Greetings Bacon Nation,

Well, we’ve had two Satellite Dinners come and go and two more are on the horizon.

First, due props to Chef Gilbert Langlois of Chalkboard and Chef Derek Simcik of the Atwood Cafe for their INCREDIBLE evenings of Bacon-Nirvana.  Below are some highlight photos.  (I know, looking at pictures of food porn can be frustrating, but I gotta post them.  The overt implication being that you too could enjoy such delights and should definitely get your reservations in for the next few dinners.)

So lets talk about our next dinner. On December 8th, we are being hosted by the wonderful folks at the Custom House Tavern.  And we have quite a line-up of guest contributors to what will no doubt be a thrilling evening of drinking and dining.

We only have another 20 or so seats left.  So GET CRACKING!

Custom House Tavern Baconfest Chicago Satellite Dinner Thursday December 8
500 South Dearborn Street
Chicago, IL 60605-1532
(312) 523-0200

6:00pm – 6:45pm reception/cocktail hour
7:00pm – dinner

Cost:  $75.00 per person.  ALL INCLUSIVE, will cover food, libations, gratuities, and tax.
REPEAT:  All Inclusive!

Reservations by contacting the restaurant : (312) 523-0200
Credit card required for reservation.  Custom House will run the charge in advance of the meal.
If you’ve already booked, the restaurant will be contacting you to collect your credit card details.
Receipt provided upon arrival.

Here is what Chef Perry Hendrix and his team will be presenting:

Passed Hors d’Oeuvres:
Bacon Fritters with Pickled Golden Raisins
Poached Shrimp with Bacon Mayo & Tomato Jam
Bacon, Peanut Butter & Banana Sandwiches
Grilled Pork Belly, Grilled Clam & Pearl Onion Skewers

First Course:
Bacon Pate with Dried Cherry Mustard
Bitter Greens Salad with Grilled Pork Belly, Poached Egg & Croutons
Cavetelli Carbonara – Handmade Pasta, Bacon, Onion & Black Pepper

Second Course:
Cured and Smoked Pork Loin with Apple & Celery
Bacon Wrapped Trout with Roasted Red Pepper – Smoked Almond Sauce
Braised Collard Greens
Potato Boulangere

For dessert:
Brown butter bacon fat Blondie, maple ice cream,
Bourbon butterscotch, maple-pecan candied bacon

Adam Seger Mixologist – Hum Spirits Co.  is handling drink pairings.  What more can we say?  He is as A-list as they come.  Read more about Adam in STYLE CHICAGO.

Here’s what he just sent us today as his initial brainstorm:

‘Applewood Smoked Punch’ Offered to all guests on arrival
Smoked Tea, Hum Botanical Rum, Maple Sour, Heirloom Apples, Seedlings Apple Cider, Slapped Sage
‘Bacon Humhattan’ – Available to order at the bar via a printed cocktail list
Bacon Infused Bourbon, Hum, Homemade Maraschino’s, Bacon Bitters
‘Figgy Piggy Collins’ – Available to order at the bar via a printed cocktail list
Bacon Infused Vodka, Lemon, Fig Syrup, Soda, Bacon-Blue Cheese Rim

Not to mention our steadfast sponsors Candid Wines and Jo Snow Syrups will be on hand.

AND as if all this is not incentive enough, GOOSE ISLAND is on board serving their awesome Matilda brew which was all the rage at Baconfest Chicago last spring.

And while we’re giving props to Sponsors:  Once again Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats is donating a ton of bacon to this event for use in various dishes.

Get on the phone.  Make that reservation.  You don’t want to be one of those people grudgingly looking at photos on Facebook on December 9th.  You know you don’t.

Andre, Seth and Michael

****************

From Chef Gil Langlois at Chalkboard November 8th, 2011

Pork Belly – Braised with Star Anise with melted leeks, celery root puree and crispy pork brie

Pumpkin & Bacon Bread Pudding
with New Orleans Pecans, Caramel Ice Cream and Bacon Fat Frosting

************

From Chef Derek Simcik at the Atwood Cafe November 14th

rabbit loin wrapped in bacon and stuffed with fig tipped with scotch mustard seeds over carrot purée. Oh, and a candied maple leaf.

Sweetbreads! Candied bacon! Yum!

I’m totally one of those people that quietly scoffs when their friends post on Facebook and Twitter every time they sneeze, fart or eat a good meal – but here I am doing the same thing.  Call me a hypocrite and justly so, but this was a GOOD meal featuring some BFC sponsor/vendor product.

