If you’re enrolled in culinary arts school, odds are you’re well-versed in the endless uses of bacon in the kitchen. Though this cured meat is a breakfast staple, it can easily be added to a grilled cheese or macaroni, sprinkled atop a maple doughnut or used to make a savory pasta carbonara. That’s just to name a few of the many ways this delicious pork product can bring a smile to the faces of diners around the world. Yet, in its industrialized form, bacon has been watered down – literally and figuratively. The unequivocal aroma of the “gateway meat” has been somewhat sullied by those looking to speed along the process of creating this cured culinary delight. Then along came Denver Bacon Company, the brainchild of charcuterie chef Justin Brunson and co-founder Eric Clayman. While the dyad has only been in business since February 2013, Denver Bacon Company has become well-known for bringing back quality bacon.
What makes Denver Bacon Company’s product different?
Butchery has seen somewhat of a renaissance over the past decade as consumers and cooks alike have realized the importance of locally sourced, quality meat. However, Brunson was born on a farm and has a long career in the art of butchering. Moreover, Brunson is the chef of Masterpiece Delicatessen and Old Major, both located in Denver. Brunson’s bacon is one of his many specialties, one that he makes with pride, focusing on taste rather than speed.
In an interview with Food Republic, master bacon chef Brunson explained, “I think what makes it so good is our technique, along with the quality and freshness of the spices we use. We use coriander, thyme, black pepper, juniper, bay leaf and mustard seed, which we get from a local spice company who use only the freshest spices to make our blend. We also dry-cure the bacon, which is an old technique that takes the water out, whereas most people make a brine solution and pump water into the meat.”
Denver Bacon Company also uses real smoke from hardwoods to cure its bacon, rather than a flavoring agent or alternative. Whereas it takes more than a week for Denver Bacon Company to create its signature product, the company stated that most bacon manufacturers pump out the meat in less than a day.
Although the the company’s name highlights its delicious bacon, Brunson also makes 25 types of cured salumi.
