The year 2012 very well may go down as the year bacon got knighted. Or killed. Not sure which. Regardless, for better or worse, America had a clamorous affair with bacon this year. No longer a breakfast side item, bacon is now a main course, also a condiment, vodka, a scarf, an essence, a destination location, a mascot for gluttony. Shame begets shame. Nothing is safe from bacon. Let bacon ring. One nation under bacon, with liberty and bacon for all and may we forever celebrate every crackling pop of the food that fries in its own fat.
So, put on some sweatpants and tilt the recliner all the way back and rehash with us our favorite bacon dispatches of the year.
Bacon Fat in the Hands of Dude, Sweet Chocolate Technically a 2011 event, it still merits acknowledgement. This "stunner" cookie is made with bacon fat. Yes, bacon fat. This one cookie is reason enough to own a Facebook account just so you'll know when Dude, Sweet Chocolate decides to whip up another batch.
Bacon Soda at Lockhart We fancy many of the carnivorous creations at Lockhart Smokehouse in the Bishop Arts district. However, with bacon soda, things were ... different.
An Ode to Bacon from Alice Laussade Love can be a really confusing and difficult at times, as Alice discovered earlier this year when she tried to put her feelings about bacon on paper. Or in the keyboard. Or something like that.
Bacon on BuzzFeed (They Killed It) We shouldn't have been surprised when the new BuzzFeed Food site pulled together a collage of bacon so over-the-top it was actually a bit unappetizing. You'll need a shower and perhaps some Listerine after looking at their 11 Ways to Cook Bacon that Will Probably Kill You. We know you'll rebound quickly though.
The Bacon Alarm Clock Waking up never smelled so good. This alarm clock warms up precooked bacon with a pair of halogen light bulbs, and four minutes later, BAM!, your olfactory senses are awakened.
Bacon Cinnamon Rolls at the State Fair Yum. Cinnamon rolls with bacon. Go ahead and slap your head again. I know. Why didn't we think of this sooner?
Chicken-Fried Bacon The State Fair is really all about fried food. I mean, no one goes to the fair with their Weight Watchers card in their back pocket, right? So, bacon dredged in flour then deep fried is only part of the natural progression of things.
Wait for it ... wait for it ... Bacon Beer! You serious, Clark? (Of course he is. Clark never teases about bacon.)
A Baconocalypse (Plus a Brilliant Solution) See, it all has to do with the rising price of grain. It cost more to raise a pig than a farmer can make off a porker at market. Thus, a conundrum ensued. We assume it's all been worked out (higher prices at market?) considering all the bacon we continue to eat. Regardless, we had a brilliant solution for this supposed news cycle problem. You're welcome.
Bacon Scandals Scott Reitz was all like "Pfft! Whatevs." It's all a scam, you bacon fools.
Bacon Sundaes Denny's started the trend with a bacon sundae back in 2011, and Burger King followed suit with a bacon dessert. Scott opined after ordering the first one at the Mockingbird Lane location, "I thought I'd save the rest to dump on a hot sidewalk for an artistic melted ice cream shot, but a funny thing happened instead: I ate it."
Bacon Burgers at Boulevardier After Smoke got a nod from Food And Wine for their bacon burger, Scott swooned about Boulevardier's: "Crisp bacon that cracks like glass and melts away in a haze of salt and smoke tops not beef, but Beef."
Bacon Taco Shells Nick Rallo called a totally heads-up play when a bacon taco shell made an appearance on Reddit Food. It just proves our point that shame has gone home and locked the door -- the deadbolt and the chain.
Screw the Fiscal Cliff. Let's Create A Bacon Economy! Comedian Josh Sankey attempted a cross-country bacon barter. Loaded with 3,000 pounds of Oscar Mayer bacon, Sankey traded bricks of bacon for gas, lodging and Jets tickets.
