The latest breaking news about IHOP’s (International House Of Pancakes) 5 layered sweet & salty taste sensation, the appropriately names “Pancake Stackers” is spreading like whipped butter and even with the story just getting out on prominent media sources such as ABC News, The Boston Globe and Huffington Post, the new taste delight is already apparently selling like … uh … well … like pancakes!

We’re talking about a meal that literally comes very close to having it all, as IHOP’s Pancake Stackers consist of large gobs “crust-less” cheesecake filling, stuffed between two buttermilk pancakes and then generously topped off with whipped butter and your choice of strawberry, blueberry or cinnamon apple compote, served with a couple of eggs, hash browns and of course the crowning jewel of glory, some delightfully delicious bacon.

Would it be wise to eat this meal every morning, or for that matter, ever 3rd morning? Probably not, as while it’s may only cost you around $5.50, more or less around the country, the real cost might be the 1,250 calories this baby packs away within it’s tasty deliciousness.

So while everyone should most definitely continue eating their beloved bacon and eggs at least 3 times a week, one might maybe want to consider limiting your experience of IHOP’s “Pancake Stackers to no more than maybe once a week and possibly only twice on your birthday!

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

Media magnate and mega-news enterprise, MSNBC has come right out and blurted out what everybody has been thinking for the past couple of years, that America’s love affair with bacon is absolutely no where near cooling down any time soon.

Just when people thought that the national hysteria of “Baco-Mania” that had been so dramatically exhibited by Bacon Freaks all across the country was starting to diffuse and “Freak-Fever” was beginning to cool, the next phase “Bacon On The Brain” kicked in and this time, it’s spreading faster than ever and people seem to have an even stronger strain than before.

Popular MSNBC writer Bill Briggs sites KFC’s latest release, the “Double Down’ Sandwich as just the latest clear evidence of a world that clearly has developed a culinary crush on our beloved bacon.

According to Briggs, “Bacon is once more our true, national food crush, spanning all ages, all cultures and all meals. It binds us in its aromatic allure — and maybe in its outlaw luster. Like a freedom fighter emerging from an underground bunker, the smoky strips of crispy bliss somehow survived the rise and reign of the cholesterol cops.”

The MSNBC writer continues by assessing that “It’s primal. It’s sublime. It’s bacon. And it’s bigger than ever, baby.”

Briggs quotes beloved television “Culinary Queen, Paula Deen” as responding to the news of the “Bacon Boosted” Double Down sandwich by giggling with glee “There’s no bun? Oh, shut up! I can’t wait to try it!” Deen said Tuesday while being driven between launch events for her book, “Paula Deen’s Savannah Style.” “We may have to go to the closest KFC now!”

Paula continued by exclaiming …“We love our bacon, Americans love their bacon!” added Deen, who serves up her southern-fried dishes and personality on the Food Network’s “Paula’s Home Cooking.”

Briggs continues his in-depth observations by explaining that “a bacon zeitgeist has sprouted. You can sample bacon maple lattes, $14 vodka cocktails with bacon, caffeinated bacon lollipops, deep-fried bacon with gravy, bacon-flavored chocolate, and a chicken stuffed inside a duck that’s crammed into a turkey — all encased by bacon and called a “turbaconducken.” On May 8, San Francisco is hosting its second annual “Bacon Camp,” billed as “an ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment about bacon.”

Then Briggs wraps up his comments about out cultures current “Bacon Bonanza” by mentioning the fact that “At the Bacon Today blog which offers “daily updates on the world of sweet, sweet bacon,” shoppers can buy belts and pillows that look like bacon, plus “gummy bacon,” bacon-flavored dental floss and lip balm.”

Brigg’s final quotes from Paula Deen really say’s it all when she contemplates the role that bacon has played in the lives of Americans “its part of the American soul,” Deen said. “A bacon-free diet is like “going through life without seeing the Eiffel tower,” Deen said, “or without ever skinny-dipping under a full moon.”

Then “Queen Deen” adds “The smell of bacon cooking is in everybody’s memory. For years, I’ve wanted to come up with a room deodorizer that’s the scent of bacon, onions and bell peppers cooking on the stove. Wouldn’t that be fabulous?”

Well if you are looking for a bacon scented room freshener Ms. Deen, you need look no further than HERE where Bacon Freak has been selling them for years, for just for $4.95.

