So, HEB had a GWP deal a while back on their Applewood Bacon with a purchase of pulled pork or something. Took the freebie and tossed it in the freezer. Pulled it out for BLTs last week and the stuff is fantastic! Not chewy or too fatty...melts in your mouth. We baked it @ 350 or so and let the drippings run off so it wasn't frying in its own fat...man, that was some GOOD bacon! Actually saved the fat...first time in years for that! Great for haricot vert...OR green beans!
Wright's Brown Sugar Bacon is some Damn good Bacon. I think I might have seen that Kirkwood Brand at that Aldie store in Katy too. If its not Pork Belly its not Bacon.
Best bacon I ever had came from a smokehouse in Kentucky. They sold it by the full slab only. Aged and hickory smoked. They sliced the skin off after aging and smoking and curing then sliced it to the thickness you wanted. Wrapped the whole thing, skin and all up and out the door you went. They shipped too. One belly lasted a family of 4 for about 4 months. Just kept it in the fridge, cooked four servings a day for 4 months or so.
We found the place while on a Boy Scout trip to Tennessee. Wish I could remember the name of that place. Great Hams too.
I really don't remember, this was in the 1960s and I have slept some since then. I do remember that their hams were dry aged, in a cloth bag and the aging was 6months, 9 months or a year. The longer it was aged the better and more expensive.
We had one in the basement hanging for about another year. To prepare, unwrap, wash off mold, dry, skin the outer layer of aging off, and bake or slice into hame steaks and grill. Tender and flavorful.