Everything is better with bacon…I am sure you have heard someone say that, or maybe even read it on a T-shirt. In our house we do love bacon! But even more than bacon, we love bacon ends. We love the ends because when we first started in the pork business, we used the ends for ourselves and as our business grew, so did the amount of ends we had. We started looking for more uses for the ends and now bacon bits and bacon jam are favorites in our household.
After the pork belly is smoked, it is sliced into bacon. Since the belly is not a perfect rectangle, you are left with smaller or irregular slices that are not what many people are expecting when they buy a pack of bacon. These irregular pieces are called ends. Some are thin like regular bacon, and some are thicker because they are too hard to slice.
At our house, when we make bacon for breakfast, or for a burger, we often use the bacon ends. We love the shorter pieces for our breakfast sandwiches or BLT’s, as they fit the bread perfectly. Ends are also great for casseroles, and the thick ends are perfect for flavoring soups or baked beans.
Two of our favorite things to do with the bacon ends is to make bacon bits and bacon jam. There is nothing like having fresh bacon bits in the fridge. They are perfect to add to salad, baked potatoes, casseroles or even sprinkle on a sandwich. When we take them one step further and make bacon jam and you have an amazing sandwich or burger topping!
Making bacon bits is easy! I like to make my bacon bits by cutting the raw ends into small bit side pieces and placing in a skillet on the stove. I then fry the bits on medium low heat, stirring occasionally. As the fat is rendered off of the meat, a foam will develop. It is important to watch the bits after the foam starts to be sure that they don’t burn. When the bits are crisp and most of the fat is rendered, drain the bits in a sieve with a pot underneath to catch the fat. This fat can be used for cooking in the future. My dogs love it when I add a bit of the bacon fat to their food and it is so good for their skin.
Some people prefer to make their bits in the oven. You can lay the ends out on a foil lined pan and cook them in a 400 degree oven for about 12 minutes or until crisp. Flip the slices half way through cooking. After cooking, drain on a paper towel and when cooled you can break apart or cut with kitchen shears. I tend to use this method less often as I like to make a bigger batch and I can cut the raw bacon faster and with a larger batch it may take multiple baking sheets.
As I mentioned earlier, if you want to take your bacon bits to another level, you can make bacon jam! I first tried bacon jam several years ago at Applebees and I knew Farmer Tom would love it! Bacon and onion are two of his favorite burger toppers.
I have tried several recipes and this recipe has grown out of that.
Bacon Jam
1.5 pounds of bacon ends made into bacon bits
2 TBSP of bacon fat (or butter if you did not save the fat)
2 large sweet onions
½ cup of balsamic vinegar
¾ brown sugar
2 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Slice the onions into thin strips. Heat bacon fat over the medium heat and add onions. Stir to coat and cook on med low heat for about 1 hour, until onions are darker brown, stirring occasionally. When the onions are done, deglaze the pan with 2 TBSP of balsamic vinegar, then add the remaining vinegar, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Stir and allow to simmer about 3-4 minutes. Add the bacon and continue cooking over low heat until the glaze is thickened, about 5 minutes. After the jam is cooled, store in refrigerator.
Another Way to make a Bacon Burger…
As I mentioned above, bacon jam, or just the bacon ends themselves, are both perfect burger toppings! If you want to take your burger patty up another level, try out one of our new favorite things, bacon burgers. We ground our bacon ends in the food processor for this recipe, but they can also be chopped with a knife or kitchen shears if you prefer. Once the bacon is ground or chopped, all that is left to do is to mix the bacon with your thawed ground beef at a ratio of 2:1 ground beef to bacon. After the bacon is incorporated into the beef you can simply form and cook your patties as usual, and you will have a simple and unbeatable dinner ready to serve! We really enjoy the smoky flavor that the bacon adds. Don;t forget to top the bacon burger with your favorite Hillacres Pride cheese.
When we decided to raise meat animals on a small scale level, we knew it was important to utilize as much of the animal as possible. It is respectful to the animal and also financially important to our business. So, when you purchase bacon ends you can feel happy knowing that it is not only a delicious and useful product, but also a great way to support our minimization of waste!
