I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
double free period at lunch time.

No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
(1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.

The usual grilled cheese formula here is unsalted butter on the outside,
and a light dusting of garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper on the
inside.

I rest my case.

-S-

On Friday, December 12, 2014 9:24:43 AM UTC-8, Steve Freides wrote:
> I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
> was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
> double free period at lunch time.
>
> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
> (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
> ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
> grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
> it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
> and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
> Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.
>
> The usual grilled cheese formula here is unsalted butter on the outside,
> and a light dusting of garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper on the
> inside.
>
> I rest my case.
>
> -S-

If I'm going to have ham and eggs for breakfast, I like to fry the ham in butter until it is caramelized and then fry the eggs in the pan drippings.
The sweetness of the cured ham makes for a wonderful crust on the ham and yummy fond in the pan that the eggs pick up.

On Friday, December 12, 2014 9:24:43 AM UTC-8, Steve Freides wrote:
> I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
> was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
> double free period at lunch time.
>
> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
> (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
> ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
> grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
> it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
> and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
> Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.

Did you fry the ham crispy? I prefer that to just heating them up.

A bacon and cheese sounds too rich to me. Today's deli ham has little
fat while cheese normally does.

wrote:
> On Friday, December 12, 2014 9:24:43 AM UTC-8, Steve Freides wrote:
>> I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son,
>> who was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because
>> he had a double free period at lunch time.
>>
>> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a
>> fine (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic,
>> and fresh ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle
>> of the grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without
>> cleaning it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into
>> the bread) and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were
>> good - yes. Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.
>
> Did you fry the ham crispy? I prefer that to just heating them up.

Yes, I think that's why it was good. The small size of the pieces
helped, and I used a medium flame so that I could let it gradually get
to where I wanted it without having to worry about it getting overdone.

> A bacon and cheese sounds too rich to me. Today's deli ham has little
> fat while cheese normally does.

I don't think I've ever had anything I'd call too rich.

-S-

On Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:25:13 -0500, "Steve Freides" >
wrote:

>I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
>was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
>double free period at lunch time.
>
>No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
>(1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
>ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
>grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
>it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
>and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
>Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.
>
>The usual grilled cheese formula here is unsalted butter on the outside,
>and a light dusting of garlic powder, oregano, and black pepper on the
>inside.

I like to place a slice of ham to fry and immediately pour pancake
batter over... even better is to top the slice of frying ham with a
slice of egg soaked bread (freedom toast n' ham), I like ham n' eggs,
I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
a fat, a cheap fat.

On 12/12/2014 5:28 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> On Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:25:13 -0500, "Steve Freides" >
> wrote:
>
>> I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
>> was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
>> double free period at lunch time.
>>
>> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
>> (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
>> ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
>> grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
>> it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
>> and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
>> Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.
>>
>
(snippage)

> I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
> is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
> a fat, a cheap fat.
>
I guess you've never had really good bacon. Even here in the sticks I
can buy nice, thick cut bacon that isn't all fat. It doesn't all have
artificial stuff added, either. (Forget that fake maple cured crap.)

You're welcome to my share of ham. I'll eat it if it's served to me but
I don't go out of my way to buy it.

Jill

On 2014-12-12 20:13, jmcquown wrote:
> On 12/12/2014 5:28 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>> On Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:25:13 -0500, "Steve Freides" >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
>>> was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
>>> double free period at lunch time.
>>>
>>> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
>>> (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
>>> ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
>>> grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
>>> it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
>>> and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
>>> Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.
>>>
>>
> (snippage)
>
>> I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
>> is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
>> a fat, a cheap fat.
>>
> I guess you've never had really good bacon. Even here in the sticks I
> can buy nice, thick cut bacon that isn't all fat. It doesn't all have
> artificial stuff added, either. (Forget that fake maple cured crap.)
>

Funny that a guy who knows all the best stuff can't find good bacon. I
get great bacon from my butcher. I won't bother with the crap they sell
in the grocery store. It is all liquids and fat. My butchers bacon is
quite lean and doesn't shrivel up when it is cooked.

