Makin' bacon

Porter2 said:
I like bacon cooked in a cast iron over a camping grill. Waking up from a night at the rivers edge or lakeside campsite to a cool dry sunny am and smelling the bacon is second to only eating it. It’s always better when someone else has made it preferably the misses with scrambled eggs and hot coffee or green lemon tea. 😜
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You and Mr. Bear share the same opinion about the delicious smell of bacon wafting through the morning air.
 
Matt B said:
Also, this thread is about cooking bacon. “Makin’” it, well I thought Ive was curing pork bellies up in the frozen tundra but alas, no, we’re just crisping up some slices in our convection ovens and our supercharged convection machines known as air fryers.

Who likes it limp? I worked with a guy who’d order his bacon floppy. Never knew about that guy…
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I'm unashamed of my bacon tastes. I like it just shy of being crispy. Not limp to the point where its still mostly uncooked fat but I dislike cronching my way though bacon (but I won't turn down crunchy bacon mind you).

Also actually curing bacon is a thing I've done previously but not in many years. Should probably put that on the list again
 
Ninja air fryer 390º for 10 minutes comes out perfect. The only thing you need to adjust is the cooking time by a minute depending on how many pieces you are cooking....
 
When I first saw Ive's post I thought perhaps he was into curing and smoking pork belly rather than a spoof on the old "makin' bacon" cartoon.

I used to cure and smoke pig belly, that was makin' bacon. It was really good. Like @Mossback's image above, home cured and smoked bacon really did have to be cooked slowly.

1736962361110.png Google image

Now I'm curious about air frying bacon. Going to have to give it a try................
 
Brian Miller said:
I am learning how to use our gifted Foodi and so far fails are mostly forward with improved results on subsequent tries.

We are also on a septic system and don't put food or grease down the drain. The grease with chicken hasn't been too bad and is easily sopped up with paper towels. Lamb chops came out great but there was quite a bit of fat drippings that went into an empty plastic electrolyte drink bottle, and capped. Then I sopped up the small remainder with paper towels to put into a trashbag and into the garbage. Cleanup of the baskets and grates is then pretty easy after a soak with Dawn soapy water.

I haven't tried yet with high fat food but does putting a parchment liner in the bottom of the bottom of the basket, and putting the crisper grate on top to catch the grease make cleanup any easier?
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Brian, I don't use either parchment or foil in or beneath the basket. The reason being that if an air fryer has any weakness it is that things don't brown enough on the bottom hence the reminder to shake or flip the food. Since the air flow is the least at the bottom of any air fryer, paper or foil can only decrease that air flow. Later models are much improved over the early ones and do a far better job.

The air fryer success reminds me of some other products that had humble beginnings with laughable early products that went on to become mainstream. A company called Toyota comes to mind, early digital cameras were a joke and Chromebooks were lightly regarded but became best sellers. Early fryers were regarded as just a means to cook frozen french fries with not much use for anything else. Fast forward a few years and by now many products have air fryer cooking instructions along with microwave and conventional ovens. And big time chefs are endorsing them in some cases and putting out branded products with their name on them.

There are hundreds of recipes on the internet and dozens and dozens of reviews about what to buy. And by now there are so many brands that the market is confusing and manufacturers are starting to get into the gimmick market to attract more customers. I don't have any advice on what brand to buy, just don't buy a round one!
 
I cooked my bacon in a frying pan over medium heat. I don’t get any splattering. When the bacon is done, I pour off the excess grease into a tin can. I keep it in the fridge for frying other things like chopped chicken liver and hearts for Maya to mix with her kibbles. And yes, there’s usually still some more bacon drippings to go along with that.
Personally, I don’t like bacon well done, and crispy. I guess you could call it al dente…😄
 
Thanks for the airfryer tip for bacon. Our oven, with convection capability, does not cook bacon properly in any sort of time. When the crowd is here, I've gone to a cast iron griddle on my gas Weber, which handles the volume and crisps the bacon properly. I like Roper collect the grease in a can and either reuse it or dispose of it (hardened) in the can. Anyway, my air fryer is superior for airfrying to my oven with convection capability. I regret that my airfryer seems to be relegated largely to corndogs for the grandkids, brussels sprouts for my dietician daughter, and chicken wings for me!
 
iveofione said:
Brian, I don't use either parchment or foil in or beneath the basket. The reason being that if an air fryer has any weakness it is that things don't brown enough on the bottom hence the reminder to shake or flip the food. Since the air flow is the least at the bottom of any air fryer, paper or foil can only decrease that air flow. Later models are much improved over the early ones and do a far better job.
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Thanks for the response! Yeah, I knew parchment on the crisper grate would definitely impede airflow from the bottom. I have tried parchment on top of the grate for roasting vegetables brushed or spritzed with oil and it worked OK but I have shaken the contents twice during cooking.

I suspected parchment on the grate would make high-fat food cook in its juices leading to a soggy mess even if turning the food. And I suspected that impeded airflow with parchment below the grate might be an issue also.

I hadn't thought about using foil but I'd be a little concerned about edges of any wrinkles might abrade the non-stick surface over time.

What brand of paper towel absorbs the most grease? ;)
 
Ol
O' Clarkii Stomias said:
Never say never with omnivores.
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Yup...many years ago on the Kettle Crest trail, had a big black bear tear open a backpack, eat a loaf of French bread, my dog's Gaines-Burgers, and most of a leather Vasque hiking boot.

And he circled around our camp all that night and followed us down the hike out the next day...figured he wanted the dog and the remaining boot. That little spaniel thought she was a bear killer.

Equipped with a 30-06, we weren't too worried...but only god knows what would have happened if we'd had BACON.
 
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