Pizza Today -December 2022 - 37

for life, seasoned with nitrates, pinned with
liquid smoke, and treated as a commodity,
not as a food. More and more companies
are now making uncured bacon that is
humanely raised and smoked naturally
because... it tastes better.
In many a pizzeria, bacon is used in
shaved frozen form, which makes it
extremely easy for topping pizzas. Some of
this bacon turns darker and turns the top
of a pizza a dull brown that is not pleasing
to the eye. Other choices for pizzeria
owners are the strips, or as the English call
" Rashers, " either thick or thin. This bacon,
in raw form, needs to be par cooked before
putting it on a pizza to ensure a fully cooked
product on the pie. Other bacon choices are
as follows.
Belly Up
Whole pork belly: This is probably the
most delicious way to present on a pizza
either sliced thin or, as the French call,
" lardons. " Bellies taste best seasoned with
salt, pepper and sugar and held overnight
with or without nitrates. (Nitrates will
ensure that no botulism will occur and
turn the bacon flesh into a pleasant pink
hue- but there are serious health concerns
with using nitrates. Please research before
you use them.) The belly then can be cut
and smoked, (This will turn it technically
from pork belly to " bacon. " ) although there
should be a catch basin in your smoker to
catch the copious amount of fat that will
render down. I like to cook my belly at
290 F in my bread oven until it reaches an
internal temperature of 190 F. This usually
takes two to 2.5 hours depending on the
thickness of the belly.
Pancetta: There are two types of this
Italian salt-cured pork belly. The stesa (flat),
which is cubed or cut and added into soups,
sauces and sautés; and the arrotolata, which
is rolled and used for thin slicing for use
in antipasto, sandwiches or with breakfast
breads.
Fresh Side: This you can find at local
farmers markets and is a raw pork belly
usually sliced by the butcher for sale by the
rancher. This is wonderful to par bake with
soy sauce or spiced with Berbere seasoning,
cumin, Aleppo peppers, marinated in adobo
or just par baked with garlic powder, salt
and pepper before placing on a pizza.
Back Bacon: This is from the loin and
the leanest cut of bacon. It is often fried for
use with breakfast or for sandwiches. The
middle bacon from the side of the pig is also
lean with an eye of lean meat surrounded
by fat.
Lardo: This is not from the side but is
brine-cured pork back fat with herbs and
garlic. It has a silky-smooth texture and
a deep, wonderful flavor. This is fantastic
when thinly cut and placed on a hot
cornicione, or pizza crust, right out of the
oven to melt into a beautiful crunchy flavor
bomb.
Beef Bacon: This is from the " Plate Cut "
near where pastrami is from and mimics the
fat to meat ratio of a pork belly. Beef Bacon
is salt cured and smoked and is very strong
in its beefy taste and it crisps up nicely on
a pizza.
Lap Yuk: Meaning " wax meat " in
Chinese, this strongly flavored pork belly
bacon is marinated in Chinese spices and
slowly dried. It is usually chopped into other
dishes for a blast of flavor.
Ayrshire cure bacon: This Scottish rolled
bacon is skinned and dry cured without the
rind, which produces a strongly flavored
bacon.
Bacon a great sizzle for shizzle
Bacon can introduce smoke, salt and fat
to any pizza depending on which type of
bacon you use. Bacon lends another layer
of flavor to vegetables and is a perfect start
with many sauces. It also combines with
greens, fruit and acid very well. Here are
some items that work well with bacon on
a pizza: Chanterelle mushrooms, chicken,
eggs, lettuce, shallots, arugula, winter
squash, lentils, onions, parsnips, peas,
spinach, tomatoes, avocados, olive oil,
maple syrup, nuts, scallops, salmon, risotto,
Fontina, Manchego, Gorgonzola, Feta,
Cheddar, Gouda and Rutabagas.
CHICKEN " CORDON BLACON "
This pizza is a knockout blast of all the
lusciousness in a traditional Cordon Bleu
dish. The difference is that bacon is used
instead of ham, and they all bake on a pizza.
If you use non-crunchy chicken, you can
always toss the panko breadcrumbs on the
pie after the oven bake.
One 12-ounce breast of chicken
One tablespoon salt
Two cups flour for dredging
2 eggs
3-4 cups Panko breadcrumbs
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4-5 slices of bacon (approximately 3.5-4
ounces)
Cut the raw chicken breast lengthwise
at ¼ inch wide slices. Then turn the slices
over and cut in half. The result will leave
you with strips of chicken as ¼-by-¼ inch
batons. Some will be longer in the middle
of the chicken so cut the long batons in half
to have all the slices be approximately 2-3
and 4 inches long. Season with the salt.
Put the dredging flour on a plate and
break the eggs into a bowl and whisk with
a fork until scrambled.
Put the Panko breadcrumbs on another
plate.
Heat a large sauté pan with the oil at
medium high heat.
Dredge the chicken batons into the
flour, then immerse in the egg wash, then
into the panko breadcrumbs, then into
the now hot oil in the pan. You may have
to work fast but will be rewarded with a
crisper crunch if you don't let the pankocrusted
breadcrumbs get soggy with egg.
Heat the chicken batons for 2 minutes
on each side until the chicken is just
starting to get golden brown. Remember,
the chicken will cook on the pizza also.
When the chicken is done, place on a
paper towel covered plate for placement
on the pizza. You will only use 10-12 of
these strips for each pizza.
Wipe the pan out with paper towels and
heat again. In the meantime, cut all the
bacon slices into inch-long squares and
place into the pan. Par cook for 2 minutes
then place on a towel covered plate.
One proprietary large dough ball
4 ounces of béchamel or Alfredo sauce.
8 ounces of good Swiss cheese like
Emmenthal
4 ounces of the prepped bacon
10-12 batons of the par-cooked panko
breadcrumb crusted chicken
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
for garnish
Procedure:
Spread the béchamel sauce on the
stretched dough, then place the chicken
batons on the sauce followed by the Swiss
cheese and bacon.
Place in a 500 F deck oven for 12-15
minutes or until all the toppings have
cooked and melted and the crust is golden
brown. Sprinkle the parsley on and enjoy!
JOHN GUTEKANST owns Avalanche
Pizza in Athens, Ohio.
Pizza Today -December 2022

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