The Official Bacon Salt Blog

Bacon vs. Salt, Part I

Here's the official debut of our new mascots at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby:

Our new mascots

Every good food product deserves a mascot. There's the Jolly Green Giant for green beans, that silly rabbit for Trix and the Clydesdales for Budweiser.

In this same spirit, we're happy to introduce Sal and Tocino (there's a really cool salt shaker top that Sal has that is not pictured). The pair made their debut at the Gotham Girls Roller Derby in New York this weekend while Justin was at the Fancy Food Show in New York. We'll have video of the event up on Youtube in the next couple of weeks.

Bacon Salt Happy Hour Tonight in Seattle

For some reason I've always loved the word "Spitfire." It just sounds really cool in a don't mess with me kind of way, like if you cross me, you'll get a big mouthful of fire, pal.

Tonight, I'm planning on loving Spitfire even more. The sports bar/restaurant will be hosting us for Happy Hour tonight, complete with Bacon Salt bloody mary's, tequila shots rimmed with Bacon Salt (the "Baconator" shot), and a special appetizer flavored with Bacon Salt. We'll be there and will be giving out free Bacon Salt samples to anyone that wants them. Festivities start at 5pmish, and last until wheneverish.

Spitfire (www.spitfireseattle.com) is at 2219 4th Ave in Belltown, which is between Bell and Blanchard. Hope to see you there!

Operation Bacon Salt updates: Bacon Salt airlifted to Marine Special Forces in Afghanistan

July 4th is approaching, and Operation Bacon Salt is in full swing.

We're happy to report that Bacon Salt was recently sent to a Marines special forces unit in Afghanistan to a location so remote that it had to be airlifted in. We were first approached by one of the soldiers' grandmother, then heard from his wife, who told us that her husband and his fellow Marines were certainly not thrilled to live on MRE's (meals-ready-to-eat) for the next few months. We hope that the Bacon Salt goes to good use out there!

We also heard from a heroic woman named Cathy who has sent hundreds of packages to Iraq and Afghanistan through www.anysoldier.com, a great site and a future source of ours to find deserving soldiers. She has a donation jar, in which someone put two bottles of Bacon Salt and the Seattle PI article about Operation Bacon Salt. Thanks to whomever did that!

One final update - you may have seen this article that's been making the rounds on the web about Pizzas 4 Patriots. As someone who grew up 2 blocks away from a Lou Malnati's pizzeria in the Chicago area, I can't think of a better gift for our troops, although we have reached out to them to see if we can throw in some Bacon Salt samples to make it even better (believe me when I say that the combination of Bacon Salt and a deep dish Malnati's pizza is unreal). We're glad to see that there are other people out there that care about our troops!

Bacon Salt Recipe: Grilled Corn on the Cob with Hickory Bacon Salt Butter

We made this for Father's Day, and it was a huge hit:

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Hickory Bacon Salt Butter

• 6 ears yellow corn
•  1-2 tablespoons Hickory Bacon Salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
•  Black pepper (optional)

Peel back husks (do not remove them) and remove silk and soak corn in cold water for 30 minutes. Turn grill to high heat and lightly oil cooking grate. Melt butter and mix with Hickory Bacon Salt and pepper (optional). Peel back husks again and dip or brush each ear of corn with ¾ of the Hickory Bacon Butter. Replace husks, and place directly on grill for 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove from grill, peel back husks and brush with the rest of the Hickory Bacon Butter.

By the way, Bacon Salt launched in all the Raley's stores in California.

The Bacon Salt NASCAR

Since we started Bacon Salt, we've had this recurring dream about getting a Bacon Salt NASCAR team. In the dream, there are lots of people running around in Bacon Salt racing suits, there's a car in first place with a huge Bacon Salt logo on it, and the announcers are usually saying something like "Here they come around the turn, looks like the Bacon Salt car is going to pull it out! Wow, what a finish."

Today, we are one step closer to our goal of having an actual NASCAR. James from Castleton, NY created this awesome little number for us.

The #27 Bacon Salt car will be racing this year in the Vidane Racing League, which is broadcast on RLMtv.com. OK, it's not quite an actual NASCAR, but as close to it as we can afford (last we heard, NASCAR doesn't trade sponsorships for bottles of a bacon-flavored seasoning). Here was James' note to us:

I'm writing to you today as both a sim racer and a fanatic of your product. I recently discovered Bacon Salt from a friend, and it's quickly become one of my favorite seasonings.A hobby of mine -- and that of thousands of other racing fanatics worldwide -- is simulated racing. Using simulator software and specialized equipment, drivers can quench their thirst for speed by sitting down at their computers and simulating NASCAR races. These events draw crowds of watchers and fans, much like NASCAR races on television, but on a smaller scale. Not only is Bacon Salt a product I love, but I feel it's something that other racers and fans will enjoy upon learning about.

We'll be rooting for you James! Go Bacon Salt racer, go.

Bacon Salt Recipe: Bacon Salt Mac and Cheese

I don't really like mac and cheese. Even as a kid, I never ate it. The wife is the same way - when she makes it for our kids she's not even tempted to try it. Dean, my four-year-old son didn't fall too far from the tree and has only eaten it under extreme protest.

