Breaking up with Bacon

It's with a heavy heart that I write this post. For the past 25 years Bacon has been a great friend of mine. Whether it is Spicing up mediocre dishes or using it as a substitute for butter, bacon was always my faithful, favorite condiment.

Until one sunny day, I met Bacon's bold vivacious cousin Pancetta. At first I was cautious with this flamboyant cured pork. It lacked the weight and fat of bacon and was a huge pain to separate and slice, not to mention the pretense with which it carried itself. With its elegant packaging and small quantities, it arrogantly sits next to the expensive cheeses and Italian cold cuts instead of sandwiched between the hot dogs and the processed cheeses where the working class bacon resides. But unlike most flashy divas, the end result was worth the added drama.

The taste alone is enough to make the switch. Philosophically, I view bacon/pancetta as an ingredient in a dish, instead of superficially as a dish itself. Just as I wouldn't drink a shot of Dijon I don't really eat bacon/pancetta by itself, so I can’t really speak of a heads up comparison. What I do know is that pancetta is by far superior in taste and its harmonizing attitude than bacon. Bacon is an egomaniac. If it’s in a dish, you know because its flavor muscles its way to dominance. We allow this dominance in flavor, because fat taste great. Pancetta, while tasting great, is also a team player, its flavor doesn't need to take center stage, rather it subtlety makes itself known in between and around the other flavors instead of on top and over flavors like the simple minded bacon. My favorite taste profile with pancetta is shallots, thyme, shitake mushrooms, and pancetta. When I cook whole trout I like to sauté these ingredients and stuff them in the trout’s cavity. I used to use bacon instead of pancetta and the difference was as astounding as aloe infused toilet paper and sandpaper. Some things you just deserve!

From a health perspective, weight for weight the two have similar benefits, which is to say none. However, since pancetta's voice is so much stronger and deeper, I find that I use a third as much pancetta as I would use bacon. So in the sense that you eat less, pancetta is healthier than bacon.

We have had a good run bacon. I still think about you time to time on those occasional restless nights, but our relationship will never be the same. I will always hold a special place in my heart for you, but as we mature and go our different ways it is important to remember and appreciate the past we had rather than force and obfuscate a future that won't happen.