British bacons and sausages

[Jenise]

The other day, on my way out of Vancouver I stopped at Stong's Market which is down the hill from Bill's place. I wanted to get more of some small (individual sized) frozen pies which I'd picked up a few of a few months ago--lots of small bakeries doing that kind of thing up there, and doing them very well. Very handy for meals I leave for Bob when I go off to do other things.

This time I also spotted some frozen sausages in the same specialty case. All made in Surrey BC by a company called GB Foods, each is supposedly typical of similar produced in the UK. Having lived there, I have a soft spot in my heart for these things and I bought a few.

Yesterday we had the British Bangers. I remember tasting my first banger on the breakfast served by BA on my first plane trip to London when I moved to England back in (date not disclosed!). The texture was unlike anything called sausage I'd ever had, and I honestly loved it. When settled into my new home in Macclesfield, I discovered even better versions at Marks & Spencer. Loved them, but I do remember at one of my first get-togethers with other expat wives hearing one Texan lady go, "Have you had the sausages here? There's no meat in 'em! They're gross!"

She was right, there wasn't a meaty texture there at all. But for me, that soft velveteen texture with good herbal flavors was a positive, not a negative. The bangers I bought this week in Vancouver were among the best I've ever had--very similar to the Marks & Spencer flavor. This producer makes a number of others--I remember Cumberland--I'll try them all.

Today for lunch we had BLTs made with Ayrshire back bacon from the same GB Foods. Though there were several other regionally-named options, I just picked one because I had no idea what to expect in terms of differences with any. The Ayrshire was redolent of white pepper. I did a quick Google to look into this flavor. White pepper wasn't mentioned but a very specific breed of Scottish white pig is supposedly the draw.

Here's a hilarious recipe explaining how to make your own Ayrshire bacon:

https://www.electricscotland.com/lifest ... apter3.htm

Anyway, anyone else a fan of British breakfast meats?

I think Frank is onto something.

As I understand it USDA regulations don't allow meat preparations to be labled "sausage" if they contain fillers of any kind. Bangers are disqualified because of the added rusk, which is what gives them that delightful texture. Ditto boudin. Our local North Country Smokehouse makes what they call "Irish bangers". I don't know how they differ from the British variety, if at all.

My English friends tell me that British bacon is a lot leaner than US bacon. That certainly is true with bacon in Australia.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Paul, don't know re English vs. Irish either. But yes British bacon is leaner when it's back bacon (think of a very thin slice of pork chop meat cut off the bone). What they call 'streaky' is the belly that is typical of American bacon, and not less fatty at all but of course depends on the pig and the trim.

The Ayrshire bacon I made yesterday seared off in a hot pan in under 2 minutes each slice. They'll never get crispy so you don't even need to wait for that, just go for the meat to turn opaque and acquire some brown color. I'd forgotten that aspect of cooking Brit bacon, and I sure appreciated it. Made great BLTs!

Loved them, but I do remember at one of my first get-togethers with other expat wives hearing one Texan lady go, "Have you had the sausages here? There's no meat in 'em! They're gross!"

That's too funny. My sister and her husband transplanted from New England to Texas and lived there for a good long time. They always complained that there were no sausages there. I have to agree, I tried making my Sausage, apple, and cranberry stuffing for Thanksgiving at their house one year and could not find any basic sweet Italian sausage. Every time they visit here, a must stop is the local red sauce Italian place for a sausage, pepper, and onion sub.

Jenise, have you visited the British Butcher that is only a few kilometers from us? Lots of different British sausages.

Apparently British bacon made the traditional way doesn't need refrigeration. There's a scene in the Goon movie Down Among the Z-Men where Neddie Seagoon is a counter clerk at a general store. One of the things on the shelf behind him is a slab of bacon, from which rashers could be sliced. Preserving the meat in the days before modern refrigeration was, after all, the whole point of curing bacon and ham. The curing process used for modern British bacon is similar to that used in the US and the result requires refrigeration.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Jenise, have you visited the British Butcher that is only a few kilometers from us? Lots of different British sausages.

Nope. Where is it, down near Bosa (everything's near Bosa).

It probably is no surprise that I like British sausages and back bacon.

I'd not buy streaky bacon, only time I have it is in the USA where at breakfast it's cooked till it's so crisp it shatters into pieces when a fork goes in it. However, that does get a lot of fat out and I'd rather have that than white fat in the bacon.

[Jenise]

Peter, most Americans don't cook it THAT crisp. But crisp so it stays flat when you pick it up with your fingers, and chewy enough to bend just slightly, now that's perfect bacon. I rarely cook it because it's just not good for you, but when I do I also blot it when it comes out of the pan (I cook in the oven, not stovetop). Almost no one else does, which surprises me--if you can remove another tablespoon or two of fat, why wouldn't you?

