Modern ham and bacon contain more moisture that the dry-cured versions (sometimes more than the original raw meat!) and about half the salt--3-4% instead of 5-7%. Where slices of traditional ham and bacon fry easily and retain 75% of their weight, the wetter modern versions spatter, shrink, and curl as they give up their water, and retain only a third of their initial weight.
The illuminating passage above comes from On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee. If you do anything in the kitchen more than boiling water for Jello, placing Pop-Tarts in the toaster, or microwaving fudge sauce for the two month old vanilla ice cream in the freezer, you really should consider getting a copy. Mr. McGee can teach you something wonderful about anything you're doing or want to do. Really, you should. If you aren't sure, go check out a copy from your local library.
So lets figure this bacon thing out. Regular name brand bacon costs at least $3 a pound.(but it is usually sold in 12 oz packages--go figure). You get about 20 slices per pound. That is 15 cents per piece. (usually pretty rinky-dinky pieces!) Artisanal bacon from Allan Benton or Caw Caw Creek is $6 a lb., but with them you get less slices per pound because it is a thicker cut. Last week I got 14 pieces that weighed in at exactly 7 ounces after cooking. That's 42 cents per piece. I would not be ashamed to serve only one piece to a guest: yes, it is that good. Cooking Light, (the magazine) amongst others, toast artisanal bacons for that very reason! You will, for real, remember what you had for breakfast!
Can I get an AMEN?
