Bacon substitute that's kosher?

amother

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 6:38 am

I've been watching a lot of cooking shows lately and everyone keeps saying that 'everything tastes better with bacon'. Are there any kosher substitutes that could somewhat mimic the taste?

Ruchel

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 12:41 pm

I had no idea bacon was still in!

Still, I see substitutes, yes.

bnm

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 1:36 pm

Facon from Jack's Gurmet

ElTam

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 8:31 pm

There is kosher turkey bacon.

For dairy, MorningStar Farms breakfast strips, but only if you keep chalav stam.

Bacon bits (some brands) are kosher.

Also, you can make "bacon with eggplant." It's tasty.

this is from www.theppk.com, which is an awesome vegan website.

http://www.theppk.com/2011/10/eggplant-bacon/

These are the perfect little morsels to tuck into a BLT, or a Caesar Salad. Anywhere delicious smoky saltiness is warranted! The perfect slice has varying textures from crisp and browned in some spots, to tender and chewy in others. To that end, hand slice these babies instead of using a mandoline and aim for 1/8 inch slices, but don’t worry about perfection. The varying degrees of thickness will work to your advantage here. Just don’t get too thick, the eggplant needs to crisp up and slices that are much thicker will just get soggy.

This recipe is so easy you’ll be making eggplant bacon in your sleep! It was originally published in Appetite For Reduction, but this version is doubled. If you don’t feel like dealing with two pans, feel free to half the recipe.

1 pound eggplant, cut into 1/8 inch thick strips
1/4 cup soy sauce (or tamari if you’re gluten free)
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 425 F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.

Prep the eggplant while the oven is preheating. Eggplants vary in size, so if using baby eggplant that is 2 inches wide at its widest, just slice into 1/8 inch thick circles. If using large eggplants, first cut in half lengthwise, then slice the halves into 1/8 inch thick halfmoons. Now what we’re going to do is bake it at a high temperature with just a bit of cooking spray oil, then let it cool, then give it smoky salty flavor and reheat.

Cover baking sheets in parchment paper and spray lightly with cooking spray. Arrange eggplant pieces in a single layer and spray lightly once more. Place in oven and bake for about 8 minutes, keeping a close eye. Rotate pans about halfway through baking.

Remove from oven and flip slices. They should be browning already, and if any are slightly burnt, don’t worry. Just move them to a plate to cool. Return remaining strips to the oven for about 3 minutes.

Remove from oven. Eggplant should be dark brown to burnt in some places, and yellowish white and tender in some places. Transfer to a plate to prevent further baking.

Lower oven to 350 F. Mix soy sauce and liquid smoke together in a large bowl. Dip eggplant slices in mixture a few at a time and return to the baking sheet. Bake for about 3 more minutes, until heated through. Serve! Keeps well for a few more hours, but definitely use these the day of.

FranticFrummie

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 8:38 pm

Abele's & Heymann Beef Fry - the very best.

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!!

Makes this BT very happy.

shiffycc

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 8:47 pm

bnm wrote:

Facon from Jack's Gurmet

It's very yum!

shiffycc

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 8:48 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

Abele's & Heymann Beef Fry - the very best.

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!!

Makes this BT very happy.

This is also delish!

Dina_B613

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 9:09 pm

This is parve & very good - http://freefromharm.org/vegan-.....acon/

amother

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 10:42 pm

smoked veal/lamb breast from the deli counter at pomegranate!

amother

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 11:01 pm

amother wrote:

smoked veal/lamb breast from the deli counter at pomegranate!

Is this supposed to taste like bacon?

Tirza

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 11:35 pm

Crisp up some thinly sliced pastrami in a skillet.

smarty

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 11:38 pm

Navel pastrami

papermageling

Mon, Sep 01 2014, 11:51 pm

Fatty pastrami is good, particularly if you crisp it up. Same with chicken skin. Make your gribenes in the oven, and you have something a lot better than a BLT. Make sure to salt whatever the meat is well though, and if you have a smoked salt, that's even better.

There's also Bacon salt that's kosher if you just want a touch of the flavor. I'm a recent enough BT to have eaten bacon during the latest bacon craze though, and I think it's all rather faddish. Bacon chocolate is awful, and a lot of other things just taste weird or overly complicated or whatever. What is true is that adding umami flavor is often helpful, but that can be accomplished with a wide variety of things, including mushrooms, parmesan cheese, soy sauce, and miso paste. Even without considering kashrus, I'd much rather have parmesan cheese adding an extra bit of umami flavor to mac and cheese instead of bacon, because the flavor of parmesan meshes with it and makes the whole thing taste like a better mac and cheese. Adding bacon just makes it taste like bacon in mac and cheese.

amother

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 1:14 am

I make this ALL the time! It is delicious. It tastes just like bacon, and I used to be a huge bacon-eater. That's why I'm anon.

http://chubbyvegetarian.blogsp......html

amother

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 1:15 am

I'm the amother who just posted the link to the chubby vegetarian blog. The link goes to smoked coconut bacon, and here is the recipe:

Smoked Coconut Bacon
(makes 3 1/2 cups)

3 1/2 cups coconut flakes (available at Whole Foods in the baking aisle)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetarian worcestershire
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon liquid smoke (only of you don't smoke the coconut on the grill top)

Smoke the coconut flakes for four minutes using my grill-top method. Four minutes don't sound like a long time, but the coconut really soaks up the smoke quickly. This ain't no pork belly, y'all!

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Place the smoked coconut into a large mixing bowl and add the maple syrup, soy sauce, pepper, worcestershire, and sesame oil. (Only add the liquid smoke if you didn't smoke the coconut. This is just an option for people without access to a smoker.) Toss to coat. Spread the dressed coconut into a single layer on a parchment-lined 12-by-17-inch sheet pan or two smaller pans. Cook coconut for ten minutes, stir it around and spread it back out on the sheet pan, and cook it another five minutes or until coconut is nice and dark brown.

Again, here is the link: http://chubbyvegetarian.blogsp......html

amother

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 7:55 am

amother wrote:

Is this supposed to taste like bacon?

im pretty sure. Its delicious in any case!

ruti13

Tue, Sep 02 2014, 8:05 pm

In Baltimore you can get kosher lamb bacon from the knish shop. It is SO good!