Then in his final observation, Brigg’s graciously offers a salute to what he refers bacon being the official “the candy of meats,” which clearly is a homage to the long-time, official Bacon Freak Motto “Bacon Is Meat Candy!”.

Big pig props to Mr. Briggs, whose insights and clarity are deeply appreciated and whose clarity and pork perceptions are 100% right on!

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

Even Boss Hog has the occasional sweet tooth to satisfy, so when it’s time to whip up some delicious dessert dishes for the good folk over at Bacon Freak Ranch, “Cooky” often makes cookies.

Not just any cookies mind you, but Boss Hog’s bacon, Chocolate Chip & Pecan Cookies, which come chock full and filled to the brim with lots of delectable bites and bits of the worlds finest gourmet bacon, sweet and satisfying “choco-chunks” and some savory, crunchy, smoothly buttery pecans to give it that special flavor that the Boss Man likes.

Check em’ out for yourself and see why these are so darned popular out in the pig pen.

Boss Hog’s Bacon, Chocolate Chip & Pecan Cookies

(Serves up approximately 20 cookies)

Ingredients:

6 strips of Boss Hog’s Honey BBQ Rubbed Bacon

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Cook your bacon, turning it every 1 to 2 minutes, for approximately 8 minutes or until well browned and moderately well done to taste, somewhere between crunchy and still flexible.

When bacon is done, remove all excess bacon grease by “patting it down” between a couple of thick, absorbent paper towels.

Finely chop the bacon into small “tid-bit” pieces.

Now preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.

Now in a large bowl, use an electric mixer to combine the butter and two sugars into a creamy like consistency.

Add the eggs and vanilla extract to the large bowl and beat until well blended.

Now add the dry ingredients to the large bowl and beat until the flour is consistently melded with the other ingredients in a nice, smooth consistency.

Slowly stir in the chocolate chips, pecans and bacon bits.

Place the dough on the cookie sheets, spreading single large tablespoon-full amounts of cookie dough spread out with approximately 2 ½ inches of space between apart each cookie, as they will expand and spread during the baking process.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until firm and golden brown around the edges, and still slightly soft in the center.

Transfer the cookies to a rack and allow then to cool for 20 minutes.

Pig Out!

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

When Bubba gets back home from The Bacon Freak Ranch, he’s often way to tired to spend a lot of time, energy and effort cooking, so he’s come up with a wonderful little creative, culinary concoction that allows him to kick back and relax a bit, winding down and preparing a nice, delicious and hearty meal that will fully satisfy while helping to take the “edge” of the day of just a bit.

Enjoy!

Bubba’s Bourbon, Bacon & Bean Balderdash!

(Serves Bubba or 4 average size folk)

Ingredients:

½ lb.Baby Bubba’s Butcher Block Bacon- Hickory Smoked Peppered
2 cups dried white beans
½ cup Boss Hog Smoked Mozzarella Cheese
2 small onions
1 whole clove
½ cup Bacon Freak Gourmet Barbecue Sauce
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
2 shots bourbon
2 tablespoons Bacon Freak Gourmet Salsa
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
1 1/2 teaspoons apple cider or white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce.
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

Soak the beans in a large bowl of clear, drinking water overnight.

Then carefully drain and rinse the pre-soaked beans and add them to a pot.

Peel the onion and cut it in lengthwise in half.

Insert the clove into one of the halves and place both pieces of onion in the pot with the beans.

Place the garlic and bay leaf into the pot and make sure that you cover the contents with water approximately one inch above the beans.

Pour in the 2 shots of bourbon and stir it in well.

Partly cover the pot, stir and simmer the beans for 50 to 60 minutes or until the beans are tender and just enough water remains to keep the beans wet.

Remove the onion, along with the inserted clove and bay leaf.

Add the salt to the pot and mix well.

Now, in a small bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients listed on the ingredient list, with the exception of the bacon and add this mixture to the beans, mixing well.

Add a slice of bacon to the pot and simmer uncovered for 20-30 minutes until the beans have thickened.

Meanwhile, fry the rest of the bacon to a state of moderate crispiness then and pat with paper towels in order to remove all excess grease.

Slice the pieces of bacon into 1″ pieces.

When you are ready to serve the beans, toss them with all but a few pieces of the fried bacon.

Garnish with the Boss Hog Smoked Mozzarella Cheese and remaining pieces of bacon.

