News

Saltsmith Is Hiring Bacon Testers Right Now

Tough gig.

@saltsmith_bacon

Melbourne company Saltsmith, are out to make the best bacon in Australia, and they’re turning to Melburnians for help.

They’ve already partnered up with Starward to bring us Maple Whisky Bacon and now, they’re on the hunt for twenty bacon-lovers to taste test and rate their handmade, free-range bacon against other bacon producers.

Sounds like a pretty sweet gig.

Saltsmith founders Simon Lawry and David Ball have spent two years experimenting with different bacon processing techniques, suppliers and new-world flavours in their kitchen in North Melbourne.

Now that they’re happy with the final product, they’re calling on Melbourne bacon aficionados to help them judge just how excellent it is: all hail, the new Saltsmith Streaky Bacon.

A bit about the bacon

Starting with the finest free-range Victorian pork belly, each rasher of the new Streaky Bacon is dry-cured in a combination of coconut sugar and salt for seven days—imparting a rich, caramel-like flavour to the bacon.

This is a bacon that pushes flavour complexities to the extreme. Unlike many bacon producers, Saltsmith is not afraid to keep fat on their bacon cuts and there’ll be no fat shaming here.

According to the team, “streaky bacon generally has a higher fat content, and that fat maximises flavour absorption in the manufacturing process and prevents it from drying out.” Basically, as the bacon cooks, the fat content of the bacon is rendered out but the flavour is retained, resulting in crispy, smokey, flavoursome bacon, with great texture and no wastage.

Salivating yet?

What does the taste test involve?

Saltsmith believes they have created the perfect streaky bacon, but now they need some outside opinion, which is why they’ve launched their ‘Bacon Testers Wanted’ campaign.

This initiative will see twenty Melbourne-based bacon lovers receive three different types of bacon: Saltsmith Streaky Bacon, a much loved Melbourne butcher’s streaky bacon and a standard grocery store’s streaky bacon, all delivered straight to their door.

Each product sample will be anonymised and bacon testers will be asked to cook, taste and then rank each rasher of bacon in terms of their preferences.

Once ranked, testers will be asked to open the envelope revealing which bacon is which and post their results on social media using the hashtag #SaltsmithBaconTester.

Testers will also receive samples of all three kinds of bacon in Saltsmith’s core range. The bacon testers will then go into the draw to win three months’ worth of Saltsmith Bacon for their efforts.

How to apply

Joining Saltsmith’s bacon army is simple.

Interested applicants need to visit the Saltsmith website, where they will be asked to provide their full name, address, email, phone number and 25 words or less about why they are most suited to becoming a Saltsmith Bacon Tester.

Please note: bacon testers must live within 25kms of Melbourne CBD.

Applications close on November 3, 2021, with bacon testers selected on November 4, 2021, who will be notified by the Saltsmith team directly.

Saltsmith is out to claim their rightful status as Australia’s best bacon producer and helping them achieve this title has never been tastier. 

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News

Mad Mex’s New Menu Item Is Inspired by a Popular Mexican Street Food

mad mex chicken al pastor

Mexican restaurant chain Mad Mex has dropped a new protein, and it’s one of the most popular street foods in Mexico.

Enter, Chicken Al Pastor. It’s traditionally made with pork and grilled on a spinning rotisserie with a pineapple sitting a top, but Mad Mex has put its own spin on it, serving chicken bathed in an Al Pastor marinade with a touch of juicy pineapple.

You can order the protein-packed filling in your favourite burrito, bowl, quesadilla, nachos, or in a taco.

As always, these things are here for a good time, not a long time. Pop into your local Mad Mex restaurant, order delivery or through the Mad Mex app today.

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