We decided to bring back the audio version of the show for iTunes. We feel that this will make it easier for some of you to listen to our show in the car and at work. A few of you have been asking us to bring this back, so your wish has come true. It’s a little more work on my end but your enjoyment is the reason we do this so its worth it.

Let us know if you have any problems with the new formate. We will still me doing the show live on uStream and you can still watch the recored video, we are just adding another way for you to enjoy that show.

Watch us on uStream.tv!

Watch LIVE Wednesdays at 7 pm EST at BaconLIVE.com!

So last week I just assumed that Pigson knew about Bacon Bash since he was making bacon sushi but this is not the case. It seems that this week Pigson and Mr. Baconpants meet for the first time. Pigson had no idea there was an event going on all about bacon.

I wonder if pigs even eat bacon or if Pigson is really a pig? He could be an alien that just happens to look like a pig or maybe he and everyone else doesn’t realize what he is. I guess we will find out as this strip continues.

[Read more Pigson comics here]

Could it be that mankind evolved to eat meat and that is why we have such a hunger for it? Even the Vegans can’t deny their cravings and produce products like tofu bacon and imitation chicken nuggets. Shouldn’t they should be happy eating grass and berries?

Let me go out on a limb and create a conspiracy. I’m going to say that PETA has stock in soy farms. They produce countless publications all saying that if you want to live a healthy guilt free life you need to eat soy. Then they promote soy milk, cheeses, and meat substitutes. All so they can bank in on your love of animals.

They say they are against eating meat but then try to disguise their recipes by giving them names like “Sweet and Sour Meatballs” and “Hearty Beef Cassoulet”. Why don’t they just call it what it is instead of feeling the need to trick people? Because if they did that no one would eat it, Hearty Bean Curd Cassoulet anyone?

They can’t even leave pizza alone. There are many pizza topping they could eat like mushrooms, peppers, and olives, but that’s not good enough for them. They want you to use veggie bacon, soy parmesan, and yeast! That’s right yeast. Now I’m no scientist but isn’t yeast a living organism? But for some reason it’s ok to keep this living creature locked in an air tight jar, literally crammed next to millions of their brothers and sisters, then giving them a small taste of freedom by letting them run free on top of your pizza seconds before popping it in the oven baking them alive at temperatures reaching 375 degrees. What monsters!!!

They make soy out to be this magical food from heaven that does nothing but promote healthy living. There are some studies showing that soy is not all it’s cracked up to be. The Food Renegade had a good article about it, you can find it here. Basically soy will give you a higher level of estrogen, destroy your thyroid, and cause digestive problems. Trust me stick with meat, or better yet bacon.

Next week we will wrap up the Vegan Agenda.

By Sean Brett

If you’re a member of the Bacon Nation on Facebook you probably heard about Aaron Tucker ordering (I mean sending his wife to get him) a Bacon Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen. Well here is the full behind the blizzard look at what went down that day.

Here is the story from Aaron:

I had written to our town’s DQ a few weeks ago about the Bacon Oreo Blizzard and they said, “If we’ve got the ingredients, we’ll put it in a Blizzard!”

So I sent my wife to pick up a Bacon Oreo Blizzard at Dairy Queen. I didn’t think she was going to do it because she said she’d be so embarrassed.

She drove up to the window and said, “This is going to sound weird.”

The voice from the box said, “OK?!”

“My husband said that the manager told him you could make him an Oreo Blizzard with bacon in it. That’s what I want.”

There was silence for a few seconds, and the voice in the box said, “You want an Oreo Blizzard with bacon? That sounds kinda good actually.”

So, with that out of the way she ordered herself a little chocolate Blizzard and drove up to the window. What she didn’t expect was to see was the manager running up to the window screaming, “Is he here? Is he here? We want to see him! He’s got balls!”

My wife just sat there in shock. Another employee came to the window to see what was going on.

“We’ve been waiting forever for your husband to come and order it,” the manager said. “We’re all excited in here. Can I get a picture of it before we give it to you?”

The manager disappeared for a minute to take pictures of the Bacon Oreo Blizzard and another employee arrived at the window to complete the transaction and also asked where I was. They were pretty disappointed that I hadn’t shown up in person.

