V" line on top of the surface lean.
It shows you that it is the beginning of the pork belly and is where the CT muscle begins.

Now, if you want to wrap filets, go for the big fatty slices.
The larger slices with more fat holds more flavor and is optimal as a cooking ingredient.

I don't avoid any ingredients, but I do feel a bit concerned about some of the phosphates and nitrites.
We have a new Oscar Mayer Selects product that I really like.
It is uncured.
I'm also a big fan of our Butcher Thick Cut that is Applewood smoked.

Oh, always look at the back of the package.
There is a "window" to look at the representative slice.
It is usually a fair indicator as to how much fat is in the draft.
 

[Benton]

(10-13-2015, 04:47 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: I can answer that one, no. It's actually back bacon and comes from the loin.

Like Cecil the loin?

I'm surprised more Canadians aren't upset their "bacon" is actually lion.

[Mike M (the other one)]

(10-13-2015, 05:22 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: I'm also a big fan of our Butcher Thick Cut that is Applewood smoked.
 

Oh man, that is some good stuff right there.

[*Nately120*]

(10-13-2015, 02:21 PM)Benton Wrote: We have a bacon manufacturer here (and country hams, city hams, etc). I met this girl once and she smelled like bacon. She had just gotten off work from the place. We started talking and I asked her out. When we went out, I was so disappointed, she smelled like vanilla or some other fruit chick smell. I was expecting her to smell like bacon. The night ended with me — alone — in the grocery aisle all misty eyed thinking of what could've been.

I had a gf who worked at pizza hut and she'd come out of there smelling like delicious grease and I'd tell her she smelled like the most delicious, fatty thing on earth.  She wasn't entirely insulted.

[Belsnickel]

(10-13-2015, 05:22 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: I don't avoid any ingredients, but I do feel a bit concerned about some of the phosphates and nitrites.
We have a new Oscar Mayer Selects product that I really like.
It is uncured.
I'm also a big fan of our Butcher Thick Cut that is Applewood smoked.
 

Yeah, this is my issue. I prefer to just get a slab of side meat from someone and cut off some slices instead of going with the cured pork belly. But I do like it smoked.

[Rotobeast]

(10-13-2015, 05:40 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: Yeah, this is my issue. I prefer to just get a slab of side meat from someone and cut off some slices instead of going with the cured pork belly. But I do like it smoked.

I'd wager you'd dig the uncured Selects.

[Vas Deferens]

(10-13-2015, 05:22 PM)Rotobeast Wrote: It depends on what cooking I'm doing.
If I want it just for bacon in it's own right, I look for the smaller (shorter in height of slice) bacon.
The smaller the belly, the less fat it contains, as it is younger.
The "taller" slices tend to be so because of extra fat content.
You can also look for a package that has a "V" line on top of the surface lean.
It shows you that it is the beginning of the pork belly and is where the CT muscle begins.

Now, if you want to wrap filets, go for the big fatty slices.
The larger slices with more fat holds more flavor and is optimal as a cooking ingredient.

I don't avoid any ingredients, but I do feel a bit concerned about some of the phosphates and nitrites.
We have a new Oscar Mayer Selects product that I really like.
It is uncured.
I'm also a big fan of our Butcher Thick Cut that is Applewood smoked.

Oh, always look at the back of the package.
There is a "window" to look at the representative slice.
It is usually a fair indicator as to how much fat is in the draft.
 

Now this is the kind of advice I was looking for.  THANKS MAN.

Once again proving that I can get a good look at a T-Bone by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butcher's word for it.

[Rotobeast]

(10-13-2015, 08:42 PM)Vas Deferens Wrote: Now this is the kind of advice I was looking for.  THANKS MAN.

Once again proving that I can get a good look at a T-Bone by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take the butcher's word for it.

No problem, Homie !
Anytime !

[BengalHawk62]

My mouth is watering just reading this thread.

[fredtoast]

(10-13-2015, 03:06 PM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: I worked in the local packing house during my summer months in college.  That room ruined me on hot dogs,

When I was thirteen I worked at a "packing house" in Thailand.

That experience also ruined me on hot dogs.

[fredtoast]

(10-14-2015, 11:59 AM)fredtoast Wrote: When I was thirteen I worked at a "packing house" in Thailand.

That experience also ruined me on hot dogs.

(10-14-2015, 12:10 AM)BengalHawk62 Wrote: My mouth is watering just reading this thread.

You're welcome.

[fredtoast]

(10-13-2015, 03:40 PM)Belsnickel Wrote: If I had my druthers, though, I'd probably raise a few pigs of my own. From sow to skillet.

My parents never raised a hog, but I have helped slaughter and process one.  They grow their own beef, but they always paid someone to butcher and process the steer.  But they would buy a hog to split with my uncle, and we would butcher it ourselves.  My aunt would even render out the lard to use in cooking.

My parents were raised eating mostly pork because they did not have any electricity or refrigeration when they were young.  They waited until the weather was cold to kill the hog and then cured it in salt and sugar.  They ate a lot of pork through the winter while the meat would keep.  Then during the summer they ate mostly vegetables that they grew.

We would cure the ham just by packing it in salt, sugar, and spices and leaving it out in the garage.  My parents bought some sort mix that had everything they liked in it. 

One time they killed a young cow that had broken its leg.  The slaughter house they used had a rule against taking "down cattle".  So we killed, gutted, and skinned it ourselves.  Then one of my cousins ground it all into hamburger for us. This was in the summer so the cow had been out grazing in the mountains for months.  Its meat would have been tough from all that walking and climbing.  My parents let me have a couple of big roasts to make corned beef.  It was a total disaster.  I am pretty sure I followed the proper directions for the brine, but the meat turned out way too salty to eat.  I even soaked chunks of it in water to try and get out the salt, but nothing worked.

[*PhilHos*]

(10-14-2015, 12:24 PM)fredtoast Wrote: My parents never raised a hog, 

They raised you ...










































I'm sorry, fred, I don't mean it; I just couldn't resist.

[Rotobeast]

(10-14-2015, 12:33 PM)PhilHos Wrote: They raised you ...










































I'm sorry, fred, I don't mean it; I just couldn't resist.

I'm flashing back to Benton.........

They reared Fred and the hog.

[*michaelsean*]

(10-13-2015, 02:21 PM)Benton Wrote: We have a bacon manufacturer here (and country hams, city hams, etc). I met this girl once and she smelled like bacon. She had just gotten off work from the place. We started talking and I asked her out. When we went out, I was so disappointed, she smelled like vanilla or some other fruit chick smell. I was expecting her to smell like bacon. The night ended with me — alone — in the grocery aisle all misty eyed thinking of what could've been.

Feed the prisoners country hams.  Foulest things on the planet.  I'm convinced it's what they do with pigs they find dead and decaying.