It’s been so hot lately, you could fry bacon on the sidewalk! Which got us thinking about the different kinds of pork offered at market and how they can be prepared. Bacon that is uncured is called pork belly and we found it is what is most commonly offered at our market.

When I started my local food journey shortly after moving to Chattanooga in 2014, I had no idea the difference between cured and uncured bacon. I thought all bacon was created equal but I was mistaken so I went to the experts at Pig Mountain and Land To Table Farm to learn more about what delicious pork products are available.

From Christia at Pig Mountain Farms:
Our “uncured bacon” is just the fresh pork belly, sliced like bacon. It has not been smoked, cured or had anything added to it (a lot of uncured bacon has celery powder and/or salts added as natural curing agents). The reason we sell it this way started as a limitation from our processor – in order to sell meat by the cut in TN (vs buying a half/whole animal), your meat has to be processed under USDA inspection and our processor doesn’t offer smoking/curing.
Ends up, we prefer it this way as do a lot of our customers, because you have full control over what seasonings are added. You only get roughly 8-12 lbs of sliced bacon per pig, depending on the size of the animal. Because of this, we limit bacon sales to 2 lbs per customer so we can spread the wealth to as many as possible!

Prep
Christia recommends cooking it in a cast iron on the stove top (no need to add oil since the lard will render out while cooking). She pulls the frozen bacon about 10 minutes before I cook so she can easily and safely separate slices with a knife – if you let it thaw all the way it’s harder to work with because it gets very soft. Add the slices to the skillet over medium/high heat and sprinkle with your favorite rub/seasonings (She use an applewood rub that is sweet and savory and just divine!). After a few minutes, flip with tongs and re-season, then keep flipping every minute or so until cooked to desired crispiness. Drain over cloth/paper towels and let sit for a couple minutes before eating. TIP: the bacon will continue crisping after it’s cooked so pull it a little bit before it’s where you want it to be so it doesn’t over crisp. Voila! Perfect for breakfast, sandwiches, crumbled on salads and pasta, and don’t forget to sprinkle on donuts and ice cream!
*They do not take pre orders so be sure to get in line if you want some of their delicious, all natural, no additives uncured bacon aka pork belly.

From Grace at Land To Table Farm:
Flying Pig Ranch offers two types of bacon from their Red Wattle breed– uncured pork belly bacon and a new product, cured smoked bacon.
The uncured pork belly bacon, which is all natural with minimal seasoning, is cut extra thick which allows for a great value. It is easy to cook but not like just putting it in a pan like normal bacon unless you like the unique flavor of uncured bacon. I bake it and add some local honey and sea salt. I bake it until lightly browned but some cook till crisp.
We also have cured smoked bacon with only natural seasonings and very, very little sugar, which is a new product recently. This process takes six to eight weeks to complete but it is soo good. As it does take a month or so for this particular processing, we may not always have it available.

*They do however offer ordering online so check out their website to see what’s ready from the butcher.

My Preferred Way To Serve
Preheat oven at 400. Slice potatoes width-wise to fill a baking sheet. Place a cooling rack atop the potatoes in the baking sheet. Lay bacon, of any variety, across the cooling rack.
Bake for 20 minutes then rotate the baking sheet to evenly cook. Bake for another 20 minutes. Take the sheet out of the oven, remove the cooling rack using tongs and rest across a plate.
Most of the bacon drippings were left with the potatoes so no need to blot the bacon. Let the potatoes continue to crisp up in the oven for 15 minutes. Once crisp to your liking, remove the baking sheet and scoop potatoes onto a paper towel to absorb any grease then sprinkle with salt.
My favorite breakfast is these crispy potatoes topped with an over-easy egg garnished with spring onions and served with a heaping side of bacon and tomatoes. Simple and local yet feels so rich and luxurious. Enjoy!