> You're welcome to my share of ham. I'll eat it if it's served to me but
> I don't go out of my way to buy it.

He is welcome to my share of ham too. I don't mind the occasional ham
sandwich, even better if it is ham and pickle salad. Ham dinners and
ham steaks??? Only if it is served to me.

On 12/12/2014 8:40 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
> On 2014-12-12 20:13, jmcquown wrote:
>> On 12/12/2014 5:28 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>>
>>> I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
>>> is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
>>> a fat, a cheap fat.
>>>
>> I guess you've never had really good bacon. Even here in the sticks I
>> can buy nice, thick cut bacon that isn't all fat. It doesn't all have
>> artificial stuff added, either. (Forget that fake maple cured crap.)
>>
>
> Funny that a guy who knows all the best stuff can't find good bacon.

According to him he can find just about anything, and at prices from 20
years ago, too! Then again, he's a big fan of shopping at WalMart.

> get great bacon from my butcher. I won't bother with the crap they sell
> in the grocery store. It is all liquids and fat. My butchers bacon is
> quite lean and doesn't shrivel up when it is cooked.
>
The meat market in town does sell some nice lean bacon. But if I look I
can also find it at the meat counter at Publix. I love bacon but I
don't eat it every week. When I do cook it I make a pound of it at a
time. It's nice to have some in the freezer to crumble into potato soup
or hey, add to twice baked potatoes.

>> You're welcome to my share of ham. I'll eat it if it's served to me but
>> I don't go out of my way to buy it.
>
> He is welcome to my share of ham too. I don't mind the occasional ham
> sandwich, even better if it is ham and pickle salad. Ham dinners and
> ham steaks??? Only if it is served to me.
>
I have a feeling Sheldon probably likes canned Underwood deviled ham.
We all know he adores Spam. Yes, this is the guy with superior taste.

Jill

On 12/12/2014 8:57 PM, jmcquown wrote:
> On 12/12/2014 8:40 PM, Dave Smith wrote:
>> On 2014-12-12 20:13, jmcquown wrote:
>>> On 12/12/2014 5:28 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
>>>
>>>> I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
>>>> is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
>>>> a fat, a cheap fat.
>>>>
>>> I guess you've never had really good bacon. Even here in the sticks I
>>> can buy nice, thick cut bacon that isn't all fat. It doesn't all have
>>> artificial stuff added, either. (Forget that fake maple cured crap.)
>>>
>>
>> Funny that a guy who knows all the best stuff can't find good bacon.
>
> According to him he can find just about anything, and at prices from 20
> years ago, too! Then again, he's a big fan of shopping at WalMart.
>
>> get great bacon from my butcher. I won't bother with the crap they sell
>> in the grocery store. It is all liquids and fat. My butchers bacon is
>> quite lean and doesn't shrivel up when it is cooked.
>>
> The meat market in town does sell some nice lean bacon. But if I look I
> can also find it at the meat counter at Publix. I love bacon but I
> don't eat it every week. When I do cook it I make a pound of it at a
> time. It's nice to have some in the freezer to crumble into potato soup
> or hey, add to twice baked potatoes.
>
>>> You're welcome to my share of ham. I'll eat it if it's served to me but
>>> I don't go out of my way to buy it.
>>
>> He is welcome to my share of ham too. I don't mind the occasional ham
>> sandwich, even better if it is ham and pickle salad. Ham dinners and
>> ham steaks??? Only if it is served to me.
>>
> I have a feeling Sheldon probably likes canned Underwood deviled ham. We
> all know he adores Spam. Yes, this is the guy with superior taste.
>

I seem to remember breakfast when I was growing up in Britain. Both
fried bacon and fried ham might be served. Bacon was very fatty and was
normally cooked until crisp. Ham had much less fat and I greatly
preferred it.


--
Jim Silverton (Potomac, MD)

Extraneous "not." in Reply To.

