Bacon, there’s no denying it’s delicious on just about everything (especially things involving cheese!)  So, after a little research, I decided to take on the challenge of making my own.

I found this great video tutorial, which I used to guide me through the process.

Here’s a summary of the steps involved and some snapshots from my process:

1. Pick up a pork belly from your local butcher. Ask them to leave the skin on the pork belly. This helps develop the flavor, and you can cut it off after it’s smoked.

2. Cut the pork belly into manageable chunks so each chunk can fit in its own big Ziploc bag. Add the spices and sugar/salt rub to the pork belly and then put the pork into the Ziploc bags. Set the bags in a cool area. (I used my garage in the winter. This is ideal because the temperature doesn’t change too much.) If you have an outside fridge that isn’t opened that often that would work, too.

3. Mid-week, move the bag around to make sure the sauce has been created (the salt extracting liquid from the pork belly mixing with the spices) and is fully covering the pork-belly. 

4. Take the pork belly out of the bags, rinse off, and allow it to dry for 24 hours. You can let it sit on an oven rack (but make sure no one turns on the oven!) The above photo is what it looks like after drying for 24 hours.

5. Smoke the pork belly in a smoker according to the directions, but make adjustments based on the size of pork belly you buy.

6. Cut off the skin once the pork belly has cooled.

7. Use a slicer to slice up the bacon.

Would you take on this challenge at home? It was a lot of work, but absolutely delicious!

By Mary

Plain yogurt isn’t a new idea, but up until recently, making recipes with plain yogurt was a foreign idea to me. Turns out, Tillamook Naturally Plain Yogurt is a great way to add flair to homemade sauces and keep all sorts of food moist while they cook. There are so many ideas for recipes with plain yogurt that I don’t have enough room to share them all here! But here’s a list to give you inspiration: 

Try using plain yogurt in these recipes:

Muffins – Plain yogurt will keep homemade muffins nice and moist.
Smoothies – The smooth creamy taste makes smoothies that much better! Add a dash of milk for extra smoothness.
Cake – Plain yogurt makes cakes moist and delicious.
Cookies – Yum!
Baked Potatoes – Plain yogurt can be used as a garnish.
Mix with Fruit – use a few spoonfuls to add some protein and make a healthy snack!
Soups – Plain yogurt works as a main ingredient or just a garnish on top.
Sauces – Curries, pestos, yogurt dill sauces (great over chicken or fish), Tzaziki sauce, enchilada sauce… I could go on…
Marinating – Marinating food in plain yogurt keeps food nice and moist during cooking.
Dips – For vegetables, chip dips, and more!
Bread – Plain yogurt will do wonders for texture and moisture.
Dressing – Plain yogurt dressing is perfect for a fruit salad, leafy green salad, potato salad, and more!
Quiche – Try plain yogurt as an ingredient in the filling.
Strata – Use plain yogurt to make the creme fraiche in this strata recipe.

I could go on, but this should be enough to get you going. In many recipes, plain yogurt can even be a substitute for sour cream, mayonnaise, cream cheese, or cream! Do you have any favorite recipes with plain yogurt? How do you use plain yogurt in the kitchen?

By Laura

Last week we saw more Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese loaf love from our friends at The Nibble! Our award-winning cheese (recently voted ”America’s Best’“!) proved to be a jack of all trades in the kitchen for the Nibble team, and they listed some great uses for Monterey Jack that are making us SO HUNGRY, including: “grated onto garlic fries” (#12) and “layered on a ham or turkey sandwich” (#18).

Read the post here and tell us what recipes you’re inspired to make tonight.

By Tillamook