# Bacon: Crispy or chewy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2011, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954 "2011-12-31T15:51:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/41 "2012-01-04T13:31:38Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Crispy is Evil. Give it just enough crunch to be done, without making it shatter when I bite it. This man speaks the truth. Seriously, how do you 'extra crispy people eat it? You take one bite, and BAM, bacon shards over the plate, table, your lap, etc… I like chewy with just a couple parts that give a crunch, which is why I both use thick-cut bacon, and _bake_ it on a sheet pan at 400, rather than cook it on a stovetop. Much more even and easier to control. ---
**Author:** ![stegon66](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee59a6/32.png) [@stegon66](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stegon66)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/42 "2012-01-04T13:42:14Z")
I wish we could upload pics - I actually designed a t-shirt that has an old man demanding his “crispy bacon!” (It’s a running gag at work that old people as a group greatly prefer their bacon to be crispy.) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/43 "2012-01-04T14:32:20Z")
Crispy bacon is the correct choice. But I’ll eat the chewy if that’s what you have. Really, the answer’s just bacon. Bacon, bacon, bacon. ---
**Author:** ![Koldanar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/dbc845/32.png) [@Koldanar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koldanar)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/44 "2012-01-04T15:27:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > **Bacon: Crispy or chewy?** > > Yes Put me down for this too, please! ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/45 "2012-01-04T15:31:32Z")
Chewy is nasty. It’s like raw uncooked fat. Ugh. Crispy is the only way to go. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/46 "2012-01-04T15:39:06Z")
I like either, as long as it’s done competently. Back and middle bacon is best not cooked to an absolute crisp. Streaky is nice crispy. I’ve had bad examples of either - American-style fully-crispy streaky bacon sometimes arrives on the burnt side of tasty, in my experience (the first time I ever encountered it was on the QEII and it was like eating cinders) ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/47 "2012-01-04T15:44:18Z")
I’ve always wondered, is the bacon I buy in the UK the same as the bacon on offer in the US? It is very rarely served over here as crispy as I had it served when in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/48 "2012-01-04T21:51:00Z")
I’d be surprised if it’s exactly the same, unless it’s imported from the same sources. Seems like different nations have different ideas of what bacon actually _is_. IIRC, bacon in the USA is predominantly thinly-sliced smoked streaky and is typically cured with brine that contains more sugar than we’re accustomed to in Northern Europe. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/49 "2012-01-04T22:03:11Z")
Definitely chewy. Crispy bacon is ruined bacon. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/50 "2012-01-04T22:08:05Z")
Neither. Bacon should be used to impart its flavor to the dish; it shouldn’t be a discrete piece with its own texture. ---
**Author:** ![Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dread_pirate_jimbo/32/3897_2.png) [@Dread\_Pirate\_Jimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dread_Pirate_Jimbo)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/51 "2012-01-04T22:16:42Z")
Crispy is the only choice. Chewy bacon grosses me out. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/52 "2012-01-04T22:29:26Z")
I like chewy and crispy on the same slice like the good lord intended. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/53 "2012-01-04T23:13:37Z")
> [@SCSimmons](#): > > Crispy. No, crispier than that. Look, just cook it until you think it’s burned, and then for about 30 seconds more. Mmm, perfect! This. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/54 "2012-01-04T23:27:33Z")
It needs to be crispy enough to break rather than bend, but not so crisp that it disintegrates on contact. The fat should be rendered but the meat should be chewy; you should be able to chew on it for at least two or three grinds of the teeth. This is why I prefer thick bacon, because you can get both - crispy goodness and extended flavor while you chew. Roddy ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/55 "2012-01-05T00:58:57Z")
When you pick up one end, it shouldn’t come up all together. It should flop over. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/56 "2012-01-05T01:22:12Z")
Some people seem to be equating “chewy” with floppy and under cooked. This is a mistake. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/57 "2012-01-05T01:27:11Z")
I make such equation and it’s not a mistake. Like a wet noodle, it should flop. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/58 "2012-01-05T16:19:42Z")
How do you get crispy bacon without burning it? Every time I’ve had crispy bacon I feel like I’m eating something closer to firepit wood remains. Voted chewy bacon, I like to taste bacon and not bacon flavoured wood chips. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Accident](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Mr.Accident](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Accident)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954/59 "2012-01-05T16:45:01Z")
Crispy. Definitely crispy. Not to the point where it shatters, but not with enough chew in it that you can bend it. It should be easily breakable. I’d have to show you to explain it better. Now I’m off to make me a bacon with sharp cheddar cheese sandwich on honey wheat bread. Yea it’s not healthy, but it’s oh so good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bacon-crispy-or-chewy/607954.md?page=2)