Not too long ago, a reader came to us with the idea that we should write a bacon book. You know, a book about bacon. We tossed around a few ideas that all centered around bacon and books and how to combine them into a book about bacon but we haven’t nailed down a bacon book concept just yet.

Today we received an email from Boss Hog over at BaconFreak.com announcing that he’s released the first edition of his Bacon Cookbook. What better book about bacon could there be than a bacon book that helps you cook the meat candy?

According to the web site (with the oh-so-catchy URL of BaconCookbook.com) they’ve got recipes from some renowned chefs that will help you get your bacon fix for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, and even bacon desserts.

We got a chance to peek at the bacon cookbook ahead of time and were impressed with the quality of the bacon recipes included in the book. Don’t be surprised if you see a couple examples of bacon dishes we test out here at Bacon Today. We’re planning to cook up a few of the meals to give them the official Bacon Today taste test.

The Bacon Freak Bacon Cookbook is available in both downloadable PDF and paperback formats. Head on over to BaconCookbook.com and get your copy today!

Walking through Tractor Supply Co. in rural Virginia, I noticed a book on the shelf titled “Home Sausage Making”. I took a quick glance around the book rack and was initially disappointed that their only meat preparation book involved bacon’s compressed cousin.

Upon closer examination though revealed that Tractor Supply Co. has it’s priorities straight. I spied the book “How to Raise Pigs” — in a way a book about bacon from start to finish.

This book is filled with everything you need to know about raising pigs and preparing them for a future as sweet, sweet bacon. Just look at the table of contents – this sucker is action packed!

Chapter 1 – An Introduction to Pigs & People
Chapter 2 – Getting Started
Chapter 3 – Pork Production Systems – What’s Your Plan?
Chapter 4 – Breeds of Pigs
Chapter 5 – Pork Production Systems – Organic, Sustainable, and Convential
Chapter 6 – Housing and Facilities
Chapter 7 – Fencing and Enclosures
Chapter 8 – Nutrient Management
Chapter 9 – Breeding and Reproduction
Chapter 10 – Feed for Profit and Production
Chapter 11 – Managing Your Pigs
Chapter 12 – Marketing Meat
Chapter 13 – Home Butchering
Chapter 14 – Exit Strategies
Chapter 15 – Showing Pigs
Chapter 16 – Country Living
Chapter 17 – Help and Advice

Here are a couple sample pages. Run out and buy this one, start raising some pigs, and document the process. We’ll start a new series on Bacon Today featuring your entry into the world of start to finish baconing!

It’s been a couple of months since we first introduced the Bactionary. It’s really as simple as it sounds – the Bactionary is the dictionary for all things bacon. After the addition of “baco” from yesterday’s article, we thought it was just about time to break it out again. 

As always, we welcome any suggestions you might have for new bacon words, terms or phrases. Just  send the word, pronounciation and definition to bacontoday [at] gmail [dot] com.

Now, without further ado, we present the Bactionary – second edition. 

– Mike

The Official Bacon Today Bactionary – Second Edition
1/27/09
back bacon (noun) – Prepared from brined, center-cut pork loin. (Wikipedia) See also, Irish bacon, Canadian bacon.

baclical (adj.) – When conversations or occurrences seem to revolve around bacon, they are baclical. Think cyclical, but with bacon.

baco (noun) – ba-co [bah-koh] – Success embodied and carved into a convenient hand-sized package of glory. – See, it’s not “bake-o”, it is “bah-koh”, got it? You know, like a taco. A taco BUT WITH A BACON SHELL! Here is a rhyme you may use to help you with this pronounciation: “Crumble crumble little taco, don’t you wish you were a baco?” Also you may use this classic: “One, two, buckle my taco/ three, four, give me a baco.”

bacompose (verb) – To write songs, music or parodies about bacon.

Bacomposer (noun) – One who writes songs, music or parodies about bacon or inspired by bacon. Jenny Winalski and Kristen Wall are wonderful Bacomposers who write musical parodies about bacon. Also -ed, -ing.

bacon (noun) – Delicious. Sweet. Written about daily on BaconToday.com.

bacon jerky (noun) – Dehydrated & treated bacon requiring no refrigeration. Take it with you on the road.

bacon test (bacon TEST) (noun) – A test to determine how much one likes bacon. Do you love bacon? Yes? Good. No? Ask again.

Baconista (noun) – One who both prepares and serves you bacon.

Baconite (noun) – A devoted fan of bacon, specifically one who reads BaconToday.com, a website that features daily updates on the world of sweet, sweet bacon.

Baconographer (noun) – One who writes about bacon and bacon related events.

bacontest (baCONtest) (noun) – A contest that involves or rewards contestants with bacon or bacon-related products.

Bacontrepeneur (noun) – A person who starts a business based on the preparation, distribution, sale or propagation of bacon and bacon-related products and other content. Justin & Dave, the Bacon Salt guys, are prime examples of bacontrepreneurs.

bacony (adj) – Of or relating to bacon.

bactastic (adj) – Amazingly wonderful, utterly fantastic bacon foods or experiences with bacon.

bactionary (noun) – The original dictionary of bacon from BaconToday.com.

Bactober (noun) – The 13th month of the year that should be recognized. (By the United Nations, if possible.)

bakini (noun) – Women’s swimwear made entirely of bacon.

belly bacon (noun) – Marbled, streaky or “American” bacon, which is made from the meat of a pig’s belly. See also: bacon.

Canadian bacon (noun) – See ‘back bacon’.

Enbaclopedia (noun) – A website of collection of books with articles that explore all aspects of all things bacon.

Irish bacon (noun) – See ‘back bacon’.

pre-bacon (noun) – A pig in its living & breathing state. If it will one day be bacon, then it’s pre-bacon today.

Smaste^TM (noun) – A proprietary Bacon Today rating system that represents a combination of smell and taste. This rating system is as arbitrary as it is inaccurate. The scale has a theoretical maximum of, oh, let’s call it 47. Bacon itself only factors in at a maximum Smaste^TM rating of 36.2174 when cooked to perfection. Smaste^TM is determined by the following made up formula, painstakingly developed by Mike Kirsch of Bacon Today: (([smell factor]+[taste factor])*uniqueness)/([strange factor]+[gross quotient])

Smastiness^TM (noun) – The quality of Smaste^TM contained in a food.

Smasteulator^TM (noun) – A device that calculates the Smaste^TM rating of a food.

Smastey^TM (adj) – Used to describe the amount of Smaste^TM contained in a food. Those bacon cinnamon rolls were very Smastey^TM. Those bacon lemon bars were not very Smastey^TM at all.

Thanksbacon (noun) – In America, Thanksbacon occurs any time bacon is made available or consumed during any meal eaten on the fourth Thursday of November. To wish someone “Happy Thanksbacon” is to impart a general sense of well-wishing that they may encounter bacon during Thanksgiving. Term first used by Bill Corbett of the Rifftrax Blog on November 24th, 2008.

Turbaconducken (noun) – A chicken wrapped in bacon stuffed in a duck wrapped in bacon stuffed in a turkey wrapped in bacon. First prepared by Corey James of Bacon Today.

turkey bacon (noun) – Turkey that’s cut, seasoned and prepared in such as way as to pretend to be bacon, but is not actually bacon.

I was talking with a friend last week about Bacon Today and my love for all things bacon. She thought she would darken my day by telling me about a book called A Day No Pigs Would Die. She said that if I read that book I would never want to eat bacon again. NEVER EAT BACON AGAIN???

I cannot support this book. No Sir.

If you love bacon, DO NOT read A Day No Pigs Would Die.