Enjoy!

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

This Saturday, April 24 was Boston’s inaugural celebration of what is planned to become a regular, cherished annual even, the official “2010 Boston Bacon & Beer Festival,” a celebration of bacon, beer, music and art, appropriately held at the historic “Power Station” in the SoWa district of the South End of Boston.

This is one of the coolest, hippest most happening locations for the Boston art, music and event scene as well as where the ever popular “Open Market” and “Antique Market” are regularly held.

The event was a huge success, proudly presented by the good people over at “SoWa Sundays” and “@EatBoston“, which is associated with “Where To Eat In Boston“.

This citywide celebration of bacon, beer, music and art was a perfect opportunity for Boston citizenry to reconnect, party and cheer “Here Comes The Sun,” after a long, cold lonely winter. The event is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a great day of Baco-Mania, while helping to raise money for such worthy and notable charities as “Share Our Strength”, “Community Servings”, South End Youth Baseball and The Juniper Fund.

People enjoyed “Everything Bacon,” from bacon chips, bacon popcorn, bacon pretzels, bacon scones, bacon sandwiches, bacon-stuffed buns, bacon cupcakes, bacon brownies, bacon milkshakes and chocolate covered bacon, just to name a few of the daring and delectably delicious and delightful delicacies.

Bacon Cuisine was provided by the following restaurants: 33 Restaurant | 51 Lincoln |
Atwood’s | B.Good |Biltmore Bar & Grille | Franklin Cafe | The Gallows |Garden at the Cellar | Gaslight | Happy Pig Salumi &Taza Chocolate | Henrietta’s Table | Eat At Jumbo’s | Myers and Chang | Petit Robert Bistro | Picco | Rialto |Rocca | South End Buttery | Stoddard’s | The Fireplace| Trina’s Starlite Lounge | Turner Fisheries | Union | Whole Foods Symphony | Wicked Kickn’ Cheesecake.

Meanwhile The Beer was provided by: Brooklyn Brewery | Blue Hills Brewery | Cape Anne Brewing | Clown Shoes Beer | Dogfish Head | Cody Brewing Company | Harpoon Brewery | Just Beer | Magic Hat Brewing Company | Mayflower Brewing Company | Mercury Brewing Company | Narragansett Beer| Peak Organic Brewery | Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project | Rapscallion | Smuttynose Brewing Company.

An absolutely splendid day was enjoyed by all.

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM. If I were getting married, I’d register for 8 of these. Okay, 10. (Of course the joke in there is that I would be getting married. HAHAHHAHAA! But I digress…)

Here are some other items I’d love to fill my bacon mug with:

• Scrambled eggs
• Chocolate fudge
• Ice cream
• Cake
• Who am I kidding, I’ll take this thing empty too…

So the next time you’re serving brunch, why not serve up some Bacon Mugs as well. And let us know what you fill it with! (As long as it’s clean… keep your bacon erotica to yourself, please. Unless you’re an eligible bachelor. Hubba hubba.)

~ Jennifer Eolin

It seems that our recently released Bacon Freak “Bacon Cookbook” has done a lot more than merely fan the flames of the widespread, sizzling hot popularity that gourmet bacon cuisine has recently enjoyed over the last month or so.

It has also done a lot to send people searching the internet for more and more “Bacon Oriented” food recipes and that has served to re-awaken interest in our easy, quick and very simple to follow bacon meal preparation videos displayed at The Bacon Freaks’ Video Channel, that can be found, for your enjoyment and convenience, over at everyone’s favorite video portal, namely … You Tube!

Here, you can quickly and easily watch, listen and learn exactly how to cook each meal to absolute perfection, as each recipe is prepared in it’s entirety, right before your very own eyes. That’s pretty awesome for a guy like me, who is not really classically trained in the culinary arts, but has an enthusiastic interest and willingness to learn.

This public pork presentation is perfect for those people who are interested in learning how to cook these delicious meals, but have never had the “traditional / classical culinary training that one might expect is necessary to succeed at such mouth watering endeavors.

That’s right, the assumption that you need to go to years of Culinary Classes to make these delicious dishes is absolute “Hog Wash” according to “Bacon Freak’s” owner and proprietor, Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock, who takes you on a video tour, from preparation to mastication of each and every video found on the Bacon Freak Video Channel.

