Busy doesn’t even remotely come to describe what I’ve been up to lately. And when I do have time? I’m so exhausted I sit down for my pre-bed nap. So, Monday I took the day off. I owed some friend a load of meat and I wanted to hit the road, do some travlin’.
It was finally time for me to visit Bud’s Custom Meats in Penngrove California. But that was Monday Biggles, how come it’s Thursday morning and you still haven’t tried the bacon? No time, that’s why. I thought I just got done telling you that. You did, but then how come this entry? Well, because I had a great idea. What’s that Biggles? Since I spend all day at work, why not just fry up the bacon here in my office.
Grand idea Biggles! Bacon in the office, why didn’t I think of that? You did silly.
About 9:30 this morning I drove back home (six minute drive) and grabbed Bud’s bacon and headed back to work. The kids asked why I was back home so quickly, “What’d you forget, Pops?” “My Bacon!” I said. They knodded and didn’t say a thing. They’re used to me, I suppose. It’s normal for their father to dash in to the house and return with a pound of bacon.
See, years ago I did a fair amount of cooking in my office. Used to prepare breakfast for everyone and lunch sometimes. Well, years have passed and most of my equipment here has found other uses and homes. Such as the hot plate, it’s now used for candle making. Just like that, see?
It didn’t take long to get my work surface cleaned up and the electric skillet placed and hot. I needed something to turn the bacon with. I dug around in my utensil drawer and found a fork. That doesn’t sound like me, I’m never without my tongs. Ah, there they were, tucked way in the back. Yay! Tongs!
From the outside the bacon had a rough, thick cut and it looks pretty. Upon opening I take a deep, deep sniff. Uh, smells like ham. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But there’s no smoky goodness, none. Zip, nada. As you can see the piece size varies greatly, that’s kinda nice. This way each piece of bacon throughout your meal has a different texture, size and varies with yummy fat content.
Man I hate this electric skillet. The bottom is so thin the food only browns well over the element and not over the entire surface. Dumb thing. But it got the job done and the bacon was ready in no time. I’m a huge fan of paper towels on the bottom and top, press well to soak up the greasy fatness. This way the crispy parts stay crispy and the chewy parts are chewy. MmMmM, chewy parts. Ghod I’m killing me.
I placed all the baconny pieces on a towelled plate and walked throughout the building handing out bacon to everyone I saw. It wasn’t expected and the surprised and pleasant noises people made made it all worth while. How did it taste? So far everyone gave 2 thumbs up and thought it was most excellent. They liked the texture and the taste. While I agreed, I wasn’t that impressed. There was negligible smoky goodness and that just blows my trip. Even at approximately $3.50 a pounds for the sliced bacon, I’m not convinced I’d buy it again. While my other choices are 3 times the price, the smoky love is that important to me. Why? Because you can only eat so much bacon while you’re alive. So you might as well make it superb bacon.
BUD’S CUSTOM MEATS
7750 Petaluma Hill Rd.
Penngrove, Ca.94951
(707) 795-8402
Biggles
Note: Bud’s is still most certainly worth a trip, even if I wasn’t impressed with their bacon. Penngrove is about the size of a pork butt and just as pretty. Please visit Chilebrown’s Meat Adventure to Bud’s Custom Meats a while back.
I am sooo not stealing your bacon. Looks like your ready for a short and dirty war in the main photo. Then you just give it all away, that’s too tricky!
Captain Biggles:
I must say, the first thing I thought of when I read this post—-Biggles has a little photo of Toni Tennille on his desk, how cute. I’ll make an assumption that it’s your wife.(Still, “how cute,” I might add.) When you and the staff are ready for a little A&B bacon care package, just let me know. Love, love will keep us toghether. B.C.
Bring the bacon and hotplate over to my office anytime. How to win friends and influence people?Bacon!
Ha ha. Oh, Chandler. Mrs. Biggles will rip your importants off for that remark. Not cute.
Mrs. Biggles, aka Mama, is one valuable human being of um… value.
Toni Tennille: snerk.
(Still. Mama is cute.)
😀
Dear Cookie:
First let me tell you that I’m a 44 year old Dead Head with 5 older, and very N.O.W. like, sisters. My youngest sister is the Chair of the family company.
Toni Tennille is not my idea of anyone that has any redeeming qualities. My God…she sings a song about mating muskrats.
And Mrs. Biggles, well I haven’t had what I’m sure is the pleasure of meeting her………yet. So the above comparison is purely one based on a small grainy photo, being beamed hundreds of miles away, to my dark and lonely hovel of an office.
The observation has more to do with what little I can see of the hairstyle, and the toothy (and quite lovely I might add) grin.
As for my itty bittys, she can have ’em. My wife and I have two beautiful little cherubs, and plan on having no more.
I do want to thank you though, Cookie. I am new to this group, and haven’t really had the opportunity to get to know any of you very well. And if I haven’t told you yet, I have a sister named Cookie that I love very much, so I already have a soft spot for you.
By the way, if the upper photo is of Mrs. B, she looks more like a young, and very lovely version of Emmylou Harris; a human being of great um…value. B.C.
p.s.–My wife and one of my daughters are watching a rented movie call “Click” right now in the other room. I sh*t you not, I just heard the Captain and Tennille singing on the sound track. Either it is getting too close to Holloween, or I’ve been to one too many Dead shows.
Chandler: (One more hijacking of Biggles’ blog, and then I’m done.) No harm meant, even to your itty bittys. Welcome to the sandbox. We have fun here. Good, meaty fun.
xx
Thanks Cookie. I feel guilty though, I lied. My office is actually quite bright and full of cheer. As for the fun that you all have, that’s why I’m here. I just hope I can add to it. B.C.
Hey Chandler,
I’ve been in my office for an awful long time. So, I’ve collected tons of special items over the years. Carly Simon is over Toni there. And that’s some counters in my office. My desk is opposite from Toni and Carly with a work table in the center, where more crap is. I have some “wroght iron” hanging lamps from a double wide mobile I need to install, on that table at the moment.
Biggles