I found myself in the neighborhood of Paulina Meat Market yesterday afternoon, dropped in, and was inspired to purchase a few serious steaks.  Michael came over for dinner and we fired up the grill.

I’d picked up a Tomahawk Chop (almost 2lbs) and a Rib-Eye steak from Paulina.  Michael assembled a seasoning mix inspired by some dry-rub recipes he’s been playing with.  Both cuts were coated, allowed to sit for a bit, then thrown on the grill.  Finished with a chimichurri sauce on the side.  INCREDIBLE.  Thank you Paulina for introducing us to the epic Tomahawk Chop.

Meanwhile, I had some jalapeno peppers in the fridge.  We cored them out and stuffed them with cooked smoked sausage, wrapped them in bacon, stuck toothpicks through them and tossed them on the grill.  The Bacon was of course NUESKE’S given to me at my recent visit to Nueske’s Headquarters.  Now I’m not one for hyperbole (ok, maybe I am), but these were seriously the BEST EVER grilled bacon-wrapped jalapenos I’ve ever had – EVER.

I’ll let the pics say the rest.

Thanks for reading.

Andre VonBaconvitch

As those who read our blog with dedication may have already deduced, Seth, Michael and I are dreaming big.  Why dream at all if not to dream “big”?  In the hopes of bringing the joys of Baconfest to other currently deprived municipalities, we’ve decided to take what we’ve learned from our success here in Chicago and propagate the model in other cities, Washington D.C. and San Francisco for starters.

Why?  That’s like asking Mark Zuckerberg circa 2004 “Why expand Facebook outside of Harvard?”  It’s BACON, and while regional temperaments and demographics may vary, we at Baconfest believe that a Bacon-Fan is a Bacon-Fan whether in the sweltering zydeco-infused streets of New Orleans or the wind-swept beaches and palm trees of California and yes, even in our nation’s capital where “pork” has a whole different connotation.  Our goal is to grow the legions of Bacon-Nation beyond city and state boundaries and to turn the dream of Baconfest U.S.A. into a glittering reality.

We are incredibly proud of how we’ve grown and all we’ve learned in the last three years here in Chicago.  Rest assured Chicagoans, Baconfest Chicago 2012 will reach new heights in bacon-bacchanalia.

But a year is a long while to lie in wait for that glorious Chicago day in April.  And to be 100% honest, Seth, Mike and I, like all red-blooded Americans, do fantasize about a day when we can spend our whole days spreading the gospel of Baconfest.  That day may never come, but we can dream can’t we?  And more than dream, we can PLAN!  And planning is just what we’ve begun.

A few weeks ago, Seth and I took a trip to Washington D.C.  The goals were three fold:

1. To tour a series of potential venues
2. To meet with folks at the D.C. Central Kitchen (a potential partner in our charitable efforts ala the GCFD here in Chicago)
3. To begin to foster relationships with local Chefs and restaurant PR reps

Stop reading now if details are not your thing, but if anyone is interested in how a project such as ours gets boot-strapped from scratch in a foreign city, you might enjoy this trip recap.

We chose to target D.C. as our first non-Chicago city for expansion not only because Seth grew up there and he has family in the area (free housing), and I spend a lot of time there for my day job, but also because the culinary scene is as vibrant as any city outside of our own.  So many great chefs and restaurants thrive in a relatively concentrated area.

I have to first thank Seth’s family in D.C.  The entire Zurer clan were incredible hosts and ambassadors to their city.  Seth’s brother Jonathan, who is a film/TV producer based in D.C. was an invaluable resource, and in fact before we even landed, he’d scheduled a myriad of venue visits and meetings that constituted the vast majority of our time there.

As we learned in Chicago, there is a triangle to kick-starting a Baconfest.  Lock down a date/venue, rally behind a local food-based charity we believe in (the GCFD), and get chefs on board who, along with their Bacon-creations, are the stars of the show.  How is this triangle achieved?  Networking is EVERYTHING!!!

In. D.C., we began with a series of venue visits, and wow, what an eye-opening experience.  We really learned to appreciate the awesomeness and affordability of our incredible new home in Chicago as of April 2011, The UIC Forum.  In D.C., the venues we visited (some of which have housed many an Inaugural Ball), are NOT inexpensive.  Seriously!  We visited over 10 venues ranging from the raw D.C. armory to the totally posh National Gallery.  See the series of photos below.  Many thanks to the great venue reps who took us around and entertained our questions like “so how could we fit 60 chefs in here cooking with bacon?” with humor and good cheer.  We haven’t yet settled on a venue/date, but we have a great sense of the budget/time frame/union restrictions etc. with which to negotiate.  Baby steps.  We gotta start somewhere.