On Friday, December 12, 2014 7:13:57 PM UTC-6, jmcquown wrote:
> On 12/12/2014 5:28 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> > On Fri, 12 Dec 2014 12:25:13 -0500, "Steve Freides" >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I wanted to make a grilled cheese with bacon for my 18-year-old son, who
> >> was home from high school (which is a few blocks away) because he had a
> >> double free period at lunch time.
> >>
> >> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
> >> (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
> >> ground black pepper. Sprinkled some of that in the middle of the
> >> grilled cheese sandwiches (made them in the same pan without cleaning
> >> it, of course, all the better to get some more flavor into the bread)
> >> and made them as usual, then I asked my son if they were good - yes.
> >> Same, better, or worse than bacon? Better.
> >>
> >
> (snippage)
>
> > I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
> > is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
> > a fat, a cheap fat.
> >
> I guess you've never had really good bacon. Even here in the sticks I
> can buy nice, thick cut bacon that isn't all fat. It doesn't all have
> artificial stuff added, either. (Forget that fake maple cured crap.)
>
> You're welcome to my share of ham. I'll eat it if it's served to me but
> I don't go out of my way to buy it.
>
I agree with the hag.
>
> Jill

--Bryan

On 12/12/2014 5:28 PM, Brooklyn1 wrote:

> I detest bacon. To me bacon is like artificially flavored lard, bacon
> is more than 95% fattiness... I don't consider bacon a food, bacon is
> a fat, a cheap fat.
>

Most bacon is heavily injected with brine and is mostly fat. When
fried, it leaves a load of grease and little is left. Last night we had
scrambled eggs with Cotswold cheese and I fried up a pound of Nodine's
black pepper bacon. It is very lean and left very little grease behind.
Best bacon I ever had.

The best supermarket bacon is Wright's, available at WalMart.

On Fri, 12 Dec 2014 23:51:05 -0600, Sqwertz >
wrote:



>
>The USDA says bacon can weigh no more after curing and smoking than it
>did from it's raw, unprocessed state. So there is virtually no room
>for bacon to be pumped full of extra water (unlike most of the other
>"pre-brined/water added" meats out there). Fat content varies, but
>the USDA only REQUIRES that it shrink up at least 60% (when cooked to
>a 7% water content). So they actually require it to be quite fatty -
>bacon that is TOO lean is actually illegal ;-)
>


Not exactly. That applies to bacon bits, not actual bacon. See page
85
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/OPPDE/rdad/...ves/7620-3.pdf
! Cooked bacon bits or crumbles must shrink a minimum of
60%--Standards and Labeling
Policy Book.


>> The best supermarket bacon is Wright's, available at WalMart.
>
>Fortunately it's available at a lot of other places. My regular
>grocer usually offers free frozen hash browns or canned biscuits with
>a 24oz Wrights purchase, making it signoificantly cheaper than Walmart
>who practically never runs sales on food.

Locally, Stop & Shop has it for $8.99, WalMart is $8.49
I think I paid about $9 a pound for Nodines, but you get little
shrinkage, a better value as well as a better bacon. It is a 200 mile
round trip though.

On 12/12/2014 12:25 PM, Steve Freides wrote:

> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a fine
> (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic, and fresh
> ground black pepper.

>
> I rest my case.

A good Virginia ham can come close to bacon in flavor. Sounds good the
way you made the sandwich.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 12/12/2014 12:25 PM, Steve Freides wrote:
>
>> No bacon? No problem. I substituted deli Virginia Ham by making a
>> fine (1/2" dice), sauté pan with olive oil and 2 cloves of garlic,
>> and fresh ground black pepper.
>
>>
>> I rest my case.
>
> A good Virginia ham can come close to bacon in flavor. Sounds good
> the way you made the sandwich.

Thanks. I made 4 sandwiches. #2 son ate 1-1/2 of them for lunch, and
my wife and #1 son ate the rest later in the afternoon, sort of an early
dinner or part of their dinners, anyway.

-S-