Bacon

Pizza Shop Talk The Think Tank
1

This situation with bacon has irritated me to the point of pulling my hair out. Does anyone else use the brand “Patrick Cudahy”. Our supplier was shipping us “Hormel” applewood smoked bacon, then all of a sudden they stopped carrying it, so I went back to Patrick Cudahy, I stopped using (Patrick Cudahy) them because it was coming in at times full of fat, huge chunks and burnt looking, & then it stopped and was coming in great, now its back & looks like shit, I have spoke to 3 different people from my supplier for the last month & have not gotten a straight answer or they just cant get an answer from the company as to whats going on. Is anyone else having an issue???

2

This has always been an issue with us also. The Hormel if I’m not mistaken is also the same product that Farmer John packages. Which might be available to you. You can check costco.com for availability in your area.

3

We used to get it from Restaurant Depot for the past couple years and it was great but about 4 months ago we noticed that it smelled like a pancake house when we made a piza with bacon. We were stumped because the packaging was exactly the same and made no mention of maple flavored. I contacted the company and spoke to a rep and was told that they made a change in order to keep the price down. The flavor was so strong that we stopped using their products.

Not sure if its the same problem…maybe its just coincidence

We know use a Roselli (US Food - not sure of the packer) precooked bacon topping…did not like Hormel

4

not to mention the price is hanging 52.00 dollars for 10 lbs

5

Have you tried Daily’s bacon? I’m getting 10lbs of jalapeno spiced bacon crumbles for $39 and some change. It’s really good and the only bacon we use. Very little fat and very consistent for us. We get it through Food Services of America.

6

It costs less to cure and smoke your own bacon than to buy that terrible pre crumbled or sliced Hormel or whatever bacon. And doing it yourself is a selling point and it tastes a thousand times better. Cure it yourself for a week and put it into a $50 cold smoker. each step takes 15 minuets.

And here you are buying pre packed bacon for a thousand % markup. Pork belly is cheap and so are the spices and curing salts. You would have to be the dumbest person n the planet to buy pre cooked and smoked bacon.

7

Yep. daysleeper got up on the wrong side of the bed today.

8

You called it. I would like to know your thoughts on curing your own bacon. It seems cheaper and is a marketing advantage. I can put house made bacon and or house charcuterie on the menu. I don’t know. I might be in over my head.

9

I wouldn’t pay much attention to him. He shows up about every 6 months and spouts off then goes into hiding. Of his 14 posts only 1 is positive.

10

Have you checked the requirements for curing your own meat with your health department? They can be extremely cumbersome.

11

We simply do not have enough demand for it to mess around with extra prep steps.

12

I apologize to everyone here for being so negative.Though it might be too little, too late.

13

Hmm. It seems that the majority of you prefer some sort of pre-cooked bacon. At our shop we generally use a local high quality bacon and slice and cook it ourselves. We also cure our own pork belly for pizza specials. I’m just curious, does anyone else use raw, and then cook it? I’m very Leary of added chemicals, etc, in pre-cooked things like that.

Thanks!!

And it really does take about 15 minutes to set up a cute on 10lbs of pork belly. Then you just wait 7 days. Bacon. We use Berkshire hog bellies so it is kind of pricey at 5.19 lb.

Thanks!!

14

So much depends on the pricing model and role of the bacon on the menu. 5.19/lb for raw belly means that the very best lean/fat ratio will cook out to at least 40% lost weight and final cost of 8.65/lb in the best of circumstances, and more likely 50-60% lost weight. Add in the space, time and handling to cure, cook and slice your own raw product, and it becomes a cost/benefit issue. We haven’t even discussed smoking.

For the general delco out here, it is just not effective use of resources for the role of the product in the operation. If it were a featured item, part of the branding is house made charcuterie, if it is a high value product in your customer market … picture changes some.

If it makes you feel good, and it fits into your own model, then it can be a good idea. Otherwise, find the best tasting and highest quality product that you can afford in money and time.