Next, we had what I think was an exhilarating meeting with Chief Development Officer Brian MacNair of the D.C. Central Kitchen (DCCK).  More info on the DCCK can be found here:  www.dcck.com Brian is responsible for public relations and communications; raising over $2 million in annual funds, and is also responsible for organizing the Capital Food Fight, their big annual fundraising event.   He gave us a detailed tour of the facility concluding with an in depth meeting regarding ways in which Baconfest D.C. might forge a partnership with DCCK.  Very exciting.  His connections with the D.C. culinary scene run very deep, and it was really thrilling to speak with someone with so much hands-on experience working with local chefs on similar chef-driven fundraisers.  His insight and expertise were invaluable.  Will the DCCK be our D.C. version of the Greater Chicago Food Depository (i.e. our charity beneficiary)?  Still too early to tell, but a great connection was formed and we look forward to seeing where it leads.

We then had a handful of great ancillary conversations.  We spoke with Julie Mounts, a biologist at the Smithsonian.  Julie runs their annual sustainable seafood dinner – we compared notes about running 1000-odd guest food events and she gave us some good leads about working in the city re: licensing and permits etc.  Additionally, we spoke with P.J. Weber who is an account executive at the Capital Meat Company based in D.C.  He also happens to be Chef Chris Lateano’s (Baconfest Chicago vet and 2010 Golden Rasher Winner) brother in-law.  Chicago connections coming through!!  P.J. is really interested in helping us make connections with chefs and helping us arrange for possible local bacon sponsors.  Fantastic.  We also paid a visit to Melissa Wenczkowski – Convention Services Manager with Destination D.C., the official Convention and Tourism Corporation for Washington D.C.  She gave us a great birds-eye view of the various city fests and venues and was a great help in assembling our roster of potential venues.

We sat down with chef Dean Gold of Dino Ristorante in D.C. We picked his brain about a myriad of issues, such as “what makes chefs excited to partake in Chef-driven food festivals? And “what turns them off?”  He was a wealth of information, and we’re happy to say that to him, the idea of cooking for a Bacon festival was a no brainer – yes!  He also pointed us in the direction of a venue previously not on our radar, but which quickly became one of our favorites – the Washington Hilton (aka the Hinkley Hilton.)

We had lunch in D.C. at an Izakaya restaurant of Jonathan’s choosing called Kushi.  It was relatively quiet in there on a Monday afternoon, and we found ourselves in jovial conversation with the executive chef and owner Darren Lee Norris who, along with his lovely wife/business partner Ari Kushimoto Norris, gave us an exquisite meal.  And yes, Bacon was heavily featured.  Darren and Ari too seemed pretty jazzed about the idea of jamming with bacon at Baconfest D.C.  (Incidentally, Google “Kushi D.C.” – turns out they are one of the region’s hottest restaurants.)

Finally, we had the extreme pleasure of enjoying a glorious fresh crab feast (hosted by Jonathan and his wife Lisa) at which a woman named Libby Richman and her husband Brian joined us.  Libby is also a TV producer based in D.C. and her mom is Phyllis Richman, who was the chief food critic at the Washington Post for over two decades.  Libby’s connections to the top chefs in D.C. run VERY deep, and her enthusiasm for a D.C. Baconfest was incredibly exciting.  She’s agreed to help us connect with her chef contacts as we assemble that last most important piece of the puzzle:  the Chefs!  And as a bonus, she and her husband are just delightful folks and are a blast to hang out with.

All in all it was a tremendous trip, with much groundwork set in motion.  When/Where/Will Baconfest D.C. actually happen?  At this point, we really just don’t know, but the foundation is in motion and if our success in Chicago is any barometer, we’re certain we will fire things up with our due diligence, enthusiasm and love of bacon as the fuel.

If you want to follow our progress in DC, follow @BaconfestDC on Twitter. So far, we have like 10 followers total – so help us spread the word bacon-nation; especially to any pals you might have in the D.C. area.

Enjoy these last days of Summer Bacon-peeps.

More info on Baconfest CHICAGO 2012 will follow in the coming month.

Best,
Andre Von Baconvitch

*****

Union Station

National Building Museum

D.C. Armory

Mellon Building

The Old Post Office Building

Washington Hilton (aka the Hinkley Hilton)

Renaissance D.C.

