Alright folks, 50 pounds of freshly smoked bacon this week. Get it quick. After the response we received from our last batch of belly, we decided to source and smoke a bit more this time. I just fried some up this morning and I can honestly tell you that unless you have a crazy uncle who recently slaughtered a 650 pound Berkshire, has a secret family cure recipe, and is pretty darn savvy with a smoker, you will not taste better bacon. So give us a call, pick up a pound or two, send some to your old man in Oregon and your sister in Alaska, they will thank you I promise.
What to look for in quality bacon:
Look for unsliced if possible. The longer the meat is whole the better the flavor will develop and this will keep the meat from oxidizing.
Uniform smoke lacquering. You want an even golden brown sheen to cover the entire piece of meat. Good color is a sign of proper brining and smoking technique. The color will lighten after packaging, but should still be evident.
Intramuscular fat distribution. You want fat, meat with fat, and meat! Not all fat and not all meat (check out the cut below to see what I'm talking about).
For a lesson in what you don't want and how not to make bacon, pull up "Bacon: How it's made" on You Tube...that ain't bacon.
Our belly came from a sow we sourced from Templeton. It was raised on natural feed, compost, and whey. Our methods are basic, but concise: sourcing is the utmost priority, house recipe brine, applewood/alder smoke, rest period to develop flavor, package. That's all.
We will be packing the belly in one pound increments, unsliced, but if you prefer we can hand slice it for you at your desired thickness (as long as your desired thickness is thick).
The above picture is smoked loin from our pig raised on the Rinconada Dairy property by our friends Christine and Jim Maguire, hands down the best canadian bacon I've ever tried.
The Cass House Charcutier Chris McMains and I look forward to seeing you all and are proud to be your local source for artisan bacon and cured meats. Come in for dinner sometime and check out the rest of our products on our Charcutiers board like the Cotechino, Lardo, Porcetta di Testa, Mortadella, Guanciale, Culatello, or local Black Cod Brandade. All of our cured products are made in house and I personally source from local ranchers who I know and respect. Hope to see you all again soon.
-Jensen
$12 per pound, call 805.995.3669 to place your order, all orders must be picked up at the Cass House, we will deliver 5 pounds or more (ask for details).
Want to be the coolest kid at the party and unload a two pound Pate Grandmere on your winetasting guests? If you are interested in any of our other products, or would like to place a custom order, call or email us.
Coppa from our pig, Mishima ranch Bresaola, Spanish Chorizo, and Hearst Ranch Bresaola.
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