Beyond Bacon (Book Review)

Be sure and check out our GIVEAWAY while you're here.

I am a huge fan of bacon. (From pastured, humanely-raised, healthy, traditionally-processed, non-CAFO hogs of course....)

But, I am also a huge fan of "waste not, want not" and economical food spending. So in the past few years my family has bought into both "pig-shares" and "cow-shares", where we split the cost of one animal amongst several families. This works out wonderfully for our pocket book, but....

The problem with buying "shares" of meat...

When we first got our pig share several years ago I remember enjoying bacon and sausage at breakfast for about two months straight... and then realizing that I still had a freezer full of meat left that (if I was being honest with myself) I really had NO IDEA how to cook....

Because, after all, no matter how hard pig farmers might try... they will never get JUST bacon and sausage from a pig.

That's where the Paleo Parents come to the rescue. They recently wrote a book, Beyond Bacon: Paleo Recipes that Respect the Whole Hog that I REALLY wish I had had for my kitchen starting about two years ago... (Better late then never, though, right?)

Paleo Parents to the rescue...

See it on Amazon.

This book is awesome on so many levels. It harkens back to an older, less-rushed, less pre-packaged, less wasteful time. A time when people used to know their butchers, if not the animals they ate. A time when people used to prepare food from scratch, not because it was "hip" but because there weren't other options....

This book helps us relearn some of the culinary skills that our grandparents knew, but our mothers and fathers took for granted. It helps us to relearn how to respect the whole animal. And not simply because we don't want to waste food... but because there are actually many, many, MANY delicious recipes we can make.

What's not to love...

This book covers everything from tail to snout and everything in-between. It provides easy to follow recipes with simple to source ingredients and simply stunning, mouth-watering food photography. Each recipe I have tried from this book so far has been amazing. 

The book starts with an explanation of why you should buy pastured pork and an in-depth examination of the fact that pig meat (and fat!) are actually good for us when they come from healthy animals. Even if you know all of this information already, this book is a great refresher course.

Next, the book examines different techniques used in the recipes including how to stuff your own sausages and render lard. Again, these are kitchen techniques that have been lost to all but most contemporary cooks, but they are not hard. And with the Paleo Parents as your guide, you are sure to succeed. 

Next, the recipes. When I first got my copy of Beyond Bacon I remember being completely blown away. The recipes in this book are incredible, gourmet and creative, yet accessible to even the newest cook. (Did you say, "Salted Caramel Bacon Sauce?! Yes. PLEASE.)

Suffice it to say, with this book in my hands I am beyond excited about buying a "pig share" because there are so many more recipes I want to try out! No more leaving the freezer full (sans bacon and sausage, of course...). I will confidently use each and every bit of pig we get.

Learn more about Beyond Bacon here!

Feeling lucky? Enter the GIVEAWAY for your own copy of this awesome book below. A big thank you to Paleo Parents for providing a book to one lucky reader. (Note: available to U.S residents only.)

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See it on Amazon.

Have kiddos with gluten sensitivities? Or simply looking for health food and snack options? Be sure and check out Paleo Parents other book, Eat Like a Dinosaur: Recipe & Guidebook for Gluten-free Kids

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