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[gennisis]

I was interested to find out about WWMco in Pattaya from a poster on this site,so looked at the site and found what appeared to be a very impressive list of foods,especialy their bacon.
I guess,at least in Chiang Mai I have tried every bacon available here but am still not impressed. Some has been quite good,but none with the taste and aroma I remember...ever walked into a transport cafe in the morning and been greeted with that 'aroma' of frying bacon. ??Many producers all claiming that theirs is the best and is served at the top hotels,but,to me all failing in taste. The same with sausages...every style available and at reasonable prices but ..not the same as 'back home in England. A few years ago living in Ghana I could get imported Bacon and Sausages but not in Thailand,apart from Waitrose sausages inTops
Now, is it me and my aging tastebuds?...is it the breed of pig here?.Regarding Bacon quite a few local producers claim that theirs is 'dry cured', so why is it that when I fry it I still get white goo in the frying pan.Dry cured is supposed to be a dense rasher,not dripping with liquid.
So how have your experiences been. I have tried to have some 'Danish' and' English' bacon sent here,but have not found anyone willing to send to Thailand.
I'm going to try the smoked Wiltshire bacon from WWMCO,they send by bus in a cooler package it seems... so forever hoping .but not expecting too much difference.
And as for beef steaks !!???

[terryq]

It may be taste buds, it could be that public tastes have changed and the manufacturers have responded by changing the flavour.In my case it has been 30 years since I lived in the UK so maybe my memory has gone. It could be that the manufacturers have found a cheaper way of processing,( so the taste has changed but our profit is up ).

"In Thailand "truth in advertising" seems to be an alien concept, so easy to claim they are the best. With regards to your comment

Regarding Bacon quite a few local producers claim that theirs is 'dry cured', so why is it that when I fry it I still get white goo in the frying pan.Dry cured is supposed to be a dense rasher,not dripping with liquid."

They could just be telling Porkies   !!

[RabC]

WWMco Wiltshire bacon is as good as any I have tried in Thailand but UK bacon it ain't. I am in the UK 4-5 times a year and make a point of bringing bacon back with me as I have never found good UK style bacon anywhere but the UK. Don't get me started on what they serve as bacon in Denmark lol, guess all the good stuff is exported to the UK.

[bkkjames]

Scroll over to the 7 min mark exactly

[thaiIand]

dont waste your time on bacon. Only canadians know what good bacon is and they all agree.

Central food hall and tops --> cold section ---> S&P bacon.. so delicious.

I have basically tried every brand in thailand and they're all VOMIT compared to this one.. and its only 80baht/pack

[Ulysses G.]

Butter is Better in Chiang Mai has a brand of bacon that would just be regular bacon In the US, but is by far the best that I have ever had in Thailand. Even the texture is almost always correct which is extremely unusual here.

[RabC]

I am afraid that what the OP is after is UK styie bacon and NO ONE from the Western side of the pond can come close to that.

[lannarebirth]

If you live in Chiang Mai there are two places that have better "American Style" bacon than anywhere else.  One is Pickles deli / restaurant and the other is a Queens Project  store near the very western end of Huay Kaew Rd on the right hand side.

[gennisis]

RabC, on 2012-01-25 17:33:25, said:

I am afraid that what the OP is after is UK styie bacon and NO ONE from the Western side of the pond can come close to that.

It was'nt the US or English 'style' that I want. As far as I am concerned US bacon is 'Streaky' while Uk bacon could be either Streaky or back. If the taste is right I couldnt care less about the style. Thats why since the curing process appears to be well documented and is presumably copied over here,that I wonder if its the breed of pig or its feed that could be making the difference. I did try to produce my own bacon,bought a piece of belly pork, and made up a curing solution . It was'nt what I expected,no different from Thai purchased bacon.
Although Thailand has many epicurian delights,I just have to accept that Bacon isnt one of them.....sad !!
I am guessing that its only the UK people here who can appreciate this matter of taste. The US guys over here appear to be happy with Thai bacon.

Edited by gennisis, 2012-01-27 10:24:37.

[tutsiwarrior]

I make do with the local ham, bacon and sausages...we're in Asia here, after all...just made a BLT from the CP brand bacon from tescos; it's fulla water but ain't too bad...if ye get a meat grinder with a sausage attachment ye can make yer own...casings are usually available down the market...sausage recipies all over the place on the internet...

an', ain't no use'n comparing american streaky bacon with the english back bacon...it's like apples and oranges, etc...I like BLTs made from both but bein' a yank I prefer the streaky like my Tennessee grandma useta make...mayo please, no brown sauce, ta...

Edited by tutsiwarrior, 2012-01-27 13:32:45.

[IsaanAussie]

I dry cure bacon from my own pigs (Durocs) using no chemicals to effect the texture or colour. The dry cure process involves coating the meat and storing in the refrigerator at 4C in a plastic bag for the curing period. The bags and turned each day. My cure uses molasses, fresh ground black pepper, brown sugar and sea salt. No nitrates or nitrates. We use Loin and Belly Pork to make most of our bacon.

Regardless of being dry or wet cured in brine many "factory" made bacons exude white scum in the pan and reduce in size. It is because the meat has been pumped full of cure or brine to accelerate the process (10 hour bacon as a friend dubbed it)
Does it taste the same as English pub breakfast bacon? No, but that is only a matter of taste. If you want to taste some of our farm made bacon send me a PM. We send vacuum packs packed in ice filled styrene boxes to order by bus. We also send lean ground pork, and other cuts  to those who want to make their own sausages, BBQ ribs, roast pork etc...

