When Pigs Fly Part II: American Bacon Makes It

Almost three weeks ago, I sent a package of artisinal quality bacon overseas in an uninsulated box.  The shipping company advised me to go for "fast" shipping versus "bulky styrofoam that won't hold temp past 36 hours."  I was assured it would arrive on Thursday at its destination: Friuli, in the far Northeast of Italy.


When the recipient sent word a week later that it hadn't arrived,
I began to lose confidence that it would arrive intact.  I had been required to check a box on the customs form that said "Destroy if Undeliverable."


But then, after almost two weeks had elapsed, I got the good word from my friend Jeremy that the pig had landed.  He immediately cooked some up for dinner with his wife.  As I have said before, he is a man of precise opinions, so I was relieved to see that he enjoyed it.  He provided these details of the experience:

"Out of the box: Smokey. Examining the packages, with a slight bit of concern considering they arrived 10 days late, there were no signs of spoilage; swelling of the packaging, mold, off smells, etc.. So I went for it."

I have to interject my assertion that it is exactly the high salt content (real sodium chloride) that made the two-week trip possible.

"Before I go off, in the last four years, I have been stuck eating Oscar Mayer Bacon, with no other option for smoked pork belly. The Italian equivalent to bacon is normally rolled into a long fat tube, coated in crushed black pepper and clove and, of course salt, and dry cured. It is typically cured for a longer time than our bacon and is never smoked. In Friuli, where I live, it is often eaten raw on a salumi plate with prosciutto and sopressa. It is also used to flavor green vegetables, in some tomato sauces, and, of course, Spaghetti al Carbonara, but that's a Roman dish that rarely shows up around here.

"In the pan: Used my 12 inch Lodge skillet. Nothing says America like Lodge and bacon. In my experience, Bacon sits in the pan, sputters, kicks off a tiny bit of fat, then leaks water like mad, then, when that cooks off, you can work with it. Make it chewy, or crispy, or burnt. The reason is that my buddy Oscar treats his bacon with Nitrates, etc.. and gets it into the bag as quickly as he can to keep the water in the bacon. Water is free, but they can charge you the price of bacon for it....

"Benton's bacon came out of the package, firm, smokey, and with a higher than normal percentage of meat to fat. I favor my bacon thick and chewy, preferring undercooked and flabby to crispy; while questing for that perfect chew.

"My strategy for this was to cook on a low temperature, and flip often (though the oven is always the best way to cook bacon). The whole house smelled of deep, long hardwood smoke within moments. The fat slowly turned from white to opaque then melted, with no aqueous sputter. But, the crisp took me by surprise. The bacon went from not-quite there to overly crisp very quickly. I learned my lesson for the second batch and all went well.

"On the plate: We had breakfast for dinner to try this special hog. That was my mistake. This bacon isn't really suited to a plate of eggs and hash browns. It needs bolder players. The bacon we ate by itself was much better; It tasted like old times, camp fires and well raised pigs. The drained fat was put to good use to confit some yukon golds..."

There may not be anything perfect in the world, in the Platonic sense, but it is good to know that bacon from an exceptional American producer has the merit to garner appreciation in the Old World. . . at least for those of us who connect bacon with a deeply ingrained memory of goodness and elemental satisfaction.  Smoke, salt, meat: earthly delights for many centuries.  

If you're interested, Benton's ships their products nationwide.  

https://bentonshams.com/order/index.php