Chicken fried bacon
Encyclopedia
Chicken fried bacon consists of bacon
strips dredged in batter
and deep fried
, like chicken fried steak
. It is an American dish that was introduced in Texas
in the early 1990s. Frank Sodolak of Sodolak's Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas
, is credited as having invented the food.
Chicken fried bacon has been gaining in popularity as it is featured in popular YouTube
videos, a book of Texas curiosities, and an increasing number of restaurant menus. It is usually served as an appetizer with a white "country" or cream gravy for dipping and sauce.
Sodolak's dish acquired enough of a reputation to be featured in Texas comedian John Kelso's Texas Curiosities. The entry states that "Things are not only bigger in Texas, they're greasier" and that "it's hard to imagine a more artery-clogging food."
Sodolak serves six strips of bacon, battered and fried, with a bowl of cream gravy. He and his restaurant were featured on a Texas Country Reporter
episode; the web video has been watched hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube.
Chicken fried bacon made by Glen Kusak of south Texas won the Big Tex Choice Award for Best Taste in the 2008 State Fair of Texas
in Dallas. In recent years, the dish has made its way across America and it is served in Chicago at the Risque Cafe in Lake View
. The Risque Cafe's version of "country-fried bacon" is served with white gravy and sells for $6. It is prepared using an egg wash, dredged in heavily peppered flour and deep fried in vegetable oil. The café's chef, Andrew Niemeyer, said he "played around with the idea" while a student of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (he graduated in 2005) and did not mention that he was retracing ground pioneered years before in Texas.
Sodolak's YouTube video inspired others to copy the recipe, such as Don Yovicsin of Jake's Dixie Roadhouse, Waltham, Massachusetts
. Alerted by a customer, he quickly made his own version, which he jokes is served "with a Lipitor I.V." and sells for $6.95 (Yovicsin serves only four strips of bacon).
, those health experts that favor low-fat diets suggest consuming it in moderation or not at all. Sally Squires of the Washington Post acknowledged chicken fried bacon's appeal to the palate, but suggests moderation. Other experts note the dish's low nutritional benefits: "They've taken fat, they've double-coated it in fat, they've fried it in more fat, and then they've served it with a side order of fat." Jane Hurley, senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest
in Washington, D.C., stated she's "never heard of anything worse."
While critics of the dish denounce its blatant negative health effects, lovers of the food speak as passionately about its qualities:
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
strips dredged in batter
Batter (cooking)
Batter is a semi-liquid mixture of one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or eggs used to prepare various foods. Often a leavening agent such as baking powder is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose...
and deep fried
Deep frying
Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer or chip pan; industrially, a pressure fryer or vacuum fryer may be used....
, like chicken fried steak
Chicken fried steak
Chicken fried steak is a dish consisting of a piece of steak coated with seasoned flour and pan-fried. It is associated with Texas cuisine...
. It is an American dish that was introduced in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the early 1990s. Frank Sodolak of Sodolak's Original Country Inn in Snook, Texas
Snook, Texas
Snook is a city in Burleson County, Texas, United States. The population was 568 at the 2000 census.Snook is home to Frank Sodolak of Sodolak's Original Country Inn, the inventor and first known restaurant to serve chicken fried bacon....
, is credited as having invented the food.
Chicken fried bacon has been gaining in popularity as it is featured in popular YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
videos, a book of Texas curiosities, and an increasing number of restaurant menus. It is usually served as an appetizer with a white "country" or cream gravy for dipping and sauce.
Notoriety
Sodolak serves six strips of bacon, battered and fried, with a bowl of cream gravy. He and his restaurant were featured on a Texas Country Reporter
Texas Country Reporter
Texas Country Reporter is a weekly syndicated television program hosted and produced by Bob Phillips. It airs in all 22 Texas media markets, generally on weekends, and reruns are broadcast nationally on the satellite/cable channel RFD-TV...
episode; the web video has been watched hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube.
Versions of dish
State Fair of Texas
The State Fair of Texas is an annual state fair held in Dallas, Texas . The fair season usually begins the last Friday in September and ends 24 days later. The fair is held at the historic Fair Park where it has been held since 1886. The 2012 State Fair of Texas will run from September 28th...
in Dallas. In recent years, the dish has made its way across America and it is served in Chicago at the Risque Cafe in Lake View
Lakeview, Chicago
Lake View, or Lakeview, is one of the 77 community area of the Chicago, Illinois, located in the city's North Side. It is bordered by West Diversey Parkway on the south, West Irving Park Road on the north, North Ravenswood Avenue on the west, and the shore of Lake Michigan on the east...
. The Risque Cafe's version of "country-fried bacon" is served with white gravy and sells for $6. It is prepared using an egg wash, dredged in heavily peppered flour and deep fried in vegetable oil. The café's chef, Andrew Niemeyer, said he "played around with the idea" while a student of the Cooking and Hospitality Institute of Chicago (he graduated in 2005) and did not mention that he was retracing ground pioneered years before in Texas.
Sodolak's YouTube video inspired others to copy the recipe, such as Don Yovicsin of Jake's Dixie Roadhouse, Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
. Alerted by a customer, he quickly made his own version, which he jokes is served "with a Lipitor I.V." and sells for $6.95 (Yovicsin serves only four strips of bacon).
Health issues
Since the dish is rich in saturated fatSaturated fat
Saturated fat is fat that consists of triglycerides containing only saturated fatty acids. Saturated fatty acids have no double bonds between the individual carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. That is, the chain of carbon atoms is fully "saturated" with hydrogen atoms...
, those health experts that favor low-fat diets suggest consuming it in moderation or not at all. Sally Squires of the Washington Post acknowledged chicken fried bacon's appeal to the palate, but suggests moderation. Other experts note the dish's low nutritional benefits: "They've taken fat, they've double-coated it in fat, they've fried it in more fat, and then they've served it with a side order of fat." Jane Hurley, senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Center for Science in the Public Interest is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit watchdog and consumer advocacy group focusing on nutritional education and awareness.-History and funding:...
in Washington, D.C., stated she's "never heard of anything worse."
While critics of the dish denounce its blatant negative health effects, lovers of the food speak as passionately about its qualities:
External links
- Snook Texas roadfood video Texas County Reporter - Chicken Fried Bacon (YouTube)
- Texas County Reporter - Chicken Fried Bacon (Google Video)
- Texas County Reporter - Chicken Fried Bacon (Megavideo)
- Recipezaar - Chicken Fried Bacon with Cream Gravy