Peter, most Americans don't cook it THAT crisp. But crisp so it stays flat when you pick it up with your fingers, and chewy enough to bend just slightly, now that's perfect bacon. I rarely cook it because it's just not good for you, but when I do I also blot it when it comes out of the pan (I cook in the oven, not stovetop). Almost no one else does, which surprises me--if you can remove another tablespoon or two of fat, why wouldn't you?

Bacon is best as you say, with a little give left to it, but I'll take it full-crisp, too.

Re blotting... doesn't every recipe say 'drain on paper towels'?

I use the oven method when there is more than fits in a pan (...mostly when making breakfast at the D&D game).

[Jenise]

Jeff, first of all, when was the last time anyone needed a recipe to cook bacon? Secondly, yes, remove from pan to a paper towel, but that only addresses one side. Blot to get the other.

Jenise, have you visited the British Butcher that is only a few kilometers from us? Lots of different British sausages.

Nope. Where is it, down near Bosa (everything's near Bosa).

No, west of my place - 10 min. They also do haggis should you ever be in need of one....

http://thebritishbutchershoppe.com/locations/

They also make the best Melton Mowbray pies in town.

And I prefer bacon on the crisp side.

Jeff, first of all, when was the last time anyone needed a recipe to cook bacon?

Needed... no. But I see them all the time as I prefer stews that start by rendering a 1/4 or 1/2# of bacon rather than a couple spoons of oil.

[Jenise]

Bill, what's a Melton Mowbray pie? This one's new to me.

The sausages I loved and posted about here are produced by and can be purchased at a British shop on 72nd in Surrey, I've learned. Not quite the same name as your butcher, but almost. The source of their pies might be the same.

Bill, what's a Melton Mowbray pie? This one's new to me.

Deets like this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pork_pie#Melton_Mowbray_pork_pie

I have actually eaten one! We visited the parents of one of Pumpkin's friends. They live in Leicestershire, not far from Melton Mowbray (and, incidentally, not far from the stilton-making towns, too). The mom is the one who sends us a proper pudding every Christmas. I got a tour of the pudding-making equipment and we ate all British specialties, including the new UK fizz.

Melton Mowbray pies are meat pies, uncured pork and a bit of gelatin, wrapped in a hot-water crust. That last is extremely significant, in Mom's opinion.

But I see them all the time as I prefer stews that start by rendering a 1/4 or 1/2# of bacon rather than a couple spoons of oil.

The lardons in classic coq au vin are uncured pork belly (aka fresh bacon). Now that pork belly has become trendy it's pretty easy to find. But back when most folks only encountered it in price quotes from the Chicago commodity exchange, bacon was the substitute. Julia Child recommends using either bacon or salt pork in place of fresh pork belly, but she advises parboiling the bacon to remove the strong flavor of the smoke and cure.

-Paul W.

Interesting convo on bacon and sausages. I have cooked my bacon in the microwave for as long as I remember. I love an apple smoked bacon our local neighborhood market carries. I have a bacon tray which I line with paper towels, place bacon on it and cover with paper towels. I cook 1 minuted for each slice of bacon I have on the tray, it comes out perfect, crisp, but still intact for a BLT and it is not too tough to eat in the sandwich. And the slices are not greasy, as when cooked in a pan on the stove. I recently bought a small package of bacon at a local small grocery store which makes it own sausages, and processes lots of different bacon flavors. It was a thick cut, rather short slices. I cooked it carefully in the microwave until what I perceived as "just right". It was tough and not fun to eat, very chewy, and much too tough in a sandwich. I prefer the thick cut, but this was way too thick.

I have cooked my bacon in the microwave for as long as I remember.

Try that same technique on slices of pepperoni... releases a *lot* of oil and gives you chewy, meaty, crispy little disks.

I've taken to cooking bacon in a wok lately. I do have to straighten out the slices after taking the bacon out, but I like my bacon flexible so this isn't a problem.

-Paul W.

I have cooked my bacon in the microwave for as long as I remember.

Try that same technique on slices of pepperoni... releases a *lot* of oil and gives you chewy, meaty, crispy little disks.

Ditto for chorizo - lots of oil - made sure to cook them first and drain the pan before cooking the less oily meats , making my feijoada.

[Jenise]

Interesting convo on bacon and sausages. I have cooked my bacon in the microwave for as long as I remember.

My MIL cooked bacon in the MW but no tray. Just wads and wads of paper towels, opening and closing the MW to turn them every which way every 60 seconds, folding and refolding: drove me nuts. Way too much work!

For many months I've been cooking bacon in a skillet that has a tablespoon or two of water in it until the water evaporates while frying. Works well. Comes out chewy crispy.

For many months I've been cooking bacon in a skillet that has a tablespoon or two of water in it until the water evaporates while frying. Works well. Comes out chewy crispy.

Interesting idea! I suppose the steam goes into the meat.