Ottakee Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 When you read all of the pioneer/wagon train books they eat bacon every morning for breakfast. I am wondering HOW in the world did they ever have time to travel if they had to spend all that time in the morning cooking the bacon? Last night my dh wanted BLTs and the kids had various versions of them. I cooked up 2 pounds of bacon here and it took FOREVER---even using the "simple" bake it in the oven method. Either the pioneer moms got up 2 hours early each day or they didn't leave in the morning very early. I told my husband that I could make him a roast, potatoes, gravy, rolls, etc. all in less time and effort than it takes to make BLTs.:glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 :D It only takes me 6 minutes to fry 7 strips--down to a science, here...:D I have no doubt, tho, that women got up early! Men, too. I was reading a fiction book based on a true story and came across the practice of scraping diapers--scraped, as in, get the crud off, rewear til wash day. Blecch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I wonder if they cooked up a bunch then just ate it cold for a few days? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I wonder if they cooked up a bunch then just ate it cold for a few days? Ah--I seem to remember lots of cold bacon in lunch pails--can't recall the book, but I'll bet that is how they ate it many times, like lunch meat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Ah--I seem to remember lots of cold bacon in lunch pails--can't recall the book, but I'll bet that is how they ate it many times, like lunch meat. My grandpa was born in 1918. His favorite lunch as a child was bacon grease on a cold biscuit. It was all his mom had to send in his lunch pail and the schools didn't provide meals then. I can't imagine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 My grandpa was born in 1918. His favorite lunch as a child was bacon grease on a cold biscuit. It was all his mom had to send in his lunch pail and the schools didn't provide meals then. I can't imagine... I remember my grandfather talking about his "lard sandwiches" as well. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onceuponatime Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Well, it didn't come in neat little sliced strips then. Maybe they cooked it thicker than we do, and they probably didn't cook it to that nice just crispy stage. It may have been cooked just enough to be heated through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We are at the westward expansion time period again in our history. The book said they frequently ate it uncooked because firewood was not always available. Yuck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeekingSimplicity Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Bacon back then would have been smoked, right? (as opposed to cured with tons of chemicals) I'm guessing the smoking would have preserved it, sort of like jerky-- being raw but dehydrated. I bet it wasn't all bad eating it raw. Maybe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mejane Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We are at the westward expansion time period again in our history. The book said they frequently ate it uncooked because firewood was not always available. Yuck! We used to eat it raw as kids. We loved it. Now it makes me gag to think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 :D It only takes me 6 minutes to fry 7 strips--down to a science, here...:D I have no doubt, tho, that women got up early! Men, too. I was reading a fiction book based on a true story and came across the practice of scraping diapers--scraped, as in, get the crud off, rewear til wash day. Blecch! What was the book, Chris? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Bacon back then would have been smoked, right? (as opposed to cured with tons of chemicals) I'm guessing the smoking would have preserved it, sort of like jerky-- being raw but dehydrated. I bet it wasn't all bad eating it raw. Maybe. Wasn't a lot of their meat also packed in salt for preservation? I know my great grandparents smoked almost every kind of meat they had too though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Smoked bacon wouldn't take that long to cook, and the women & kids (heck everyone) would be up early baking bread, gathering water, firewood, hunting, checking traps, seeing to the animals, and occasionally doing laundry and various other chores. I imagine chores ate up a lot of time back then:tongue_smilie:. The precooked bacon we have now takes only 15 seconds to heat in the microwave...Progress:001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 When you read all of the pioneer/wagon train books they eat bacon every morning for breakfast. I am wondering HOW in the world did they ever have time to travel if they had to spend all that time in the morning cooking the bacon? Last night my dh wanted BLTs and the kids had various versions of them. I cooked up 2 pounds of bacon here and it took FOREVER---even using the "simple" bake it in the oven method.Either the pioneer moms got up 2 hours early each day or they didn't leave in the morning very early. I told my husband that I could make him a roast, potatoes, gravy, rolls, etc. all in less time and effort than it takes to make BLTs.:glare: Will you splain this method, please? TIA! I usually cook bacon in Mr. Mike Rowave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 My grandpa was born in 1918. His favorite lunch as a child was bacon grease on a cold biscuit. It was all his mom had to send in his lunch pail and the schools didn't provide meals then. I can't imagine... my granddad could never fathom why my family loved to eat biscuits. To him they were "poor man's" food. He hated them. Probably because that is all he had to carry to lunch at school. (there were 11 kids in his family) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 my granddad could never fathom why my family loved to eat biscuits. To him they were "poor man's" food. He hated them. Probably because that is all he had to carry to lunch at school. (there were 11 kids in his family) Because without biscuits, we wouldn't have biscuits and gravy. Yes, poor man's food...but GOOD poor man's food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Will you splain this method, please? TIA! I usually cook bacon in Mr. Mike Rowave. He puts them on a rack on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven. Dh likes to put a little onion powder on them. It cuts down on the fat if you want that kind of thing, and gets them crispy, without having to do all the fussy skillet stuff that he saves for how he cooks his eggs lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 We put them on a rack on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven. Dh likes to put a little onion powder on them. It cuts down on the fat if you want that kind of thing, and gets them crispy, without having to do all the fussy skillet stuff that he saves for how he cooks his eggs lol I will have to try this (note to self: buy a rack for the cookie sheet). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 If you do it in the oven you gotta put brown sugar on it! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unsinkable Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 If you do it in the oven you gotta put brown sugar on it! :tongue_smilie: OK...someone come up with a double entendre for this. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I fry bacon in a cast iron skillet on a regular basis, and don't feel it takes very long at all. While I am making breakfast, the kids are off doing chores and I am getting the kitchen tasks started for the day, so maybe it's all relative. Oh, and yes, we do spread bacon fat on toast, and sometimes top it with cinnamon sugar or jam. It tastes better than coconut oil or olive oil on toast, ans some can't have butter, or a soy-based margarine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari C in SC Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I do not have a clue how they do it, but I have a nifty microwave thingy that you can get at Walmart. Makes it quick and perfect every time. Cook and throw thingy in dishwasher for easy clean up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I prefer the oven method, the bacon doesn't get overcooked (otherwise known as incinerated) and I have more time to concentrate on multitasking the other 25 things at breakfast time. I also cook my sauage in the toaster oven for the same reasons!! Lara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 (edited) We are at the westward expansion time period again in our history. The book said they frequently ate it uncooked because firewood was not always available. Yuck! True. I used to teach this unit as a 4th grade schoolteacher -- Pioneers/Westward Movement. Basically, it was anywhere from a 5-6 month journey (late Spring to Summer -- you had to cross the Rockies, survive NV, and cross the Sierra Nevadas if you wanted to go to CA -- ALL before snow in early Oct/Nov.) from the St. Louis area. You traveled in a wagon train. Supplies were difficult to acquire on the journey -- many bought items like sugar, salt, bacon, flour, etc in St. Louis. Keep in mind the wagon could only hold so much. Limited room. You brought some furniture, some clothing, seeds, a LOT of tools, tons of food, etc. No one rode the wagon -- everyone had to walk alongside it due to it being packed FULL of household goods. But of course, there were many hazards on the trail. Your wagon could get immersed in water when crossing the river and all goods were wasted. You could eat everything too quickly and end up with nothing for days/weeks. You could be robbed or have your wagon tip over and lose everything. During the journey, your Wagon Master would get you to a Fort where you could re-stock on supplies. Many people in a journey usually bartered with other travelers for supplies too. The closer you got to OR/CA, as you began to cross the Rockies and Sierra Nevadas, you would find many "treasures" left behind as many found the ascent up the Rockies hazardous with a full wagon. I would think that bacon was a "luxury" item -- many times there was little firewood to be found while crossing the plains/prairie. Yes, it was a meager meal with it, raw. But it was food. ;) Edited January 12, 2011 by tex-mex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Sis has died of dysentery Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 Sis has died of dysentery :lol::lol: Oh no... you drank the badwater in the desert, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 :lol::lol: Oh no... you drank the badwater in the desert, huh? Always! :drool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Sis has died of dysentery My FAVORITE game ever!!! (I am assuming you are refering to Oregon Trail...:001_smile:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 What was the book, Chris? It's called All Together in One Place. Pretty good, actually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 My FAVORITE game ever!!!(I am assuming you are refering to Oregon Trail...:001_smile:) Course! I really want a tshirt. :lol: http://www.amazon.com/Oregon-Trail-Dysentery-Black-T-Shirt/dp/B000WECM14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katilac Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 If you do it in the oven you gotta put brown sugar on it! :tongue_smilie: That's what she said . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tex-mex Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 My FAVORITE game ever!!!(I am assuming you are refering to Oregon Trail...:001_smile:) If I may jump in... but even FAR better than the Oregon Trail PC game... was this unit I used in the classroom: http://www.teachinteract.com/c/product.html?record@TF29009+s@JyuIFkF78RmXY If anyone teaches in a co-op setting, this is a FUN and educational game! And the Oregon Trail was on my Macs in the classroom to compliment this unit. We wrapped up the unit with an old fashioned "GO FOR THE GOLD" day with pie eating contests, roping "wood" sawhorses, digging for CA Gold (painted rocks), volunteers helping demo panning black sand for the kids, potato sack races, guessing jars, challenges, and everyone dressed in 1800's costumes! We also read the book, By the Great Horn Spoon by Sid Fleischman during the 3 week unit. For the party and old fashioned picnic (fried chicken, potato salad, rolls, punch) we watched the movie based on the book -- The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin (Disney). :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 It's called All Together in One Place. Pretty good, actually. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisB Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 Will you splain this method, please? TIA! I usually cook bacon in Mr. Mike Rowave. He puts them on a rack on a cookie sheet and bake them in the oven. Dh likes to put a little onion powder on them. It cuts down on the fat if you want that kind of thing, and gets them crispy, without having to do all the fussy skillet stuff that he saves for how he cooks his eggs lol You can try it without a rack too. It works like a charm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeneralMom Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Recently discovered that it comes out really nicely and quickly in a George Foreman grill. You pop them in and don't have to think about it. Bonus is that all the lovely bacon grease ends up in the drippings pan and can be reused to make eggs or with other things (I get more bacon fat this way than if I do the oven method or pan method). Having said that we only eat bacon once or twice a month, so maybe it would take too long for people who do bacon regularly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 We used to eat it raw as kids. We loved it. Now it makes me gag to think about it. I gag just thinking about it. Bacon must be completely crispy with no hint of uncooked fat. But any kind of fat makes me gag. I'm Jack Sprat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 You can try it without a rack too. It works like a charm. Yes, that's what I do. I found this site, and have been cooking bacon this way for a while. I've always hated the bacon grease splat you get when cooking it on the stove top. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Sis has died of dysentery :smilielol5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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