After a bit more waiting, they (the manager and two employees) brought out the Bacon Oreo Blizzard and the chocolate Blizzard and asked my wife if she was going to try it for them right there.

She said, “No, I’ll let my husband try it first,” and she drove home as fast as the law allowed. She called me on the way to let me know that I was very famous at DQ even though I’ve never been there personally.

Minutes later I was in possession of the first and only DQ Bacon Oreo Blizzard the world has ever seen. The first thing we did was take pictures. By the time I got to enjoy it, it was starting to melt over the edges of the cup. Every bite was loaded with Oreo and bacon. I had no idea the bacon would stay so crunchy! It was awesome!

The Dairy Queen Manager wrote almost immediately and asked if I liked it. I sent back pictures and my thoughts. I also mentioned that I’d really love a bacon peanut butter cup Blizzard and a Bacon Peanut Buster Parfait. I hope they try it too!

I don’t know what’s funnier, the managers reaction or the fact that he sent his wife to get it for him. On Bacon LIVE this week Aaron gave us a few updates on the DQ bacon situation. I guess the corporate office frowns upon using bacon in Blizzards because of some kind of cross contamination that could happen. So before you go walking in to a DQ asking for a Bacon Oreo Blizzard make sure they have a cool manager that likes to bend the rules a little.

I would like to thank Aaron for sharing this story with us. Be sure to “like” the Bacon Nation page on Facebook so you can get more of his DQ bacon updates.

After reviewing the bacon Sean and I slipped in to some kind of bacon high. We started thinking up crazy ideas like “What if Mr. Baconpants was a superhero”. Once we got on the topic it seemed like the show went by so fast. After we were done recording the show we even started to flesh out the backstory and everything.

If you are a comic artist that would like to help us out please email us. We have the story we just need a Steve Ditko to our Stan Lee. In fact if we could just get Ditko that would be amazing! I could see Mr. Baconpants standing next to Mr. A! Sorry for all the nurd comic book references but I enjoy letting my inter nurd (or nurder nurd) show sometimes.

UPDATE: OMG OMG OMG!!!! It seems that uStream.tv messed up and stopped recording the show about 25 mins into the show. Lucky it got the bacon review BUT it miss the whole Mr. Baconpants superhero talk. I guess that might be a good thing since the only people that know about it now are the awesome people that watched live and Sean and I.

We are going to start recording the show in a better location with a direct LAN line so I hope this never happens again. If its does we will be looking for a new service to host our show on. If you know of other options please let us know.

Watch us on uStream.tv!

Watch LIVE Wednesdays at 7 pm EST at BaconLIVE.com!

Sugardale Foods is a sponsor for this year’s Bacon Bash and they provided the bacon for us to review for free. Please read my Disclosure Policy if you have any questions.

It’s time for another Pigson comic. I know I said I was going to post these on Saturdays but I forgot this weekend. Its hard to get in to a new habit.

This week Pigson is making his favorite, Bacon Sushi. I guess he heard that Bacon Bash will have it on the menu. He then got so excited he had to make some of his own. I am not sure if Pigson can make it better then the Harris Grill, but I guess he can try. It also looks like he saw that new Karate Kid movie, I will have to ask him what thought about it.

[Read more Pigson comics here]

Of course you knew that, because you’re not 5 years old. (And if you are 5 years old and are learning this for the first time, deal with it, and oh yea and Santa’s not real) PETA seems to think that anyone that eats meat is some kind of retarded caveman that doesn’t actually know where pork chops come from.

We all know what happens to animals in slaughter houses but do we really need PETA at every event handing out flyers showing a gutted chicken? PETA’s whole strategy is to gross you out and guilt you into not eating meat. But does this even work?

I personally have no problem watching them burn the hair off of a pig’s corpse as I enjoy a large BLT, but I know that not all people handle the sight of blood the same. Even someone that becomes physically sick over these pictures is more than likely going to swing by the McDonalds drive thru and order a double cheese burger when their appetite comes back.

Meat eaters have matured past the time of kindergarten and Disney movies and have gone on to accept the natural order of the food chain. As children, Vegan’s watched way too much Bambi and Charlotte’s Web. Now they can’t walk past a deli counter without crying.

