Our family has been enjoying a lot of bacon lately and so we wanted to share some quick tips with you that will transform the way you think about and enjoy our old-world style bacon.

If you haven't already noticed, the bacon from our Idaho Pasture Pigs contains much more white lard than what you see in the grocery store.  You simply cannot find real bacon like this at from industrial producers.  Our bacon consists of 60-80% pure belly fat, making it what old-time farmers in europe used to call "Blue Ribbon Bacon").   

Contrary to the now-debunked studies (such as the famous China Study), it turns our that the fats found in bacon (saturated fat) are not only healthy for the human body, but an absolute prerequisite for brain building and health.  Many of the fatty acids that help maintain brain health and longevity are only found in the animal fats of pastured, grass-fed animals - and in particular, in the pure fat in truly organic, pastured bacon. 

We learned how to cook our traditional, old-world style bacon from our mentor Joel Salatin while visiting Polyface Farm a couple of years ago.  Here's his method:

1.) Use a large, cast-iron skillet if you have one.  If not, any large skillet will do. 

2.) Turn the burner to High and add 1-2 cups of cold water. 

3.) When the water begins to simmer, turn the heat down to medium and lay your strips of bacon parallel to each other and let them simmer until the water is entirely evaporated (5 minutes or so).   We enjoy reading our Stockman Grassfarmer Newspaper with a tazzina of espresso while we wait.

4.) Let the bacon fry in its own fat for about 3-5 minutes before flipping and cooking the other side for 3-5 minutes more. Use a spatula to gently push and curled pieces down into the hot oils to cook.

5.) When the bacon is cooked to your liking (there should be less than 10% white fat left) remove it with tongs and place on a few pieces of paper towel, then cover with another piece of paper towel and gently press down with your hands to absorb excess oils. 

6.) Note that the bacon will shrink in size by 60% or so once cooked, so however many pieces you think you'll need for your recipe, we recommend using double the amount. 

Now here's where it gets interesting.  

Because Ridgemeade bacon is real, traditional bacon, there will be lots of precious, rendered bacon grease left in the pan.  While it is still warm and liquid, pour it into a glass Tupperware, mason jar, or traditional grease tin.  We filter ours through a mesh strainer to keep out any pieces of leftover bacon but this isn't absolutely necessary.  Store covered in your refrigerator and the next time you need to saute onion, garlic, or vegetables of any type, rather than using olive oil which can become carcinogenic over high heat, use a dollop of your bacon lard (now semi-hard like room-temp butter).  Bacon lard is ideal for sauteing and frying, providing extra nutrition and a hint of that priceless bacon flavor coveted by chefs. 

Finally, don't worry about the shelf life of your lard (1 year in the fridge), you'll find yourself cooking with it from now on!