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Well by now, you know I am a fan of bacon and that I always consider how can I add bacon to dishes that I already like? I will be honest and admit that they usually turn out better then I had hoped or expected. This past weekend I decided to cook chili, well bacon chili that is and it turned out great. Here is how I did it:

Here is what you need to serve 6, the video below was for 80 people, that shows you how confident that I am that bacon will make any dish taste better.

Ingredients
• slices of Bacon Freak (Bourbon Street Cajun Bacon) chopped into small bits
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) of crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
• 1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) pinto beans, drained
• 1 can (8 oz.) of black beans
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
• At least 2 tablespoons of chili powder (season to taste)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of paprika
• 3/4 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 ounces of olive oil
• Sour cream, green onions and cheddar cheese for topping

Preparation for bacon good Bacon Chili

1. In a large pan over medium-high heat, cook the cajun bacon, until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Remove bacon and dice. Add olive oil followed by the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4 to 7 minutes.
2. Increase heat to medium and add ground beef and break it up and stir until it loses its red color. Now add in all the spices and garlic. Add the chopped bacon followed by the tomatoes and sauce. Reduce heat to medium-low and cover partially.
3. Add beans and cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, stirring to ensure the sauce doesn’t burn. Add additional salt and chili powder to taste.
4. Serve warm, with toppings on the side.

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com

Recently, I had lunch with the founder of Bacontoday.com. Of course we choose to eat at a place in which we could surely please our carnivore habit. We spent several hours together talking about how we could rule the world with our knowledge of bacon. In the end we decided that we were a couple of Bacon Freaks and we both share a passion for gourmet bacon.

I want to spend some time introducing him to you, so I asked Mr B. several questions. The first was Mr. B. what is Bacon Today all about and how did you get the idea? He told me that Bacon Today is a daily internet publication that strives to both entertain and educate people about bacon. “It’s quite amazing to see peoples’ reactions and hear their suggestions when you speak with them about bacon,” says Bacon Today spokesman Corey James. From bacon wallets to bacon cinnamon rolls, there seems to be an endless supply of bacon-related stories to read about on BaconToday.com.

Next, I asked him, who is Mr. B? He told me that it’s been said about others, Mr. B. truly is the original enigma wrapped in bacon. He doesn’t like publicity, shys away from interviews, and entrusts a couple key people to write and communicate to the media on his behalf.

This is actually the first time he’s allowed us to elaborate at all on his life story, so we’re pretty honored to share some information with you. Mr. B. is a lover of all things bacon, plain & simple. Since he was a young boy, Mr. B. realized the joy that the mere mention of bacon could bring to a person’s life. He knew early on that it was his destiny to spread the word of bacon to the masses. For his entire life he did so by traveling the world and speaking directly to people without fanfare of any kind. That all changed in June 2008 when Mr. B.’s advisors finally convinced him to take his message to the internet and Bacon Today was born.

I then asked him, what’s next for Bacon Today? Mr B. told me the expansion of the site past the blog concept. We’ll be creating a more traditional news structure while keeping the social aspects of the site active. We need to make it easier for fans of bacon to find the high-quality articles we write on a daily basis. In addition, we’re consistently introducing new authors with fresh ideas. Recipes have been a big hit so far so we’ll be tapping into Mr. B.’s list of favorite restaurants to explore more interesting and elaborate bacon creations which we can share with the world. Overall, we will continue writing the best original bacon articles we can and travel the world in search of new uses of bacon and interesting products dedicated to bacon.

As always when we interview a bacon fan, we want to know what type of bacon, they love the most, Mr. B. tells me that he prefers his bacon extra thick with just the right marble, and either applewood or maple smoked with no pepper. How he cooks his bacon varies greatly depending on the season, time of day, and whether the bacon is a side dish or the main course. Mr. B. has special techniques for frying, baking, and even grilling his bacon that we’ll be sharing with you in the coming months on BaconToday.com.

Lastly we asked him, what is the most popular bacon-related item you’ve seen and/or made? He replied that bacon dessert foods are definitely the talk of the town. We’ve made both Mr. B.’s bacon sugar cookies and his bacon cinnamon rolls and they definitely created a buzz around the bacon community.

It was nice getting to know you Mr. B. and thank him for this exclusive interview. Additionally we provided Mr. B. with several of our gourmet bacons featured in the Bacon Freak Bacon is Meat Candy Bacon Club, we are anxiously awaiting his reviews.

If you would like to listen to a recording of this article click here bacontoday

Signing Off and Pigging Out,
Rocco “Boss Hog” Loosbrock
www.baconfreak.com