But the Vegan child doesn’t stop there. Just like a little kid, they want everything to be their way and if it’s not they have a temper tantrum. But were a kid’s temper tantrum is a bunch of stomping and crying, the temper tantrum of a full grown Vegan man child includes but is not limited to; protesting, screaming, censorship, destroying privet property, and in some extreme cases causing personal injury and risking lives.

If a person decides for whatever reason to become a Vegetarian or Vegan that’s fine. It’s their life and in this country you are free to live how you see fit. We just don’t need you getting in people’s faces and yelling lies about your lifestyle trying to convert others. Just sit back and eat your Veggie-burger and shut up.

Tune in next week for “Let Me Soy You Something”.

Read more about the evil Vegan Agenda!

By Sean Brett

You probably heard me talk about them on Bacon LIVE but let me introduce you do the Bacon and Nacho Cheese Hotdogs from Sheetz.

For those of you who don’t know, Sheetz is a gas station that serves the most amazing gas station food ever, they call it MTO (Made to Order). All you do is walk up to a touch screen and build you food from the ground up. They serve hotdogs, subs, sandwiches, French fries, salads, fancy coffee drinks, just to name a few of the items they have. Everything you want can be made to order, you can even do a special requests of they don’t have the option you need on the magic touch screen.

What’s more amazing then the food and the way your order is how fast they get everything done. Everything is made fresh, even the fries. But enough about that, let’s get on with the hotdogs!

One of my favorite things to eat from Sheetz is what I believe is my own invention (I know it’s highly unlikely that I am the only person to think of this but just let me believe that) the Bacon and Nacho Cheese Dog.

On the hotdog is one strip of bacon, mayonnaise, onions, and nacho cheese. I added the onions to give the dog some veggies so the health nuts would get off my case. And the mayonnaise was added to kick it up a notch and counter act the healthiness of the onions (take that health nuts).

Sheetz does a really good job with the bacon. I feel it’s just as good as the McDonald’s bacon that is found on the bacon Angus burger. When Sheetz was making the bacon I watched them cook it and saw they just popped in the microwave for a few seconds. I know I usually hate microwave bacon, but it really does taste better then the stuff I made at home.

If you’re ever driving through PA and see a Sheetz, stop and get yourself a Bacon and Nacho Cheese Hotdog. You will not regret it and be sure to order a cup of their fries too.

We also talked about technology and cook gadgets. I wonder why were are not eating food in pill form yet or why we just can push a button on a machine and a cook meal pop out. Instead we have the George Foreman, a food dehydrator thing, and the Slap Chop. If someone could just combine all of those things they would make millions.

Tune in next week when we review Sugardale’s Thick Cut Hickory Bacon live. I have a feeling that this one could have the wow factor we are looking for. Also remember to buy you Bacon Bash tickets soon!

Watch us on uStream.tv!

Watch LIVE Wednesdays at 7 pm EST at BaconLIVE.com!

Sugardale Foods is a sponsor for this year’s Bacon Bash and they provided the bacon for us to review for free. Please read my Disclosure Policy if you have any questions.

Cold Hop has a dark gold pour with a moderate amount of thick head that quickly reduces down to a thin line around the glass. The aroma is a mixture of hoppy freshness with a bit of grassy earth. Up front the taste is hoppy, with a clovey bitterness that is fresh and clean. The back end of this brew is sweet, with a caramel sweetness that lingers. The beer is lightly carbonated with an alcohol tinge that is quite pleasing.

I love IPAs mostly because I am a total sucker for “smack me in the face” hops. Hoppy flavors add a level of crispness and cleanness to a beer that is extremely refreshing. Boulder Beer Cold Hop is overall a nice drinkable beer with true hoppy flavor that is lacking in some similar brews. While I love the upfront taste, I am not a fan of the sweet caramel aftertaste. Personally, I feel that this aftertaste takes away from the refreshing flavor that is so pleasant upfront. Its taste is absolutely true to an English IPA, though, and I feel that Boulder Beer Cold Hop is a success. Give it a try and let me know if you agree!

By Beth Kerr

I know most people believe anything they read, especially if it’s in the form of a fake newspaper. Then they go on about it in length at family functions and the work place without taking ten seconds to look any information up about it.

