On Saturday, March 21, 2009, we attended the very first Baconcamp. This un-conference was held in the spirit of Barcamp and was attended by a wide range of bacon lovers from all over the place.

I’m borrowing a bit from Scott Kveton’s recap of the event (and using some of his super cool photos too), so thanks to Scott and all the folks at Bacn.com for that and working hard to put on a great event.

Mike & I sat on the panel of celebrity judges for the food+bacon portion of Baconcamp. Joining us were (listed by Twitter name) @iamcal, @arielwaldman, @micahsaul, Otto Von Danger (founder of BaconFest), and @kveton. Our Twitter name is @bacontoday in case you were wondering. With over 40 bacon-related dishes to sample, it was a long and bacony journey and very difficult to keep sharp on our scoring as we neared bacon coma.

We’ll list all the bacon dishes in a later article. For now, we’ll just list the winners. Quoting from Scott Kveton’s recap:

“The audience was given 3 votes which they could put towards the “Best Overall” and we recognized those with “Grand Prize” and “Runner-up” trophies.

• Grand Prize: Maker’s Mark Ice Cream – @mooflyfoof
• Runner-up: Chicken-fried Bacon – mp

The judges also had a few prizes they wanted to hand out based on the dishes we all sampled:

• Judges Choice: The Bacone – Christian from Wikia
• Judges Choice Runner-up: Potato bacon tart
• Best presentation: Maple Bacon Lollipop
• Most scientific: Bacon Hyper-cube
• Most likely to tempt a veggie: Bacon hummus
• Best Soup: Bacon Pea Soup – @oznog
• Best effort, worst food: Bacon Brownies (hint: don’t mention poop during your preso)”

That ought to whet your bacappetites just enough for now. Check back soon for more updates and our video documenting the event titled “24 Hours of Bacon”.

Photo credit to Scott from the place where you should buy bacon.

2008 was a year drenched in bacony goodness. Of course, 2008 was the year that saw the founding of this very web site and also a string of bacon-themed events that surely helped fuel the bacon-loving fire of countless humans around the globe. The following is the recap of the third event named Baconfest 2008 to which our spectacular readers have brought our attention. This great story inspires us even further to attend the festivites at Baconcamp in San Francisco on March 21.

Enjoy!

—–

Being such a bacon lover, I oft research bacon recipes.  Some inspire me, so I try them out when I can.  But there is a plethora of them.  I only have so much spare time.  So I thought to myself, “Self… there is no way we can research all the bacon recipes that are available in books and online, let alone try to make them!  We need to find a way to get others to help us.  Maybe our best friends can find a new bacon recipe, make it and bring it over for us to eat.  Nah, they won’t do that.  We would have to promise to get them drunk or laid.  The first is possible, but the second has ethical and legal issues with which we cannot morally cope.  We could make bacon-infused bourbon for Bacon Manhattans.  A smokey one one do nicely.  We could also infuse vodka with a maple bacon for Bloody Mary.  Mmmmm… they sound good, even in our own head!  Should we invite our friends over for a theme party?  Knowing us so well, they would probably see right through that.  We need co-hosts.  Our fiance is an obvious (and required) cohort.  Maybe another friend in addition that is as much of a fan as bacon & spirits as we are.  That might… just… work…”

Boy-Oh-Boy, did it ever!  That conversation I had in my head was the most concise & effective one I ever had.  Baconfest 2008 was an absolute smash.  The kitchen of our home was a little crowded and busy, but we made due.

The kitchen of our home was a little crowded and busy, but we made due.
You are probably interested in learning what we had to eat.  The list is as follows:

• Bacon, Broccoli & Cheese Calazone
• Cobb Pasta
• Mini Turkey BLTs
• Chocolate-Bacon Cupcakes
• Pancetta Wrapped Shrimp
• Bacon Wrapped Dates w/Almonds
• Bacon Leek Quiche
• Bacon Chocolate Cracker Squares
• Bacon Rye Cheese Sandwiches
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken
• Romano Cheese Smoked-Bacon Popcorn
• Bacon Mac & Cheese
• Cheddar Cheese Maple-Bacon Popcorn
• Vanilla Ice Cream Topped w/Bacon Caramel
• German Potato Salad
• Bacon, Broccoli, Raisin & Sunflower Salad
• Bacon Pasta “Surprise”
• Bacon Veggie Quiche
• Bacon Wrapped Deep Fried Brats
• Twice Baked Potatoes w/Bacon
• Carbonara
• Potato Chips w/Sour Cream Bacon Dip
• An Assortment of Bacon Dipped in Chocolate

What a lineup.  There was enough food to feed an army.  The items that did NOT make it (due to last minute substitutions or no-shows) include:

• Bacon Wrapped Scallops
• Spinach Salad w/Bacon Dressing
• Bacon Blueberry Cobbler
• Bacon Casserole Surprise
• Bacon Chili
• Bacon Home-smoked Pork Belly
• Bacon Greek Salad w/Fakin’ Bacon
• Bacon Cinnamon Rolls
• Bacon Gummy Candy
• Bacon Jelly Beans
• Bacon Brittle
• Emu Bacon
• Wild Boar Bacon
• Candied Bacon
• Bacon Pizza

There were so many excellent creations, it is difficult to say which one was best.  I thoroughly enjoyed everything I ate.  And I ate EVERYTHING.  The dishes with which I was most impressed were the the Bacon Chocolate Cracker Squares (in it’s simplicity & familiarity) and the Bacon Wrapped Dates Stuffed with Almonds (something entirely different).  Mmmm-Mmmm-MMMM!!!

On the way out, everybody had full bellies, big smiles, trays of leftovers and was talking about what they will bring to make Baconfest 2009 even better.  Personally, besides offering cholesterol screening and hypertension counseling, I do not think it could go any better.

It’s amazing.  Bacon all by itself is wonderful.  Some say one of life’s greatest gustatory pleasures.  The aroma of it frying evokes ravenous hunger.   Combine it with another of your favorite ingredients or dishes and it takes a meal to a whole new level.  Gather your friends, fuel it with alcohol (bacon-infused alcohol) and it can be one of the best parties you can throw.

I need to retire to the living room for a Sunday afternoon and evening of NFL.  If I could only find something to eat.

Porcinely Yours,

Michael B.

—–

Thanks for the recap Michael and folks, keep those bacony-good stories coming to bacontoday@gmail.com.

–Corey James