The salt and sugar are all that is needed for curing, saltpetre is added to stabilise the colour while cooking.

[Ulysses G.]

gennisis, on 2012-01-27 10:15:16, said:

The US guys over here appear to be happy with Thai bacon.

Not the ones that I know. I like American style, UK style and Canadian style - if they are good,- but IMO only American style works in a BLT.

[IsaanAussie]

Ok Strongman or Mr Grant as the handle befits, here is my challenge!
Get your backside up here to my farm and I will cut the loose leaves and let you take you choice of tomato types, all organic. Then slice some of the fresh Canadian Back and make you a BLT like you have yet to eat. Ever. Free

Edited by IsaanAussie, 2012-01-27 21:08:38.

[thaiIand]

Isaanaussie, can you try the S&P bacon and compare it to your bacon. Should be as good or 10% away

[IsaanAussie]

thaiIand, on 2012-01-27 23:05:11, said:

Isaanaussie, can you try the S&P bacon and compare it to your bacon. Should be as good or 10% away

Have eaten S&P before. Personally no need to buy more, our stuff is pretty good. Within 10%?

[JoePai]

In Chiang Mai you are lucky - you have the best on your doorstep from Sausage King.  Give Rob a call

[JimSiam]

IsaanAussie, on 2012-01-27 13:19:52, said:

I dry cure bacon from my own pigs (Durocs) using no chemicals to effect the texture or colour. The dry cure process involves coating the meat and storing in the refrigerator at 4C in a plastic bag for the curing period. The bags and turned each day. My cure uses molasses, fresh ground black pepper, brown sugar and sea salt. No nitrates or nitrates.

The salt and sugar are all that is needed for curing, saltpetre is added to stabilise the colour while cooking.

I thought saltpetre is Potassium nitrate?

[gennisis]

JoePai, on 2012-01-28 11:02:03, said:

In Chiang Mai you are lucky - you have the best on your doorstep from Sausage King.  Give Rob a call

I have had the Sausage King bacon....it was OK,but probably not as good as Sausage King claim
I must admit being slightly anti Sausage King since I had ordered a couple of packs of their Sliced American Ham, and found out that it was'nt ham.but loin...Ham,to me comes from the Leg,not the body.Their photo of their ham  on their website was of a sliced leg.
But anti or nor their samosa's were brilliant.

[IsaanAussie]

JimSiam, on 2012-01-28 11:29:30, said:

IsaanAussie, on 2012-01-27 13:19:52, said:

I dry cure bacon from my own pigs (Durocs) using no chemicals to effect the texture or colour. The dry cure process involves coating the meat and storing in the refrigerator at 4C in a plastic bag for the curing period. The bags and turned each day. My cure uses molasses, fresh ground black pepper, brown sugar and sea salt. No nitrates or nitrates.

The salt and sugar are all that is needed for curing, saltpetre is added to stabilise the colour while cooking.

I thought saltpetre is Potassium nitrate?

Correct and it can be mixed with salt to make "curing salt". If you check through the posts in the forum I think the ratio was 1 part to 16 salt. It also is used to make gun powder.

Can I ask if there is a prize for being the "best"? I thought the success of the pork product producers now established here spoke for itself. They obviously have well satisfied customers who enjoy their products. I know my meagre efforts are appreciated by my customers, but being rated the best or within 10% had not even crossed my mind. Silly me.

[Macnick]

I just bought a few kilos of bacon from these guys http://www.buntersfoodsbkk.com/ some of the best I've cooked in Thailand.

[Ulysses G.]

IsaanAussie, on 2012-01-27 21:07:37, said:

Ok Strongman or Mr Grant as the handle befits, here is my challenge!
Get your backside up here to my farm and I will cut the loose leaves and let you take you choice of tomato types, all organic. Then slice some of the fresh Canadian Back and make you a BLT like you have yet to eat. Ever. Free

I'm sure it would taste good, but not like a BLT.

[smokie36]

Ulysses G., on 2012-01-27 20:26:26, said:

gennisis, on 2012-01-27 10:15:16, said:

The US guys over here appear to be happy with Thai bacon.

Not the ones that I know. I like American style, UK style and Canadian style - if they are good,- but IMO only American style works in a BLT.

American style? Just streaky bacon should be used. If you want to claim that as American then you have to click on the link..

[wjmark]

lannarebirth, on 2012-01-25 20:17:12, said:

If you live in Chiang Mai there are two places that have better "American Style" bacon than anywhere else.  One is Pickles deli / restaurant and the other is a Queens Project  store near the very western end of Huay Kaew Rd on the right hand side.

If only people would listen!

Yes. The Queen's project bacon is fantastic. Very natural flavour. Not too salty.

[lannarebirth]

wjmark, on 2012-01-29 11:23:25, said:

lannarebirth, on 2012-01-25 20:17:12, said:

If you live in Chiang Mai there are two places that have better "American Style" bacon than anywhere else.  One is Pickles deli / restaurant and the other is a Queens Project  store near the very western end of Huay Kaew Rd on the right hand side.

If only people would listen!

Yes. The Queen's project bacon is fantastic. Very natural flavour. Not too salty.

The pork chops from there are better than anywhere else also.  Haven't tried any of their sausages yet.

[dazk]

the smoked whiltshire from makro  is pretty good, tasty not to much water content and little shrinkage. we use around 4kg a week in our restaurant and most customers comment on how good the bacon is.