Grand Hyatt Ballroom

Marriott Wardman Park Ballroom

So my lovely wife (Mrs. Chloe Vonbaconvitch) and I were up in northern Wisconsin over the weekend visiting some friends at their cottage on Post Lake near Nicollette National Forest.  On our drive back south, we stopped in Wittenberg, WI to visit the home of Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Meats.  As most of you should already know, Nueske’s is a MAJOR sponsor of Baconfest Chicago, and they’ve been with us since our very first event at the Publican in 2009.  Over the last three years, they’ve donated thousands of pounds of bacon to our guest chefs to use in their Baconfest creations.  Nueske’s also sponsors the Baconfest Chicago Amateur Cook-off every year which has yielded an INCREDIBLE roster of spectacular recipes.

What else is there to say?  Nueske’s = BEST SPONSOR EVER!  So how could I not stop by to pay my respects to the Bethlehem of smoked meats, the place where it all began, the birth place of Bob Nueske’s great empire?

Marketing Director Megan Dorsch, (a great friend to Baconfest Chicago over the years), met us at the door armed with a delightful gift bag filled with all sorts of smoky meaty awesomeness.  She gave us a tour of the shop and the original smoke house, and generally made me feel cool and in the know as we sauntered around camp.  The aroma (and I mean A-R-O-M-A) of smokiness hit us like a wall of pure bliss the moment we walked in.  Words can’t describe it…. like walking directly into Heaven’s front door.

Below are some pics.  (I know Seth and Michael are appropriately jealous – and yes, I will share some goodies from the gift bag at our meeting tonight).

Google maps has the trip clocking in at about 4hrs and 20 minutes from Downtown Chicago.  Get up there Bacon-Nation and experience it for yourselves!  But luckily for us all, Nueske’s Meats are in many fine grocery stores/butcher-shops around Chicagoland, and their mail-order selection is extensive.

YUM-NUESKE’S-YUM!!  Wow it feels good to endorse a sponsor we so 100% genuinely LOVE!

Peace Bacon Nation,

Andre Von Baconvitch

***********

Andre at “The Sign”

My wife Chloe giving me her “I can’t believe I married this loser” look.

No captions necessary.  I wept.

Chloe and Megan outside the ORIGINAL Nueske’s smokehouse (circa 1933).

Andre and Megan at “The Sign”.

This is Andre Vonbaconvitch checking in.  I hope you are all having a great summer.  I know it’s the “off season” and that most of you won’t read this, but for those who might be bored at work, here’s is a quick update from Baconfest Chicago Central regarding… well… nothing really that Baconfest related, but festive nevertheless.

First off, it’s about three months since Baconfest Chicago 2011 (which by the way WAS AWESOME) – and thanks again to everyone who came out to party with us.  We’re now starting to circle the wagons as we begin prep for Baconfest Chicago 2012.  We’re targeting around the same time as usual (early April), and based on the tremendous success of 2011, as of now anyway, we’re planning on using the same venue (the UIC Forum) for next year.  Stay tuned in the next months for date/venue confirmation for 2012.  And rest assured, the Triumvirate guarantees that Baconfest Chicago 2012 will be even more BACONTASTIC than ever.  We’re also amidst scheduling our Fall Satellite Dinner Series, and we hope to announce those dates and restaurant partners by early September.

On the national front, Seth, Michael and I are working to bring the bliss that is Baconfest to other currently deprived municipalities, Washington D.C. and San Francisco are next on the radar.  BFDC and BFSF – here we come! But more on those ventures later.

I really wanted to write this post to congratulate fellow BFC Co-founder Michael on his glorious wedding to his lovely bride Erin Lowery.  The happy couple tied the knot last Saturday at the Madonna Della Strada Chapel at Loyola University followed by a KILLER reception.  (The Irish do not mess around!)  Michael is the final member of the Baconfest Chicago Triumvirate to walk the matrimonial plank – and we could not be happier for him.  How he hypnotized such an awesome lady into marriage is a mystery to us all, but AMEN, and there you have it!  Congratulations brother Michael!!!  A few photos are below.  Oh and a special thanks to Ginna and Bridget from Salted Caramel for providing the delicious Bacon-Bourbon Caramel Corn which were a HUGE hit at the sweets table at the reception.  (I know it’s lame to plug our vendors in a wedding re-cap – but hey, they were really tasty, as always.)

That’s it for now Bacon Nation.  Enjoy these dog-days of summer and we’ll holler back as plans for next year are all firmed up.

Cheers,

Andre Vonbaconvitch

The happy couple:

The Baconfest Triumvirate:  Seth, Mike (the Groom) and Andre schlockered at the end of the evening.

