Bangers and Back Bacon

When Americans visit the United Kingdom or Ireland for the first time they are likely to order a "Full English" or "Full Irish" breakfast.

They become confused about the bacon on their plate.  "What is this?" they think.  It's not a bit like the bacon we have at home.

They have encountered "Back Bacon".  Here is a bit about it from "Jolly Posh Foods" of Chicago Illinois.

What is back bacon?

British & Irish bacon is traditionally called “back bacon” because it is made with pork loin, as opposed to American bacon which is typically from pork belly. The loin is much leaner and less fatty than the belly, resulting in a much meatier texture. Our back bacon is over 80% leaner than regular American bacon, and is also uncured.

How do you make your back bacon?

Our back-bacon is hand-trimmed, hand-rubbed and dry-cured to our authentic recipe that our owner, Nick, brought over from Yorkshire. Our back bacon is made with prime pork loin that we source in the Midwest, and that is reared without the use of hormones. We produce our back bacon in small batches in a licensed USDA-certified production facility in Illinois. Each batch is cured by our artisans for the traditionally meaty, slightly salty, unsmoked flavor of authentic pork loin bacon.

The same American tourists will encounter British/Irish bangers.  They are such meaty and flavour filled Sausages. Here is what Jolly Posh Foods has to say about theirs.

What are bangers?

A banger is a nickname that the British and Irish give to sausages. The nickname “bangers” originated during World War II, when rationing was common and meat was scarce. Bangers have two distinct characteristics – they have a much softer texture and are much less salty than their American and continental counterparts. Indeed, our sausages are 45% less salty than typical American sausa

How authentic are your bangers?

At Jolly Posh we make popular renditions of classic bangers from home, using all US ingredients. There are over 400 different types of bangers sold in Britain & Ireland, and our true measure of authenticity is our expat and Anglophile customers who have purchased well over a million sausages and counting of our sausages over the last 12 years. Our bangers are stuffed into natural casings until they are thick, juicy and generously sized, just like buying from your local butcher back home.

How do you make your bangers?

Our bangers are made with prime cuts of quality pork that we source in the Midwest, and that is reared without the use of hormones. We produce our bangers in small batches in a licensed USDA-certified production facility. Each batch is traditionally seasoned with high quality herbs and spices for an authentic balance of flavors, texture, size and shape.  Great tasting bangers require great tasting ingredients, and ours are:

• Plump with shiny skins
• Well packed with no air bubbles
• Made fresh (not fully cooked)
• Blast frozen directly after production to preserve freshness and quality
• Made with only 5% breadcrumbs to blend the meat and spices
• In high quality, natural pork casings
• Contain no Nitrites, Nitrates or MSG

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Oh Lucky Man!

I bought some Back Bacon and Bangers from Jolly Posh Foods. My breakfast this morning was Back Bacon, Bangers and Poached Eggs, with a wee drop of H.P. Sauce.

My taste buds were swooning!

I can't make a habit of this for the Bacon and Bangers are on the expensive side, as is the UPS overnight shipping (necessary so that the foods arrive fresh and on ice).

But today my stomach has been grinning from ear to ear!