That’s right, here you will find everything that you ever wanted to know about the perfect preparation of such meals as: Bacon Chili, Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno’s and Bacon Breadsticks to Bacon Lettuce Wraps, Cheesy Bacon Rolls and Bacon Avocado Snacks.

For those truly interested, you can even subscribe to the Bacon Freak You Tube Channel right up in the top left side of the page.

Check it out for yourself; you’ll certainly be glad that you did!

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

The massive wave of “Baco-Mania” has splashed so broadly across the entire spectrum of society, that what was once merely a “Gourmet Bacon World” for so many life-long, dedicated Bacon Freaks, has now expanded into some other truly delicious pork oriented endeavors.

Of course, it only makes sense that if you have your hands on the world’s finest, Blue Ribbon Award Winning pigs, why stop at merely “Makin’ Bacon?”

There’s a famous old joke that’s been told for years out in the pig pen regarding “Bacon and Eggs.” The joke basically is a commentary regarding the fact that while the chicken most certainly contributes to the over-all achievement of the goal of a great Bacon and Eggs breakfast, it truly is the Pig who is personally, absolutely committed to the general proposition of the meal.

So now Bacon Freak is pleased as punch and proud peacock’s to present three new deliriously delightful and delectably delicious powerful platforms of the Bacon Freak empire; and this time the world’s finest pork is being dedicated to premium quality, gourmet Ham, Sausage and Bacon + Chocolate Candy.

Introducing your quick and easy access to the following fine, popular pork portals: Ham Freak, Sausage Freak and what is quickly growing to be one of the most popular and sought out “bacon oriented” products on the market today, Bacon Chocolate!

For all of you out there who have been hearing the buzz and wanting to find out what the fever and fury is all about, with your own taste buds, Bacon Freak’s deliciously decadent Bacon Chocolate Sueyts can now be found online at their very own website, which feature both deliciously dark and mouthwatering milk chocolate sueyts!

Whenever any huge, raging socially popular trend explodes with gigantic proportions and swells into an actual cultural “wave,” all topically related boats in the harbor rise equally with the incoming flow of the raging high tide that ensues.

Therefore, with “Baco-Mania” becoming a powerful, popular movement all across the entire nation, it’s only natural that other premium pork products begin to get a strong surge of interest and demand, and for that reason alone, a hungry public can now fully satisfy those alternative pork product urges at SausageFreak.com, HamFreak.com and BaconChocolate.com.

Signing off at Pigging out!
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock

TEXT FROM BRAD: This photo was taken at 8:10 p.m. EDT at the Pompano Beach, FL, Costco Wholesale store. …I got to the end of the aisle that had spices and seasonings and noticed this bag on the end cap. It was not refrigerated.

ME: EW! Is it bacon or salad?

TEXT FROM BRAD: And I get what you’re saying now, it DOES look like a bag of salad! I didn’t notice until I looked at the picture again. Gross. That’s my opinion, anyway.

ME: Gross is a gross understatement.

WHY would Costco do this to bacon? What did bacon do to tick Costco off? And WHY ISN’T IT REFRIGERATED? What kind of horrible chemicals and preservatives are keeping that bag’s ecosystem running? Do I need to get a documentary crew out there? I have so many questions…

I think we can all learn a lesson from this: Not all bacon is raised with love. A sad fact, but true. Make sure to hug your bacon today!

–Jennifer Eolin

This got me thinking, is there anything that isn’t better with bacon?

Hamburgers, better with bacon. Steaks and scallops better when wrapped in bacon. Eggs so much better with bacon. Salad, add some bacon and its better. Baked potatoes again, you guessed it better with bacon.

Bacon can add a variety of different flavors that brings any dish to that next level weather you are cooking for yourself or family and friends. Bacon can be sweet, it can be savory, it can be Smokey, it can be flavored, but whatever food you are cooking up, it is better with bacon.

Bacon has this unique ability to go with so many of the everyday foods that we eat.

Because we all agree that bacon has a magical ability to make almost any food better (lets face it you are reading a blog all about bacon), why not keep your kitchen well stocked with a variety of different bacon products.

Baconfreak.com offers the “Bacon Is Meat Candy” Bacon of the Month Club where you can get two different packages of bacon delivered to your house each month.

And for all you vegetarians out there who miss out on the many uses of bacon and its delicious taste, Bacon Freak has not forgot about you and have created there own Hickory Bacon flavored seasoning.

-Matt Kufeld