Everybody loves bacon. From the smell, the taste to the sound of it cooking, bacon is almost impossible to resist. Our guest today is Camilo Velasquez, who, along with his wife Elisa, turned their love for bacon into The Baconer: A bacon only business dedicated to providing the best bacon. Today we talk with Camilo about how he found himself in the world of bacon, as well as all the various ways you can make bacon taste even better. Caution, this episode might make you hungry.
Website: thebaconer.com Social: @the.baconer
Beer- Campfire Stout: http://bit.ly/2I5v6Bz
:40 Getting Started
- Located in Uptown Oakland
- Different forms of bacon
- Tasting Maple Bacon wrapped in cheese stuffed dates with Campfire Stout
5:44 The Baconer
- Starting The Baconer
- Bacon process
- Finding a better way to cook bacon
9:30 Pig Farms
- Pasture Farms
- Vegetarian fed pigs
- Different breeds of pig
- Pork belly differences
12:52 Bacon Pairs
- Wine and bacon
- Other ways to use bacon
- Bacon sauces
15:19 Bacon Smell
- Goes back to primal senses
- Mix of meat, juices and smoke
15:46 Bacon Flavors
- Flavors in both cuts
- New flavors
17:24 Farmers Markets
- Friday and Saturday
- Grand Lake, Larkspur, Kensington and Montclair Farmers Markets
- Working to get into grocery stores
- Started in October 2017
19:30 Early Challenges
- Working with small farms
- Supply chains
- Supporting good/ human farms
- Heritage Foods
- Finding kitchen space in the Bay Area
23:25 Bacon of the Month Club
- 3 month subscription
- Package of strips and lardons
- Recipes and instructions
- $120 to join
- Expanding soon
- Send out two 12-oz packages per month
25:21 Recipes
- Top flavors
- Top recipes
- Leftover grease
- Jalapeno bacon flavor
28:15 Shipping
- Shipped frozen
- Can freeze and refreeze bacon as much as you want
30:32 Beer and Bacon
- Favorite beers
- Racer 5 with Paprika Bacon
- Pliny the Younger works with all bacons
- Planning to make a Hopped Bacon
33:25 Flavors
- Coming up with different flavors
- Testing new recipes
35:05 Local Business Support
- Important for small businesses to support and collaborate with each other
- Advertising
- Getting into restaurants and grocery stores
40:10 Favorite Recipes
- Favorite ways to cook and use bacon
- Sous Vide style cooking
- Bacon wrapping
47:45 Contact information/ Wrap up