Good times.

Hello Bacon Nation and all you Bacon Poets,

First of all, we at Baconfest Chicago are BLOWN AWAY by the number of truly fantastic poems we’ve received.  I’ve been doing interpretive readings of them for my wife (much to her dismay I can assure you).  So many of them are just spectacular.  At some point we will publish all entries, but for now, the Baconfest Triumvirate has chosen our favorite top SIX.  Believe me when I tell you choosing only six was NOT easy.

Those six finalists’ entries are below along with a poll for voting.  The poll will close next Friday March 18th at 1pm.  Our followers will help us choose our Champion – who will receive two tickets to Baconfest Chicago on April 9th along with some other Bacon-related prizes t.b.d.

A Note on Voting:  You may only vote for ONE POEM.  You may only vote ONCE.  Once you vote, your IP info for your computer and all computers on the same network are immediately made ineligible to vote again.  As we learned with our last poll, users of Internet Explorer 8 experience problems with the poll displaying properly.  Enable “Compatibility View” for Internet Explorer 8 and you can vote in IE.  You may also use any other web-browser (Firefox, Safari, Chrome) and all should work fine.

Without further ado, here are the six finalists and their wonderful Bacon poems:

****

BACON by Alicia Berneche

Such inauspicious beginnings–
scissors through plastic
gooey wrapper peeled,
slimy flesh of pink mottled hue

yet

up wafts campfires of youth,
explosions of expectations-
appetite anticipation.

It falls-
cold hitting hot-
sings its transformation,
sprays it’s divinity across your kitchen
stings as it splatters,
dances in the pan.

Out it comes-
one of the few things that fulfills
as much as it promises.

© 2011 Alicia Berneche

****

RENDERING by Seth Bockley

I savored every Saturday
when she rendered
up to the gods what was theirs
(a burnt offering:
crisp edged plank of glistening
smoked pork in its glory).
at five, I marveled at the marbled
slab of sizzle–
standing on a chair, my eyes watering,
as before me a transubstantiation occurred:
bacon became Bacon, my mouth gaped adrool–
and still that sizzle echoes
through time’s larders
and the years’ open windows,
her gingham curtains wafting
as fat is forever rendered
into memory and hickory-smoke

© 2011 Seth Bockley

****

A BACON UNIVERSE by Ryan Courtwright

It’s dangerous for a boy to love just one thing,
but bacon is salty and crispy with zing,

there is no cut, prep, or dish from New York
that would go without garnish in my world of pork,

there’d be slides of raw bacon and hotdogs with wraps,
presidents and mayors would sport bacon chaps.

Pancetta’s the forecast! It rains marbled blocks
down into my chocolates, our salads, and socks,

hunger would be cured by the slab or the pound,
caul fat and pork loin—shoveled in mounds!

After the storm, the temp would rise high,
bacon would lattice the tops of our pies.

Block parties sharing a flich, that’s a slab,
it’s all you would smell in the back of a cab,

the world would be bacon, but there’s just one glitch,
it still wouldn’t cure my bad bacon itch.

© 2011 Ryan Courtwright

****

JOHNNY BACONSEED:  A POEM FOR THE HOPELESS ROMANTICS
by Joel Chmara

When strips of pork Godliness dance-crackle-curl on the pan,
I will be there,
puffing my chest
accepting pops of grease on my shirt
like a Deputy Ditka badge.

Garments perfumed with slight bacon splatter is no call for stain-lifter.
Nay, it simply ensures that one will carry the greatest foodstuff essence
for the rest of the day.
Take heed dear readers,
to love bacon is to carry the smokey scent with you
as an am-bad-ass-ador of the fine piggy belly brine.

I am that breed of bacon lover
spreading its virtues
as Johnny Baconseed.
Baconology mentored to friends
of how to incorporate it into every dish.
Caramelized, Hickory Smoked, Peppered, Mapeled
Sweet or Savory
Lardon or in Bits
I can baconate any menu
for the better of humankind.

When the final bite of a bacon treat
crunches in my mouth
leaving the perfect salty smoke sensation
I whisper to no one in particular,
“That’ll do pig. That’ll do.”

© 2011 Joel Chmara

****

RUMINATIONS ON THE SMELL OF BACON by Maureen T. Flannery
1
You asked for my take on
the great joys of life.
The taste of crisp bacon.
The love of my wife.
Often that order could be reversed,
but some days, the taste of crisp bacon stays first.