The other day, she sprinkled Bacon Salt on the mac and cheese she was making for lunch for the kids - and Dean ate 3 helpings of it. Intrigued, she tried it herself and... actually... liked it. It was painful for her to admit.

So while this has passed the family testing process for plain old boxed mac n cheese, I thought I'd post a little fancier baked version of it on our blog:

Bacon Salt Mac and Cheese

1 pound macaroni
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
3 cups milk
1 large egg
12 ounces sharp or white cheddar, shredded
3-4 teaspoons Bacon Salt (Original works best)
Fresh black pepper

For the topping:
5 tablespoons butter
2 cups panko bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water cook the pasta to al dente. Melt the butter and whisk in the flour and 1/2 the Bacon Salt until it's lump-free. Stir in the milk and simmer on medium-low for 4-5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 of the cheese and the egg. Mix in the macaroni and pour into a casserole dish, then top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter and the other 1/2 of the Bacon Salt, then toss in the bread crumbs. Use as a topper for the macaroni, then bake for 30 minutes until browned.

I'm sure there are lots of variations on and additions to this that would be excellent (I'm thinking crab meat, ground beef, tomatoes and ham could all be good additions) - but hopefully this will get you started!

The Beginners' Guide to Bacon Salt

We field a lot of questions here at Bacon Salt. Some of them are obvious (how can I buy Bacon Salt?), some are unique (can you please make a bacon-flavored air freshener?) and some of them are outrageous (any ideas on how Bacon Salt can enhance my sex life?).

One of the most common ones we get is "How do you suggest using Bacon Salt?" We are usually quick to respond with suggestions, but thought we'd post it out to everyone. Without further ado, here's our Beginner's Guide to Using Bacon Salt.

• Original - a more savory version of Bacon Salt, it's like a straight bacon punch in the mouth. It's best with scrambled eggs or omelets, salads and sandwiches. It also combines really nicely with butter, which goes great on pasta, green veggies (we love green beans) and popcorn. You can also use a butter flavored popcorn seasoning or something like butter buds in combination in lieu of the butter.

• Hickory - a smokier version of Bacon Salt, but not in that bitter liquid-smokey kind of way. It's actually my personal favorite. This flavor pairs really well with any kind of potato product - you can baconize your baked potato, french fries, hash browns, tots, you name it. It's also great with grilled meats and fish - using it as a steak rub overnight, finish a burger with it, or throw it on salmon are all great. It is also AMAZING on corn on the cob.

• Peppered - this flavor is more sharp than spicy (just like peppered bacon), but there's definitely a kick there. Some of our customers (and employees) love it so much that they use Peppered almost exclusively on everything mentioned above and then some (as an example, tacos and fajitas are great). It's also great in Bloody Mary's or as a rim on tequila shots.

• Natural - this version is gluten-free (if you have a wheat allergy), low in sodium like the rest of the flavors, and doesn't contain any soy proteins (which are like smaller versions of bacon bits in the other flavors). It comes out almost like a bacon powder, and we think it's outstanding on chicken in particular, but also pairs nicely with eggs and potatoes as well as many of the other items mentioned above.

• General advice - Bacon Salt can be highly addictive. In my house, Bacon Salt has replaced salt, which is good for the blood pressure because it's way lower sodium (135mg for Bacon Salt vs. 600mg for table salt). When my kids (ages 2 and 4) go to other peoples' houses for dinner we have to coach them not to ask for Bacon Salt if they don't like the food.

There are lots of other things Bacon Salt is good on, we highly suggest experimenting and trying different combinations with your favorite foods. Consider us your human guinea pigs - if you come up with a great recipe or use for Bacon Salt, please email us at recipes@baconsalt.com!

Bacon Salt TV

A few video clips for your viewing pleasure - we're working on getting these up on our main website:

• Justin & Dave on ABC News 
• Us on Fox News #1 (young guns show)  
• Us on Fox News #2 (happy hour show)

You can also check out the written profile here from Fox Business.com, where Justin lists his business influences as Hugh Heffner, Snoop Dogg and Han Solo.

 

Bacon Salt Blog Post of the Week

We tune into the blogosphere and even stream of consciousness tools like Twitter, and get to read some awesome and hilarious posts about Bacon Salt. So as a way to say thank you, we are starting a new feature here in bacon-land: the Bacon Salt Blog of the Week.

There were a lot of contenders this week's blogosphere, including:

• Just Joshing You's finding religion because of Bacon Salt
• I was told there would be bacon will probably win Bacon Salt Blog of the Week once she finds something in her house to try it on - hilarious!
• Sire Says says it all
• CNET hits us again with their post about the new and interesting looking Toast N Egg machine
• This is an adventure loves Bacon Salt and America
• Frangry gets Frhappy
• Uncrate buries us in orders (thanks guys!)
• Alx shows how much we appeal to Venezuelan/Spanish/American/Swiss (population 2)

But the hands down winner this week was If Done Right, who rang in with two posts - the first about his adventures in Bacon Salt (carried over from Twitter)  and the second to let the world know that we've redefined his "Top 5 What Was Life Like Before This List." Also making his list of things that he can't live without were:

1. Internet Connectivity
2. Tivo
3. Hot Yoga
4. Bacon Salt
5. His king sized bed

John, thanks for the post, and we'll be in touch very soon with a special gift from us to you - nothing that would make your top 5, but a token of our appreciation all the same.