The Great Big Bacon Picnic - Sept. 24-25, 2016

Hailed by top food bloggers as “The Bacon Event of the Year” in 2015, The Great Big Bacon Picnic is back in Williamsburg, Brooklyn next week, Sept. 24-25, 2016. This indoor/outdoor gourmet bacon festival features UNLIMITED bacon and booze from over 100 chefs, restaurants, food trucks, brewmasters, distillers, mixologists, and culinary experts. Sounds like a dream come true!

Guest blogger, Gail Worley from The Worleygig covered the event for Skulls & Bacon last year and she'll be representing again this year! See her recap of last year's Great Big Bacon Picnic.

In addition to stuffing your face and catching a buzz, the High & Mighty Brass Band will be performing, you can participate in the 1st ever Bacon Toss contest (catch the bacon in your mouth!), and a Great Big Food Nap area where attendees can rest up for the next round.

Some featured dishes that will be in attendance:

Bareburger Maple Sriracha, candied bacon slider with pickled red onion, Boston bib lettuce, Sriracha aioli, on a pretzel bun

Brooklyn Colony’s Breakfast Bacon Empanada

Sweet Chili’s The Porkgasm - Spicy Vietnamese Caramel Glazed Pork Belly


The event will feature three different sessions of inspired bite-sized bacon dishes and the best in craft beers and top-shelf spirits:

• Saturday Brunch 12:00pm – 2:30pm with VIP access from 11:00am
• Saturday Happy Hour 5:30pm – 8:00pm with VIP access from 4:30pm
• Sunday Brunch 1:00pm – 3:30pm with VIP access from 12:00pm

For a list of participating restaurants, sponsors, and to purchase tickets, visit greatbigbacon.com/.

**10% of the net proceeds will be donated to various charities, such as  City Harvest, and vendors are encouraged to use local suppliers and farmers who produce  organic and sustainable ingredients.

Here's a quick peek at last year's festivities:

Going Hog Wild at the Great Big Bacon Picnic

A Guest Blog for Skulls & Bacon
By Gail Worley from The Worleygig



If you weren’t able to make the scene at the Great Big Bacon Picnic, which took place over the weekend of May 16th and 17th, you missed what will surely go down in Bacon Legend among those lucky enough to attend as the Bacon Event of The Year – assuming, of course, that it becomes an annual event! And we will be praying it does!



Held at the old Pfizer Factory in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a mix of Indoor and Outdoor space provided the absolutely perfect venue for what felt like an early start to Summer, as Bacon fans arrived in herds to taste bacon-infused food and drink from over 100 chefs, brew masters, and distillers who showered attendees with unlimited bacon, extraordinary spirits and local craft beers! Bacon Picnic!



Everyone was in a great mood and the enthusiasm was palpable. It didn’t hurt that this was perhaps the best organized food event I’ve yet attended. Wait times at each booth or food truck was minimal to non-existent, and service with a smile was the order of the day. In order to accommodate the schedules of as many people as possible and avoid event burn-out, the Great Big Bacon Picnic was divided into three two-and-one-half-hour sessions (two on Saturday and one on Sunday.) I attended the Sunday afternoon session, proudly representing for Skulls and Bacon, as we ate bacon until we wished to see no more bacon. Yes, Bacon-overload (though exceedingly rare) is possible.

Here are some photo highlights from the day!





Musical entertainment was provided by Brooklyn’s own High & Mighty Brass Band, whom I spotted lounging the VIP tent between sets.

I began my journey of Bacony Delights by first hitting up all the vendors in the outdoor space, which was set up with the aforementioned VIP tent, plus shaded picnic tables, and picnic blankets on Astroturf for those not hiding from the sun.



Among food trucks and booze booths, the former Pfizer parking lot was also home to the first-ever Bacon Bar: a self-serve smorgasbord dedicated exclusively to endless servings of many different varieties of Bacon. It was a perfect appetizer to the main event!



Who doesn’t love Maple Bacon?




This Canadian Bacon tasted more like delicious roast Pork Loin to me. All good!



During the events, there was judging by not only fans, but also panels of experts, for cash prizes in a variety of categories. Tellers with Black Pepper Bacon won the Judge’s Award for Presentation at Saturday’s evening session.




I enjoyed my bacon Buffet while sipping a chilled Angry Orchard Cider in the VIP tent! Eventually though, I had to go back out into the sun, because the Bacon was calling me.



BacoBurger Steak Company grilled up a mess of their Bacon and Beef blended burgers, served as both sliders on buns, and meat-only morsels dressed up chimichurri style with pickled onions.





Big D’S presents Bacon Tempura with Wasabi Aioli Sauce was a big hit with everyone. They served it up quick!



Fans enjoy delicious Bacon Tempura on a Stick! Because everything tastes better on a stick!




Hard Times Sundaes served no Sundaes, but they served an amazingly juicy Bacon Cheeseburger with sweet grilled onions!



I washed this down with cold Deep Eddy Ruby Red Grapefruit Infused Vodka Beverage. Ah, refreshing!




I was next drawn towards the indoor area of the event, which promised shade, a bathroom, and a place to wash the pig off my hands. Plus: More Bacon!Here are a few photos of the Bacon Things I ate once I got inside.



Bacon Gruyere Mini Scone! Bacon, Cheese, Bread – whats not to love?





Hilldale’s Deviled Egg Topped with Crispy House-Smoked Pork Belly; because you never say No to a Deviled Egg – especially one topped with Bacon!



Cent’Anni Gnocchi Carbonara with Smoked bacon, Onions and Spring Peas. So rich, and quite a generous portion!




