Bacon - Part 3
September 18, 2012
Sausage or bacon? It is the classic breakfast question. Of course the correct answer is bacon, but in this wonderful time that we live in, we no longer have to choose. Instead we can now have bacon in our sausage. It makes perfect sense; a good sausage needs a nice portion of fat to keep it juicy and bacon just so happens to have a good amount of fat. In fact, bacon has been paired with sausage for years, just look at the culinary accomplishment known as the Francheezie. A hot dog stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon is pure genius plain and simple, but what if you put the bacon inside the sausage? I found two such products that do just that.
The first is Bacon Bratwurst from Louie’s Finer Meats, Inc. This product came in the smaller breakfast sausage size and delivered a mild smoky flavor with a bacon finish. The bacon came across as fatty bacon rather than a meatier product, but that helped keep the sausage juicy. The only downside I thought was that it tasted too much like a bratwurst and not enough like bacon. If you happen to find yourself in Cumberland, WI, I recommend stopping by Louie’s and giving this a try.
The second product I tried was Big Fork Bacon Sausage. This one was more along the lines of a typical brat or Italian sausage in size. The first thing I noticed cutting into it was how crispy the casing was, delivering a good snap, immediately following that I could smell an aroma of frying bacon. With a more subtle seasoning blend, this sausage delivered a great fried bacon flavor. From the crispy casing to the smoky finish, this bacon sausage does not disappoint. Check out the Big Fork Brands website to find retail locations.
If you're making a bacon sausage you probably won’t be too worried about the health implications of adding bacon, but if you're still having trouble getting the strong bacon taste you want to come through, flavor can help. In a product like sausage where there is fat, water and dry seasoning added in almost any flavor form should work, and can help enhance the flavor notes you are looking for whether it’s the crispy fried note or the smoky finish. No matter how you like your bacon, the idea that you can now get it in your sausage makes this an exciting time to be alive!
The first is Bacon Bratwurst from Louie’s Finer Meats, Inc. This product came in the smaller breakfast sausage size and delivered a mild smoky flavor with a bacon finish. The bacon came across as fatty bacon rather than a meatier product, but that helped keep the sausage juicy. The only downside I thought was that it tasted too much like a bratwurst and not enough like bacon. If you happen to find yourself in Cumberland, WI, I recommend stopping by Louie’s and giving this a try.
The second product I tried was Big Fork Bacon Sausage. This one was more along the lines of a typical brat or Italian sausage in size. The first thing I noticed cutting into it was how crispy the casing was, delivering a good snap, immediately following that I could smell an aroma of frying bacon. With a more subtle seasoning blend, this sausage delivered a great fried bacon flavor. From the crispy casing to the smoky finish, this bacon sausage does not disappoint. Check out the Big Fork Brands website to find retail locations.
If you're making a bacon sausage you probably won’t be too worried about the health implications of adding bacon, but if you're still having trouble getting the strong bacon taste you want to come through, flavor can help. In a product like sausage where there is fat, water and dry seasoning added in almost any flavor form should work, and can help enhance the flavor notes you are looking for whether it’s the crispy fried note or the smoky finish. No matter how you like your bacon, the idea that you can now get it in your sausage makes this an exciting time to be alive!