I took those ten seconds and found a website that explains the debate and even sites the research. PETA claims milk causes calcium to be leached from the bones because milk containing protein acidifies your body and your blood pulls bases like calcium out of your bones and teeth to stabilize the acid/base content of your blood. The problem is that milk is not just protein it is also fats and carbohydrates and also eating anything with your morning milk like cereal or fruit would take care of evening out the acid/base ratio.

Another claim is that in the United States milk is consumed at higher rates and we also have higher rates of osteoporosis and countries like Mexico have low consumption of milk and have lower levels of osteoporosis. So that proves it right? Wrong.

There are many differences between the United States and Mexico that could be linked to osteoporosis like genetic inheritance, people closer to the equator get more vitamin D from sunlight, and the Mexican people are more active when it comes to work and play. (You might work in an office building sitting in front of a computer all day then go home and watch TV while in Mexico they don’t have our luxuries so they have to work labor intensive jobs and instead of video games they play soccer.)

I’m sure all this information that shows other possible reasons for osteoporosis was just left out of this magazine by error. PETA would never intentionally try to mislead you.

This s*** rag of a magazine also claims that eating a non-meat diet is just as healthy if not healthier than one including meat. If that’s true, then why does every vegetarian I know take supplements?

One of the articles entitled “What About Protein, Iron, and Vitamin B12?” states that Vegans get all of their needed iron and proteins from soy, nuts, and beans. What about B12? They say that 50 years ago people got their B12 from the bacteria found in water and on fruits and vegetables. As a society we decided it would be better to drink clean water and not eat bacteria covered produce, so we started filtering water and washing tomatoes. So where is one to get their B12 now? You guessed it, meat or supplements. They recommend multivitamins saying they have ample amounts of B12 and claim that B12 in pill form is better, because it will be better absorbed then the B12 from meat.

So after all this talk about this wonderful healthy organic life style it turns out you don’t get all the vitamins you need and you feel it’s ok to replace them with a pill created in a lab. That’s getting back to nature.

Speaking of nature, tune in next week for “Farmers from Hell”.

Read more about the evil Vegan Agenda!

By Sean Brett

Who is Pigson?

Pigson is a web comic created by Carlos “Charlie” Robles. He is currently 26 years old and lives in Los Angeles, CA.

The story follows the life of a pig by the name of Pigson. Will Mr. Baconpants eat him one day or will they be friends forever. I guess you are going to have to wait and find out.

I plan to post more of these every Saturday when Charlie has time to make them. This first one is about the end of the World Cup. It seems that Pigson actually watched it in South Africa and is excited that it will be in Brazil next year.

Next time I see Pigson I will have to ask him to give me a recap of what I missed. After the US lost, I tuned out for the rest of the tournament.

Its been a long time since I did a Weekend Cooking so I thought I should try to bring it back. Beth is also going to help with with this weekly segment in the future.

The following recipe was created by Mary, an avid reader of the blog. She said she wanted to try making a dip that would be simple to make and make it possible to enjoy the flavors of a BLT at any occasion. I think she pulled it off well.

The dip made an appearance at a party I had at my house a few months ago and I must say it was good. It wasn’t a heavy dip like the popular buffalo chicken dip. It had a clean taste just like a a good BLT does.

I feel that this would be a good dip to bring to a cookout, especially if you have fresh garden vegetables to use. Also I would have used a bread bowl instead of the bagel chips. I feel the addition of bread would have enhanced the BLT like flavors.

Give the dip try and let us know what you think.

Ultimate BLT Dip

Ingredients:

• One 8 oz package of chive cream cheese
• 1/2 cup Mayonnaise
• One package of bacon (cooked crispy and diced into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 small tomatoes (chopped)
• 1 Avocado (chopped)
• 1 cup Cheddar cheese (finely shredded)
• 2 cups Lettuce (shredded)
• 1 package bagel chips (garlic suggested)

Directions:

1. Mix softened cream cheese and mayonnaise together until smooth. Spread into 8 x 8 pan or casserole dish.
2. Spread the bacon, tomatoes, avacado, and cheese over the cream cheese/mayonnaise mixture.
3. Top with chopped lettuce.
4. Serve with Bagel chips.

