Bacon Bit #B02: Shakin' Bacon

Bacon Salt (www.baconsalt.com) is one of those creations that's so insanely simple, it's brilliant. It consists of a blend of seasonings (hickory flavoring, salt and whatnot) that perfectly mimics the flavor of bacon. This is ideal for vegetarians who miss the savory taste of bacon but don't want to succumb to the temptation of eating actual pig products. Even the baconheads at BDJ Labs acknowledge that they can't eat as much bacon as they want, for fear of sending their cholestorol and blood pressure sky-high--this product is perfect for filling in those gaps.

Justin and Dave, the wunderkinder behind the product, were IT geeks when the idea came to them in a moment of divine inspiration (see picture above). Their first round of financing came (and we are not making this up) through a clip of Dave's three-year-old that won on America's Funniest Home Videos. Since their humble beginning, business is booming, and they've expanded to include a whole host of flavors, including hickory, peppered, mesquite, cheddar, maple, and applewood. Upon revisiting their Web site in preparation for this BDJ Report, we've also discovered that they have BACON LIP BALM! We must order some for the lab--all that bacon sampling leaves our lips quite parched...

The staff at BDJ Labs all keep shakers of Bacon Salt in their home kitchens, and we've found it vastly improves the munchability of pizza, popcorn, eggs, pasta, toast, and just about anything that cries out for the taste of bacon. Jenni, our head baconeer, created a version of a bloody mary with Bacon Salt that combines two of her favoritest things: bacon, and booze.

The Bacon Mary
Ingredients:
* Healthy shot of vodka (1.5 oz)
* Huge lemon or lime wedge (about 1/4 of the fruit)
* Several dashes of worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 to 1 T prepared horseradish
* 3 to 6 drops of hot sauce (we prefer Frank's Red Hot--none of that Tabasco crap)
* Whole buncha dashes of Bacon Salt (probably about 1/2 tsp or more, if you insist on measuring, you Type A weirdo you)
* Tomato juice
* Two strips of cooked bacon
Get yourself a tall glass and fill it with ice. Pour the vodka in, squeeze the lemon/lime wedge juice in, then add the worcestershire, horseradish, hot sauce, and Bacon Salt. Fill with tomato juice, then mix that baby up real good. Top off with a few more dashes of Bacon Salt, then slide in the bacon strips. You can garnish with olives (as one lab staffer insisted we do for the picture), cocktail onions, or a whole bunch of other things, but it's fine and tasty without. Drink. Enjoy. Repeat.

Coming up
Monday: Bacon and Vidalia onion
Tuesday: Bacon and peanut butter