Fresh Flitch versus Bad Bacon
A disgusting close-up of rotten bacon fit only for vermin to digest.
Note: This is not the worst picture since we do not want our site visitors to throw up. [Photo credit: Alex Paternostro]
by Alex Paternostro
July 21, 2021
I love bacon. During Saturday brunches at college, I used to down a couple dozen slices with white bread, double espressos, and a plate of papaya, berries, and dragonfruit. So healthy! Nowadays, my heart and I are happy with a just few pieces.
However, I recently learned that bacon can actually go bad, simple as I sound. If it smells off (sour, fishy, or otherwise like rot) or looks funny (brownish-gray and slimy), then throw it away! It should always be pinkish red and appealing before it hits any pan or bake sheet. Otherwise...(diarrhea sounds). I learned this the soft way, that is, after I should have but before it was too late. While I did not get to relive food poisoning—$5 for White Cut Chicken in NYC’s Chinatown was not a deal, considering its side of salmonella—the fumes that emanated from my oven were certainly foul.
The leftover bacon that I wanted to use had not been vacuum-sealed because we were out of plastic rolls at the time, but it seemed fine refrigerated in a ziplock bag. Okay, I had my doubts. The meat did look strange, and it was unclear when we had last cooked a batch...But bacon is generally cured with salt and nitrites that are supposed to keep it safe. It could not have spoiled that fast, right? Wrong. As the oven’s temperature ticked up, those odours amplified, and our apartment’s windows flew open. Soon after, my brother and I were bagging up hot trash and scraping our griddle. We knew to never again take that risk and hope that you never will.
Be safe.
Alex Paternostro is a culture critic and food photographer based in Chicago. He is a co-founder of Our American Cuisine and graduated with an A.B. in English from Princeton University. You can learn more about him here.
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