English Bacon
 

I have just returned from my local butcher - although local is stretching it at 12km away (as the closer one closed last month).

Anyway I spoke with him about "English" bacon. He didn't know what it was, so I showed him pictures and asked whether he could make some. SURE was his response.

It will be about 35chf per kilo - and will be salted, smoked and without bones (unlike the bacon steaks that he already does).

I didn't want him to go to all the trouble of doing one just for me, nor do I want to spend the rest of the year only eating bacon, so I wanted to gauge forum interest.

Butcher: Erich Bleicher, Usterstrasse 11, 8617 Monchaltorf.

Would people put the effort in to go to Monchaltorf if I get him to make one?

Re: English Bacon
 

Too far :(

Almost worth moving to Monchaltorf.

Re: English Bacon
 

Strange - after all these years, plus a few in the States, I've actually, now, got used to streaky.


Coop, one time had English Bacon, and was labelled as such - but it was quite tasteless, too expensive and had a high water content, giving the usual white foam when cooked. Was always reduced to clear because of sitting on the shelf until sell by date. I don't think it's sold any more.
Ditto for Migros Le Shop, when it comes to taste and price.

Unfortunately, I'm just too geographically challenged to jump on your bandwagon.

However, if you ever got him to make proper traditional black pudding (not the limp dick stuff you get here), it would be a different matter.

Re: English Bacon
 

Let me see if the Bacon works - then I can work on him for the Black Pudding!!

The place is a proper old school butcher - everything is made by them and the meat is locally sourced.

Re: English Bacon
 

Jelmoli food hall (ZH Bahnhofstrasse) has English style cuts of bacon. Look in the self service closed fridge beyond the butcher's counter. About CHF10 for ~6 rashers.

Re: English Bacon
 

Too far for me and I also have turned to preferring the more dry / less water content streaky stuff.

However just to make some of you jealous.. Just had the inlaws over and they brought scottish lorne sausage, black pudding, tattle scones etc ..

Still have one of these left :)

Re: English Bacon
 

Thanks to this thread I got a packet of Waitrose dry-cured bacon out of my freezer and just made a bacon butty.

When I lived in Stuttgart, I read on Germany's expat forum that a butcher had opened in Munich selling English style bacon. Apparently they had to cut the pig up a totally different way to the German standard so they needed a high turnover to make it worthwhile. I doubt it will happen as many of us make enough trips back to the UK to stock up. Bacon doesn't take up much space, lasts for ages in the fridge and almost forever in the freezer (well, until you eat it!).

Re: English Bacon
 

Six of us are going to the UK in May. I'm angling to get 6kg of bacon. (Yes, I know, usually you angle to get fish).

Re: English Bacon
 

Damned annoying that a year ago you could do that with only two! :msnmad:

Just before the deadline, we bought 14kg of ham and bacon in Trieste, and left half at the cousins' in Luino, picking up the other 7 on the last day.

Tom

Re: English Bacon
 

Top tip to 'cooking' Swiss style streaky bacon:
- tear off 3 sheets of kitchen roll, not separated, all in a line;
- fold one sheet back onto another and place these two on a microwaveable plate;
- now place strips of bacon onto the paper, and fold the last sheet of paper over the top;
- microwave on full power (650W) for about 3 mins. - longer if crispy is required.

A lot of the fat will cook out and soak into the kitchen paper, so much healthier than in a pan of lard.

I also find that by going through the packs on the shelf, I can find ones which better suit Jack Spratt, more than his wife.

Re: English Bacon
 

Sounds scrumptious :msnunsure:

Re: English Bacon
 

Just saw back bacon in Coop. 54CHF per kilo.

Re: English Bacon
 

How much is that per rasher?

Re: English Bacon
 

Lean back?

Re: English Bacon
 

Based on John H's picture above that's 30g/rasher which would be 1.62fr each :D

Re: English Bacon
 

Trieste ? was this just coincidence ? or is the "ancien" Austro-Hungarian seaport special in culinary respects ?

Re: English Bacon
 

Well, it seemed about 4 rashers per 100g, so 1.35 each.

I've no idea whether it was lean back or lean forward or any other detail. I read "back bacon" (or whatever it is in German) and 54CHF/kg and stopped reading. The point is that 35CHF/kg seems pretty good for specially sourced bacon.

Re: English Bacon
 

Ah, you'd have to send him to the "Mystic East"!

https://youtu.be/TJxGi8bizEg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuP1eycaA6c

Re: English Bacon
 

Funny word, "rasher". If there was a trend for restricting the sale of bacon, you could say that there was a rasher ration fashion. And then you would sound like Muttley:

Re: English Bacon
 

http://www.principefood.com/eng/index.htm

http://www.principefoodusa.com/principe_today.html

Tom