Recently in Bacon Category

Let's drown our sorrows about Gourmet's closing the Chicago way, shall we? With bacon. And get this man (chef John Manion of Goose Island Brewpub) his own TV show, or get him on Conan, or something.

This video was done in anticipation of the VIP Pro Bacon Cook-Off on Oct. 24, which should tide folks over until the main event, Baconfest, in April.

The creators of Baconfest Chicago (which is pretty self-explanatory, wouldn't you say) took to Twitter this morning to divulge details of just how they envision this whole porkfest shaking out.

They promise a bacon expo, bacon cook-off, bacon-themed poetry slams and fashion, a bacon cocktail lounge and even the Golden Rashers -- the Oscars of bacon, as it were.

The fest is set for Oct. 25 at the Stan Mansion, 2408 N. Kedzie. Plenty of time to get your arteries ready.

Soccer superstar David Beckham, now playing for international powerhouse AC Milan, has a passion for pigs' posteriors, a UK Web site says.

Now, before you think, "Oh, Posh Spice, poor gal. Hope she doesn't catch anything from her hubby," you might want to know that said pig butts are a delicacy that David Beckham has come to enjoy recently.

Beckham, according to The List "reportedly has a huge appetite for Culatello - which translates as "little bum" - an Italian delicacy made out of pig's rears."

Beckham, "The List" reports, "was first given the food by his club's former manager Carlo Ancelotti, and the pair have been spotted eating it on a number of occasions."

"A source" told the site, as if it was reporting on an extra-marital affair, "David can't get enough of this fine delicacy. It's got a much lighter and less meaty taste than most other prosciuttos. He's dying to get Victoria to try some."

Culatello, we learn, is a refined type of prosciutto made from heavier pigs and cut to a fraction of the thickness of normal prosciutto and aged, and may be cured with wine. It is most commonly served as a starter with melon or figs.

Hmmm. Well, put it that way, it doesn't sound so bad.

Pols and pork producers can debate all they want about what to call the so-called swine flu. We'll keep eating our bacon, thank you very much.

We trust the Centers for Disease Control when they say you can't get swine flu by eating pork or pork products. Just like we trusted them when they said you can't get avian flu by eating chicken. We, and plenty of other Americans, ate our chicken and lived to tell about it.

Thankfully, Chicago's porcine-minded chefs aren't pushing the panic button, either.

"Grilled swine flu with creamy SARS, smoked West Nile virus and bird flu reduction ... mmmmm, tastes like fear!" So quoth the cheeky Graham Elliot Bowles about an hour ago on Twitter.

Go on -- be with bacon. Show some love to the pork chop. After the jump, a recipe to get you in the mood.

Something called BaconFest Chicago is brewing, the folks at MenuPages say. Conceived by a trio of bacon-obsessed guys, the all-pork fest may or may not take place sometime in the fall at a yet-to-be-determined site, according to the BaconFest Web site.

Of course, there already is a Facebook group (with 232 fans and counting!) and Twitter account set up for BaconFest. Because in this city, our love of pork knows no bounds.