Can there ever be such a thing as too much bacon?
Frankturay doesn’t think so. That is, if it’s really good bacon. Like, house-crafted bacon. That’s made with local pork belly. And cured for seven days. And smoked with apple chips that are soaked in apple juice. Yeah, that’s the kind of bacon they’re talking about.
So if you’re looking for that kind of bacon… you’re in luck.
The restaurant (with locations in Lawrenceville and downtown) has just announced plans for their inaugural Bacon Week, a week-long celebration of all things bacon with daily specials, bacon cocktails and bacon desserts.
Owner Megan Lindsay said that the restaurant has been making their own bacon for a while, using it to wrap hot dogs and as an accompaniment to their brunch menu, but they wanted to find a way showcase the product.
Hence, Bacon Week.
“We didn’t know if our customers really knew how much time and effort we put into making our bacon, and we thought that we could take a week to really feature it, and prepare it in some fun ways,” she said.
And that effort is real.
Franktuary meat manager Kevin McKee says that he took over the bacon-making a few months ago because he wanted to find a hands-on way to connect with his food.
“Wednesdays on my calendar just say ‘Meat Day,’” he said. “I kind of love that.”
The weekly process starts with 80 pounds of fresh pork belly from Penn’s Corner Farm Alliance. The pork belly comes with the skin still on, so McKee butchers it into smaller, 10-pound slabs, and covers it in a mixture of brown sugar, thyme, various spices (chef secrets, and all), and curing salt. Then, the work really starts.
“You really have to massage the mixture into all of the crevices, making sure that it gets everywhere,” McKee said. “From there, I wrap it up, and let it sit for at least seven days – 10, if I can.”
After the meat has cured, it’s washed, and let to sit overnight, allowing the proteins to relax.
Then, it goes into the smoker, and smoked over those apple juice-soaked apple chips.
“It’s a really big hurdle to get a good smoky flavor in a piece of meat,” McKee said. “Once we smoke it for around five hours, we then let it set for two to three days in the cooler. Just like after you cook a steak, you need to let it rest.”
If you’re keeping count, that means that the entire process takes 14 days. At that point, the bacon is ready to eat.
“I stand at the slicer and eat chunks that fall off and it’s delicious,” he said. “It’s quite a treat. Everyone loves when I’m slicing bacon because they know I’m coming around in about 10 minutes to give them a slice.”
Want to try that fresh-made bacon for yourself? Bacon Week kicks off today with 280 pounds of the good stuff, and will feature a rotating list of daily specials.
Tijuana Tuesday:
- Tijuana Frank or Poutine: Deep-fried bacon-wrapped frank, pineapple, pico de gallo, crema, jalapeno, queso fresco
BLT Wednesday:
- BLT Frank or Poutine: Bacon, chipotle aioli, local farm lettuce, tomato
Baked Potato Thursday:
- Baked Potato Frank: potato, bacon, cheddar, sweet chili sour cream, scallions
Hawaiian Friiday:
- Oahu Frank: Bacon, grilled pineapple, teriyaki sauce, scallions
- Kiluaea Poutine: Sweet potato fries with curds, bacon, bacon aioli, teriyaki, cabbage, microgreens
Guy Fawkes Saturday (in partnership with Row House Cinema’s V for Vendetta screening)
- Eggy in a Basket Frank: Scrambeled eggs, cheddar, bacon
Bacon Sunday Brunch
All week, the restaurant will also feature other bacon specials, including a Bacon Martini with house bacon vodka, maple, pickled onion brine and candied bacon, a Chocolate Bacon Manhattan, and house-made bacon salt chips. Dessert is also covered, with a Salted Caramel Ice Cream Bacon sundae, made with maple bacon and a spicy chocolate sauce.
For vegetarians and vegans, Lindsay said that tofu and mushroom-based vegan bacon will be available as a substitute for every dish.
And if there’s any bacon that’s left over (unlikely), McKee said that it never, ever goes to waste.
“We use scraps in our chili, and bacon fat to put into our sauces,” he said. “It’s so good, we have to use every bit we can.”
Franktuary (various locations)
Leave a Reply