2
Early dawn on the farm, harvest season,
a swarm of chores buzzing your psyche like bees.
You want to roll back to sleep,
but you’d need a reason. Make yourself a fever.
Dad would know you were faking.
So you open your eyes, and, no surprise,
Mama’s awakened you, enticed you out of bed
with the smell of bacon.

3
Quiet in the cabin.
The gin-rummy guys are still asleep.
Creep to the wood-stove in your stocking feet.
Get a fire started. Make a pot of coffee.
Wash last night’s cups.
Fill the big black skillet with bacon.
Soon they will all be waking up.

4
No better way of facing the day, I’m thinkin’,
than waking to the sizzle of bacon on the grittle
and figuring how to snatch a crisp piece from the plate
before Gram is able to set it on the table
with the jar of home-canned jam and scrambled eggs
and all the lousy other kids start grabbing for the bacon
because, when the plate is passed, it’s all taken faster
than you can ever get enough and you’re always left
with saliva glands spurting at the smell of bacon
that still fills Grandma’s house.

5
If they could,
those air-freshener guys would
abandon the mamby-pamby scents of jasmine and lilac,
devise a way to give you the man-happy smell
of black coffee and bacon.
Know why they don’t even try?
Because there’s no fakin’ the smell of bacon.

6
A long day at work,
delays on the el and the hell of it is you worked through lunch
and you’re famished.
When you open the door to the house-smell of morning,
she says, “Honey, come see, I made your favorite—BLTs”
You  were thinking of taking her out,
but the smell of bacon says your house is where you want to be.
You both know how it goes–
seduction via your taste-buds and nose.

© 2011 Maureen T. Flannery

****

BACON, OH BACON… By Geoff Grandjean

Bacon, I love thee, as I love the balm
Of sweet, moist, fat lined layers!
I love thee, as I love the song
Of that sizzling that answers our prayers.
I love thee, as I love the last
Rich scent of your smoky ways,
Which lingereth, like the look we cast,
In knowing this love is no phase.
I love thee as I love the tone
Of the tenderness in a pig’s belly
Whose meat is salted for me alone,
Served with a biscuit and some jelly.

Bacon, I love thee as I love the first
Young swine of the spring,
While tailgating for those baseball games,
Asking “where’re my bacon wrapped wings”.
I love thee, as I love the full,
Sweet gushings of that juice,
Which given as a peace offering,
Would cause enemies to call a truce.
I love thee, on my burgers big
Served with beer to drink,
With every bite I take a swig
Too bad the crispiness is gone in a blink.

If only I could savor you,
And keep this feeling long,
Which bringeth, by its gentle spell,
The drive to carry on.
I love thee enough to put in the work
To have Congress pass new legislation;
For Baconfest Chicago will have one more perk:
All Americans will be off for vacation.
Such is the feeling which from thee
Nothing else on Earth attracts:
Bacon you’re forever linked to all I see
That’s delicious and pure—it’s a fact!

© 2011 Geoff Grandjean

We at Baconfest Chicago are happy to report that our limited release of early-action VIP tickets for Baconfest Chicago on April 9th at the UIC Forum is completely SOLD OUT!

Thanks nation for helping to spread the word and for your trust in us to deliver a spectacular Bacon Festival.  And that is exactly what we are going to deliver.  Chef/vendor recruitment blazes on, and we’ll be going public with the roster next year as we get close to releasing general admission tickets.

To those loyal and intrepid Baconfest Chicago fans out there who’ve secured their VIP Tickets, we say:  Hoozah!

Everyone else, rest assured there will be (as there were last year) fun contests for tickets including but not limited to the Bacon Poetry contest, Bacon Song contest, and Bacon Youtube Video contest.  Keep your eyes peeled on Facebook/twitter – and of course if you’re not already on the mailing list, fix that at www.baconfestchicago.com (upper right hand corner).

Also, we’d like to announce our new “Premier” Presenting Sponsor:  The Illinois Pork Producers Association.  They were proud sponsors last year, and have decided to raise their sponsorship commitment to the Platinum Premier level for 2011.  That’s right, our new tag-line: The Illinois Pork Producers Association presents Baconfest Chicago 2011! A more formal Press announcement will follow soon.  It ain’t easy (or cheap) throwing a bacon-bash of this scope, and we could not be more grateful for their support.

Whooohooo!

And finally, Seth, Mike and I just want to wish all of you out there a very happy, relaxing and bacon-filled holidays, and a splendid New Year.

Viva-la Bacon!