Bonus Tip: Instead of using the cream cheese, mayonnaise and bacon, use J&D’s Bacon Ranch Dip.

We talked about a lot of fun stuff like, the hotdog eating contest, turkey bacon, movies, and some bacon related topics. We planned on reviewing the Sugardale thinkcut bacon, but since it was so hot I thought we should save that for another day. I didn’t want to stand over a hot pan in the heat.

Also, reminder to get your Bacon Bash tickets soon. Sales are starting to pick up now that the holiday weekend is over.

Watch us on uStream.tv!

Watch LIVE Wednesdays at 7 pm EST at BaconLIVE.com!

When I was browsing the newswire for interesting bacon stories I was delighted to see the following headline in a New York newspaper:

“Try this burger with bacon and cheese served on a sugary doughnut bun, but no lard included”

I quickly clicked the link expecting to see the same Bacon Cheeseburger Doughnut that has been floating around on the internet for a while. To my surprise it was something new, but something didn’t look right with the photo. I didn’t see the bacon. I posted the photo above so you can inspect it yourself.

Turns out, the mystery meat hanging out on top of the burger is turkey meat paste and not bacon. My heart sank and I felt betrayed by the New York Daily News. Why would they make such a huge mistake like that?

It is time we as bacon lovers reclaim the word bacon.

• Bacon IS cured meat prepared from pork belly (or back for you crazy Canadians and Brits).
• Bacon is NOT processed turkey meat.
• Bacon is NOT tofu or vegan.
• Bacon is NOT simply a smoky flavor added to novelty products.

If your religion or diet restricts you form eating bacon, why would you want to eat a food that replicates it? You don’t see me trying to create tofu made from bacon.

Leave bacon alone. If you want to eat it then suck it up and eat the real thing. It will not be the end of the world and if you eat it in moderation will not take a year off your life. Just enjoy bacon.

I have been lucky to try the limited seasonal offering honoring “South Bay Bessie” from Great Lakes Brewery Company, Lake Erie Monster, twice so far here in Pittsburgh. This is the first year since its inception in 2005 that it has been distributed much outside of Cleveland, and even now it is difficult to find.

Lake Erie Monster is an unfiltered imperial India pale ale that when poured is surprisingly clear, golden, with a white persistent head that laced pleasantly around the glass while drinking. The aroma of this brew is very fresh, hoppy throughout, with lemon. While you are hit with a lot of hoppyness with your first taste, plus refreshing lemongrass and pine, the noticeable alcohol flavor on the backend is masked perfectly with sweet malt that does not leave an unpleasant too-sweet aftertaste. The honey-like malt flavor balances with the major hops and unmistakable alcohol without making itself overwhelming, something that I find all too rare.

While this beer is hoppy enough to satisfy IPA lovers everywhere (and to scare off any hop-fearers), it is so drinkable that it easily lives up to its name as a monster. Clocking in 9.1% ABV, drinkability is a dangerous characteristic for this beer to have! I highly recommend (carefully) giving this delectable brew a try before they are all gone. Lake Erie Monster is only available from May to July, so your time is running out! I found Lake Erie Monster on draft at Harris Grill (the location of Bacon Bash) on Ellsworth Ave in Shadyside and more recently at the Sharp Edge in Friendship.

By Beth Kerr

As I raised the small news paper to my face the first thing I noticed was Tobey Magurie’s smiling face, the second was big lettering that said, “Go Vegetarian Go Vegan!” Normally I would just throw this away in the nearest sewer drain but I decided to check it out. It’s always a good idea to see other points of view even if you don’t agree with them.

I turned to the first page of this PETA sponsored Vegan Starter Kit and instantly knew I made a mistake. The first two pages were covered with smiling celebrities and quotes’ proving that once again all you need to make it in show business is looks. Here are some of the gems that stuck out.

Sir Paul McCartney: Says “chickens are as intelligent as dogs, cats, and some primates”

I have personally have never seen any of these smart chickens but if they’re as smart as dogs, cats, and monkeys then that must mean they also play, throw and eat their own poop. That must also mean that if we can prove an animal is dumber then a dog it would be ok to eat them.

Constance Marie: (yea I never heard of her either.) Held a chicken once during the filming of “Selena” and it was at that point in her live that she realized for the first time that animals are alive and where chicken nuggets come from.

