Bacon: A Love Story

Before the book's publication, Heather Lauer was a public affairs consultant in Arizona.[2] She got the idea to write a book about bacon after going out for cocktails with her two brothers in 2005.[2] Lauer explained to The Arizona Republic: "I was out drinking with my brothers one night, and the topic of bacon came up. We had eaten bacon as kids, and bacon was a special thing on Sunday mornings. Somehow, the idea came up about how funny it would be to start a blog about bacon ... I took it and ran with it."[3] She began the blog Bacon Unwrapped,[4] at www.baconunwrapped.com,[5][6] and a social networking site about bacon at baconnation.ning.com in 2005.[2] She began the blog as a joke, but said, "I started to realize there is something about bacon that gets people incredibly excited, and that was fascinating to me."[7] She completed a cross-country bacon tour of America.[7]

Lauer thought that the surge in interest in bacon products prior to the book's publication was "media driven".[8] She noted that a response to political correctness as related to cooking and food consumption may have driven interest in the product.[8] Lauer said that bacon seems to be "the one thing that people are unwilling to give up".[8] In a post of her blog in March 2009, Lauer lamented those that were willing to posit an end to the trend of interest in bacon.[8] She commented, "Bacon is something that everybody is familiar with and most people grew up eating. It has a comfort aspect to it and a familiarity. It's also got an addictive aspect to it — that sweet and salty combination of flavors."[2] She asserted that interest in the product is as much due to the culture surrounding it as to bacon itself.[2] "Current food trends focus on eating real and eating local, and there's nothing more real than a delicious strip of bacon. In many U.S. cities, local producers and chefs are making a name for themselves because of bacon," said Lauer.[9] She stated that "most chefs would admit that bacon has long been one of their secret weapons in the kitchen."[9]

Bacon: A Love Story contains information on cooking and curing bacon,[8] including "time-honored methods and traditions".[10] The book analyzes how bacon has affected popular culture.[5] Lauer includes information on chefs who love bacon and venues that serve the product throughout the United States.[10] The book contains over 20 recipes for dishes made with bacon,[10] including Bacon Bloody Mary, Bacon-Wrapped Tater Tots, Bacon Bleu Salad, and bacon brownies.[8][11][12] Another recipe is Bristol Bacon by chef Duncan Bristol, who owns the restaurant Brick 29 in Nampa, Idaho.[13] Interspersed throughout the book are bits about bacon from comedian Jim Gaffigan, and random information such as that "Cracker Barrel serves 124 million slices of bacon per year".[14] Lauer notes, "Speck is the direct German translation of the word 'bacon'", and observes that the word "creates cross-cultural confusion".[15] The book's "Bacon 411" section provides further information on the product.[10]

Bacon: A Love Story features a tour of country-style bacon outfits, profiles bacon-loving chefs, includes a "Bacon 411" resource section, has cooking tips and has 20 bacon recipes.[16]

The book was marketed as the "most comprehensive book about bacon to date".[8] Lauer promoted her book in a September 2009 appearance as a co-host at the Blue Ribbon Bacon Tour in Pennsylvania, hosted by fellow bacon blogger Jason Mosley (Mr. Baconpants, at mrbaconpants.com).[17]

Writing for The Sacramento Bee, Allen Pierleoni recommended the book as a gift for Father's Day, and called the work "entertaining and informational, full of anecdotes, history, recipes and explanations of what pork belly has brought to the popular culture".[5] Rita Zekas of the Toronto Star also recommended the book as a Father's Day gift.[18]

Kerry J. Byrne noted that the book covers "everything from bacon-curing methods to bacon blogs" and includes "easy recipes".[14] Rachel Forrest of The Portsmouth Herald recommended the book in her "Annual Summer Reading List for Foodies".[6] "Another of my favorites this year is 'Bacon: A Love Story: A Salty Survey of Everybody's Favorite Meat' by Heather Lauer. A book all about bacon... she profiles chefs that use it, odd finds across the nation and plenty of recipes," commented Forrest.[6] The Arizona Republic highlighted the book among its selection of "Books to help turn pages of summer".[19]

Publishers Weekly reviewed called the book a "voluminous look at all things bacon";[20] the review concluded, "Readers who, like Lauer, possess a borderline-obsessive love for bacon are likely to embrace this as their new Bible, but anyone else will quickly get their fill."[20]

• Bacon mania
• Joanna Pruess
• List of books about bacon
• National Pig Day

• Bacon: A Love Story, HarperCollins
• Bacon Unwrapped blog