Cheers,

Andre Vonbaconvitch

Baconfest Chicago co-founders Michael and Andre had the pleasure of visiting Lillie’s Q this afternoon courtesy of Chef Charlie McKenna and Dave Andrews of Goodlife PR.  We enjoyed a fantastic meal and great conversation with Chef Mckenna and Dave – proving yet again that Baconfest Chicago is the best idea we’ve ever had, ever!

Not that they need the positive press, because word seems to be out that this is the place to eat for barbecue enthusiasts out there – BUT this is Baconfest Chicago chiming in saying GET TO LILLIE’S Q!!!!  The food is unbelievable.  Truly.  Fantastic.

We look forward to seeing what glorious bacon-based delight they exhibit at Baconfest Chicago 2011 (April 9th at the UIC Forum).

Meanwhile a brief recap of this afternoons trip to BBQ heaven:

First:
Fried Pickles in a beer batter with ranch dressing
Pimento Cheese – cheddar, pimentos, jalapenos served with sour dough toast

Main:
Taste Of LQ  – pick of three meats (we chose the Tri-Tip Brisket, Pulled Pork and house-made hotlink sausage)
Baby Back Ribs - carolina dirt, apple glaze – I’ll dream about these ribs for weeks.

Sides:
Baked Beans, Collard Greens with house-made bacon, and Grits with house-made bacon

What else can I say?  Every last bite of every single item was 100% Delish.  100%.  No better way to spend a chilly December afternoon.

Thanks Dave and Charlie for an amazing meal.  Here are a few shots.

Hi Bacon Nation:

I know that Thanksgiving is SO last weeks news, but we at Baconfest Chicago just wanted to give a quick shout out to a Baconfest Vendor from the Spring of 2010 who hooked me up with a T-Day turkey that rocked our world.

My wife asked me to track down a free-range, no injections, all natural etc. etc. turkey this year – so I thought “who do I know from my life as a bacon-pimp that might be able to steer me right”.  On a whim I called Mark Holzkopf from Holzkopf’s Meat Market. And ‘steer me right’ he did.  He hooked me up with a Peacock’s Amish Brand fresh turkey, (all natural, non-injected etc. etc.)

I used a bacon/bread/herbs/celery/carrots/shitake mushroom stuffing.  Ok full disclosure:  I had to use turkey bacon since I had a non-pork eater at our table this year.  On principle I disavow turkey bacon but it was still good).  I roasted said turkey in a large brown buttered paper bag. (No basting necessary or so says the interweb.  Never tried this before).  4.5 hours later, it turned out to be the moistest, tastiest turkey I’ve ever made.  Was it the Brown Paper Bag technique?  The quality of the Free-range Bird?  A combination?  Don’t know but it was 100% delish.

Thanks Mark for the assist.  And for those of you in the Edgewater area who may not have ever been to Holzkopf’s Meat Market, you should check them out.  They’re right on Broadway just south of Granville.  Very convenient for anyone from Rogers Park on down to Wrigleyville – or heck, for anyone in Chicago who takes their meat seriously.  Great selection of many things, all meaty, all fresh, and all with fast friendly service.

Here are some shots of the bird and my trip to Holzkopfs.

Happy Post Thanksgiving Week Bacon Nation!

Go Bears, GO BLACKHAWKS!!  Great weekend for Chicago Sports – and Bacon.

Oh and the obligatory – sign up for our mailing list (top right hand corner) if you haven’t already.

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Baconfest Seth inspects my Turkey (sounds dirty).

Holzkopfs Meatmarket

Hello Bacon-Nation,

My pal Josh and I visited the THE IRISH OAK last night from 8-9:30pm at the invitation of owners/managers Brendan, Matt and Ryan.  We had a fantastic time, and I think were reminded of a valuable lesson made clear in the Baconfest Chicago Manifesto, [1] but often easily forgotten amidst the cacophony of all of the INSANE and GREAT bacon dishes we’ve sampled since crowning ourselves Bacon-Gurus a few years ago.  [1] (See the source text in reference below.)

The lesson:  Sometimes simple, straightforward home-style preparation and presentation is exactly what the soul needs on a cold November evening in Chicago, Illinois.

All this BS is to say that the tasting last night was really excellent.  Nothing fancy, nothing ornate, just good solid Bacon-comfort food (5 dishes each paired with a specific whiskey).

Interestingly enough, it was the whiskey that received the most presentational focus.  Freelance “whiskey aficionado” Sue Pitkin guided us through each tasting with insight and enthusiasm as she highlighted some of the finer points in whiskey appreciation/evaluation, proper tasting techniques etc. etc.  To her credit, she negotiated with Jimmy Carter-esque flair, a room full of nice but rowdy dudes who clearly just wanted to slam shots and EAT SOME BACON (myself included and/or maybe I’m just projecting.)