Carrie Underwood: Says killing animals for meat just makes her sad. I guess we’ll just have to kill them for sport and the sheer fun of it.

Pam Anderson: Says chickens, pigs and other animals are interesting individuals with personality and intelligence. She’s right, have you ever talked to a pig? They are down right charming and would be the life of the party at any social gathering. Especially when they do that trick were they roll in their own feces

I read through all 22 pages of this garbage and found some interesting recurring themes. They like to mention over and over again that Vegans are in perfect health and meat-eaters are over weight. I found 20 different comments saying this, but what I want to know is, if Vegetarians and Vegans are all the perfect body weight then what the hell are Alec Baldwin and Forest Whitaker doing in this magazine? If you believe that Alec Baldwin doesn’t eat cheeseburgers you probably also believe that milks CAUSES osteoporosis. Oh wait… I’m sorry, they claim that too.

Read more about the Vegan Agenda!

By Sean Brett

Well I have my “Mmmerica” shirt from Tee Fury (sorry if you missed) so now I am officially ready to celebrate our independents in style. I might even wear the shirt all weekend.

I figured now would be a good time to pull out some older posts that should help you have the best 4th of July cookout ever.

Beer: You got to have beer at a cook out here are some of my favorites, Brew Free! Or Die IPA, Big Hop IPA, Racer 5 IPA, and Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA.

Food: Other then beer, food is the second most important thing at a cook out. Here are some ideas for you, Bacon Burger Dogs, Grill around the Globe, Heart Attack Snack, and the Bacon Explosion.

I hope those help you have a great time this weekend. I have a lot of other posts I could have added but it would have took me for ever to find them all. If you think I missed any important ones just link to them in the comments. Just search for your favorites or browse the archives.

Have a great weekend and remember to buy your Bacon Bash tickets.

Enjoy Bacon!

We also talked about the comeback of the Taco Bell Bacon Club Chalupa. Sean will give it a try and let us know what he thinks. We then wrapped up the show with banter about ordering food late at night and Obama’s aids eating baskets of bacon.

Watch us on uStream.tv!

Watch LIVE Wednesdays at 7 pm EST at BaconLIVE.com!

Admittedly, prior to this spring, I hadn’t drunk beer from a can in a very, very, long time. There are great benefits from drinking beer in a can, including the most satisfying “crack” of opening it and its welcome spot at any outdoor event. Despite this, a few things always disturbed me about beer in a can. First, the metallic tinge of flavor that was added when drinking beer from a can always was a huge turn-off for me. Secondly, there are simply only awful choices of beers available in cans. That is, until now.

I can thank the hot brew trend of the season, craft beers in cans. I’ve tried several of these this spring and summer, two of which came from 21st Amendment Brewery out of San Francisco, CA. Most recently, their Brew Free! Or Die IPA has been resting comfortably in our fridge.

First of all, this beer gets points for awesome name and can design. It really stands apart from the other beers in the distributor, which it should, because I would be quick to dismiss boring cans in the sea of fancy bottles. Out of the can it is a rich golden color with a moderate amount of thick head which stuck around. Its flowery aroma is pretty standard for an IPA, although less impressive than similar brews. While the mouthfeel of this beer is very pleasing, with a thick, satisfying, slightly carbonated sensation, I feel that its taste was good, but nothing to write home about. I was left hoping for a little more hoppy bitterness with this beer. The sweetness of the malts in this IPA was a bit too present, definitely not allowing the hops to take center stage. This characteristic made the beer quite drinkable, though, which leads me to decide that it passes my “cookout worthy” test.

While I found the beer enjoyable to drink, it left me unfulfilled as an IPA. Is this a consequence of the can? I don’t know the answer to that, but I feel that 21st Amendment Brewery can be proud of their success of improving the state of canned beer. I recommend it for your Fourth of July bash, as well with lunch or dinner. Finally, I feel that this IPA, because of its lack of bitterness, may be a more universal craft brew for those used to drinking the current “triple hop brewed” canned beer selection.

Let me know what you think about this beer if you have the chance to try it. Also be sure to check out my last beer review, Sweaty Betty Blonde.

By Beth Kerr