There were booths selling Bacon Swag as well, such as this fashionable United States of Bacon T-Shirt! It looks comfy!We also sampled a few prize winning recipes!




Late day Saturday, the Judge’s Awards for Creativity went to Urbo for their insanely delicious Smoked Bacon Stuffed Oreos.



Seriously, these little guys are some of the best-tasting things you could ever put in your mouth. Sweet Bacon Heaven!



Snowdonia’s Maple Bacon Welsh Rarebit took the People’s Choice Award with its blend of melted cheeses on artisan bread, sprinkled with Candied Bacon.



It’s looks pretty tasty, but check this out:



Sure, that’s how they melted the cheese, but we couldn’t help but wonder what was the secret ingredient that made this dish taste like you were, literally, eating fire? My guess is that there was a secret layer of Sriracha under that melty cheese. Let the eater beware.



Possibly our very favorite savory Bacon dish of the day, Streets’ outrageous Tuna Bacon Truffle Sushi Roll, was awarded the Judge’s Awards in both the Deliciousness and Creativity categories. Well played!



The concept of blending delicious fresh Ahi tuna sushi with crisp smoky bacon and truffle aioli was just too genius to be ignored! The deepest, most bacon-frenzied crowd of any booth at the event said all there was to be said.



We had a crazy fun time at the Great Big Bacon Picnic and hope to return next year!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Big big thanks to Gail from The Worleygig for covering this event while I was on vacation in California. Man, I wish I could have been there. If it happens again next year I definitely plan on being there!

Little Caesars Bacon Wrapped Crust Deep Dish Pizza

There's no Little Caesars close to me, so sadly, I probably won't get to try this. But even if I could, I don't think my review could top this guys.

Oberto Bacon Jerky Giveaway

**UPDATE!**Congrats to Phairhead for winning the Oberto Bacon Jerky! Hopefully she'll let us know how she likes it! Natazcha was originally picked as the winner but I didn't realize that you couldn't ship food overseas so a consolation prize is coming her way!

A couple of weeks ago I entered a Thrillist contest on Twitter (@Thrillist) to win some bags of Bacon Jerky from Oberto. All I had to do was answer the question, how much do I love bacon? Well, duh, and yes, I was one of the winners.


So I came home the next week to this box sitting on my doorstep:



You might know Oberto from their jerky and other meat snacks. New to their line-up is Applewood Smoked Bacon Jerky and I was psyched to try it. I opened the box to two bags of Bacon Jerky and a Bacon Wallet!



I ripped open a bag right away and was automatically impressed by the look of the Bacon Jerky. Big pieces, thick and meaty...



Wow, this stuff is really, really good. Pure, fresh bacon taste, not too salty, not too fatty or chewy. It's also not as leathery or tough as beef jerky and you could totally use this on a sandwich. I'd have no problem throwing some on a BLT. I brought a bag to work with me and everyone who tried it was really impressed. I've tried some other bacon jerky products and so far Oberto's Bacon Jerky is hands-down the best.


It wasn't until a couple of days later that I opened the Bacon Wallet...


Freakin' hysterical. Oberto filled the wallet with all sorts of fun - a Bacon Driver's License, Bacon Jerky Business Card, photobooth photos and more.


These made me actually laugh out loud.


**GIVEAWAY**
Anyhow, Oberto wants to give one of my readers a couple of bags of Bacon Jerky. Just leave a comment here or on Twitter (@skullsandbacon) and tell me why you need this Oberto Bacon Jerky. Comments must be in by midnight EST, Tues. May 7th. Please make sure I have a way to contact you via email or twitter when making your comment, so that I can contact you in case you win. If I can't contact you then another winner may be selected randomly.

KFC's Cheesy Bacon Bowl Giveaway!

A few weeks ago I got an email asking if I wanted to try KFC’s new Cheesy Bacon Bowl. Are you kidding? Of course I would LOVE to try it! Being a huge fan of KFC to begin with, there's no way I could miss this opportunity.

In case you haven't already heard, KFC's Cheesy Bacon Bowl features a generous serving of creamy mashed potatoes, layered with sweet kernel corn and loaded with bite-sized pieces of crispy Popcorn Chicken. The entire bowl is drizzled with signature home-style gravy and topped off with a shredded three-cheese blend – and now, a layer of bacon. For only $3.99

A few days later, I got home from work and found this waiting for me:


So exciting! This Cheesy Bacon Bowl Taste Test Kit had:

• Spork and spatula – to get in every nook and cranny of the Cheesy Bacon Bowl’s six delicious layers
  
• A bowl inside an awesome KFC + Bacon = Love "hat box"
  
• KFC Gift Checks and a gift card (to buy the gas to get me there)
  
• A Bacon Air Freshener and a “KFC + Bacon = Love” Bumper Sticker

I must give my apologies to the nice woman who sent this to me because it took me a little longer than I thought it would to actually get to KFC. But, I finally made it this weekend and, WOW, that Bacon Bowl was delicious! I'm already dreaming about going back to get another one.

Now here the even better part - I get to give one lucky follower a Cheesy Bacon Bowl Taste Test Kit! That's right, it's a giveaway! All you need to do is leave me a comment about how much you really want to try the Bacon Bowl and why. I'll take comments for the next three days and then pick a random name out of the KFC + Bacon = Love bowl. Please don't leave an anonymous comment as I'll need to email you to let you know if you've won! After you leave a comment, head on over to KFC.com to check out their new bacon-centric commercials. Good luck!