Jack Burke

Module 3: Week of August 31-September 6, 2025

Introductions

For this week’s lab, we are diving into different cooking methods for bacon so as to determine the best ways to cook bacon. We are also learning more about pork belly and lardo, and how to use each as ingredients in our dishes for this week.

I have cooked bacon numerous times, but I am eager to see which style of cookery is assigned to me, and how it will turn out. I have cooked with pork belly before, but never with lardo, so I am also excited to see how this dish will play out.

Background Information

Cooking bacon can be done many different ways: in a skillet, in the oven, on a flat-top, etc. This week, we will each be assigned in our groups a different method to cook and prepare bacon given to us, and our job is to prepare it as perfectly as we can to experiment with the different methods. According to The New York Times, the trick of cooking bacon is to “keep the heat low, and you have more control; use olive oil in the pan, and you’re less likely to burn the outside,” (Bittman 2012).

For our ingredients this week–lardo and pork belly–we source quality cuts of pork from the big, with the belly obviously being from the belly, and the lardo being sourced from the fatty parts of the pig’s back. Pork belly is a seemingly standard ingredient, as it is smoked and used commonly for bacon (Selasky 2015). Lardo is an Italian delicacy which can be eaten along and also can be used to cook with, making it a versatile and sustainable ingredient for most kitchens (Wang 2018).

Recipe Research & Development

For the Bitter Greens and Bacon Vinaigrette, I took two different recipes sourced from The New York Times Cooking, and I will combine them to make a salad using the greens tossed in the vinaigrette.

For the remaining dishes, recipes were provided / not needed. For the Celeriac Puree, I want to add just a hint of nutmeg to play into the subtle creaminess of the puree.

Plan of Work & Recipes

Works Cited

Bacon: 25 Ways. (2012, October 14). The New York Times Magazine. Retrieved from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/10/14/magazine/bacon-25-ways.html

Wang, C. (2011, May 10). The Nasty Bits: Lardo. Serious Eats. Retrieved August 10, 2018, from https://www.seriouseats.com/nasty-bits-lardo-cured-fat-how-to-use

Selasky, S. (2015, March 4). Ask the Test Kitchen: What is pork belly? Detroit Free Press. Retrieved from https://www.freep.com/story/life/food/recipes/2015/03/04/ask-test-kitchen-pork-belly-cooking/24386343/