Ok so on to the food.

We started with Bacon-wrapped asparagus paired with a Glenlivet 18 featuring artisan thick sliced peppered bacon and grilled asparagus with a dusting of sea-salt/pepper .  Simple, to the point and comfortingly delicious – which would become the theme of the evening.

Next came a Bacon-wrapped cheese jalapeno paired with a Glenlivet 21.  I actually ate three of these.  The jalapeno’s were HUGE, halved, stuffed with irish cheddar, wrapped in bacon and grilled.  “Oh SO spicy, I can’t take it..…  wait, I need another one…”  You know the feeling.  “I hate you, I love you, I hate you…. I LOVE YOU.”

Dish 3:  A skewer of Irish bacon marinated in Champagne, grilled and combined with a slice of tender skirt steak – capped with a Glenlivet Nadurra.  This dish was the crowd favorite at the end-voting session.

Dish 4:  Bacon-wrapped Mac n cheese poppers paired with Middleton Irish Whiskey.  I was skeptical when these came out – but when I dipped my popper into the spicy house made Chipotle cheese sauce, I was transported to a very happy place in my memory – safely next to the fire in my parents house in New York State hanging with my dad making a late night snack after the NY Islanders won their 4th Stanley Cup in a row.  Life was good.  It mades sense.  Everything was gonna be ok.  There would always be Bacon, and there would always be cheese, and the home team always wins.  Ah those halcyon days of youthful naivete…

Dish 5: Bacon-wrapped shrimp stuffed with bleu-cheese paired with RedBreast Whiskey.  Bacon, jumbo shrimp, Bleu cheese, what else is there to say.

Again, the overall lesson:  sometimes Simple is just Right.  I love all of our Baconfest Chicago Chef Friends from the great Chef Paul Kahan to “Chef” Jeff Linehan (who mans the Kitchen at The Irish Oak Pub (he made those quote signs not me)).

There is a place for Chef Chris Lateano’s Bacon-rillets, coddled egg dressing, pickled ramps and bacon-fat griddled brioche croutons (which were amazing at Baconfest Chicago last April) JUST as there is also a place for Jeff’s straight from the hip “Bacon kicks ass” series of offerings in the back room of an Irish Pub.  What’s your mood like?  Take your pick.  That’s why America is Great!

Bottom-line:  For $20, what have you freakin’ got to lose!?!  There will be whiskey, There will be bacon.  I can’t recommend this more highly:  Check out their next tasting on December 15th, 2010.  They were kind enough to leak us the menu:

Organic Whiskey & Bacon Tasting featuring Chicago’s own Organic Whiskey Koval.
Organic Grilled Chicken & Bacon Skewers with mango salsa paired with Koval Rye Chicago
Organic Roasted Peppers & Bacon Roll-Ups paired with Koval Midwest Wheat
Organic Bistro Garlic Fries w/ Bacon-crumbles paired with Koval Levant Spelt
Organic BBQ Bacon Mini Sloppy Joes paired with Koval Raski Millet
Organic Stuffed Figs w/Burrata, Arugula Wrapped in Bacon paired with Koval American Oat

Again, what can I tell you.  It’s $20.  You won’t be disappointed. The atmosphere is casual and laid-back especially in the back-dining room where the tastings are held.  The staff could not be nicer.  Get out there before word get’s out and it becomes super crowded.

Ryan, Brendan, Matt, Jeff, Sue – thanks for a fun, informative evening filled with bacon and whiskey.  (a few photos below)

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[1]  We treasure the new and revere the old – From the Baconfest Chicago Manifesto (© Seth Zurer 2009)
There is a thrill in novelty – we are genetically hardwired to seek it. So we seek out new ways to enjoy our favorite meats whenever we can. We are not complacent, never satisfied that we have eaten the best of anything. There is always a new and better flavor down the line. But we do not fetishize the new to the exclusion of the tried and true. Every bacon morsel contains a memory – a solid tangible moment in time, an experience at which the bacon is the core, but the context is the key. Therefore, we value our old bacon memories and seek to revisit them whenever the impulse strikes. We would never abandon a bacon preparation just because it’s not the newest – we can no more disown bacon and eggs than we can disown our own grandmothers. We live in one moment in a great continuum – a single fatty cross section of our lives – a straight line from birth to death, punctuated by cured meat. We cannot discard our past; without it we have no future.