# Hungarian bacon, how do I eat/cook this?



## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

Hungarian bacon, how do I eat/cook this?

Is a recetangle about 3 inchec wide, 4 inches long and 1/2 inch thick.

Its got a layer of smoke pork on top then a layer of fat? a layer of Canadian Bacon type pork, and a thicker later of fat?

Its really hard to cut/chew through, im not sure if its cook already of what.

Has anyone seen this before? What are you suppose to do with it?

It looks like these:
http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/gypsybacon.jpg
http://www.erniesdeli.com/ECDImages/...svarybacon.gif


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## ozarkrose (Apr 4, 2005)

Do you think its like a piece of salt pork meant to be cut into cubes and put in another dish, like "lardons"?


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## greg (Dec 8, 1999)

If you look at the bottom layer, it's the rind (the actual skin of the pig). If you cut that off, you might have more luck eating it like traditional American bacon, but I would use it as Rose mentions above.


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## abefroman (Mar 12, 2005)

Yes, what kind of dishes could I put it in?


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## ozarkrose (Apr 4, 2005)

Beans! But seriously, you can use it to flavor reduction-type sauces or add it to meat based stuffings. Be carefull of the salt content though.


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## jvk (Nov 24, 2006)

Ok,
I guess I'm the only magayar (hungarian for hungarian) reading this list. :lips:

What you have is what has been Americanized and has replaced real hungarian *"SZALONNÁK" or Szalona. *

However, your item has meat and is NOT the REAL Szalona of old. Real Szalona has no meat, it is smoked a special way and is more like "Speck" also known as "Greasy Bread" but is smoked/seasoned differently with lots of paprika. Szalona has NO PAPRIKA and that process is what I need to know and am seeking before it becomes lost forever.

The meat kind is usually sliced and fried, or cubed, thick sliced & put into beans, etc for a bacon flavoring or a bacon smoke flavor.

Some speck is sliced very thin, placed on bread and melted - the hide (skin) is removed.

The hungarian szalona was a "peasants meal". The discards of the rich because it was just fat. That fat by peasants would be cut into slabs 2 x 3 inches or so and placed on a skewer running just under the hide or skin the fat side would be cross cut about 15mm deep into 10mm squares.

The fat would then be roasted over an open fire until dripping and then pressed against salted rye bread - the bread could also have onions etc. The real great part is when the fat catches fire and is extinguished on the bread toasting everything on the bread - the chared bits of fat are cut off and placed onto the bread and also eaten. The slab is cut again and your good to go for more until nothing is left but the hide itself.

This is making me hungry..... Oh, obviously it is NOT diet or healthy food but excellent eating. :look:

JvK


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## filiadei (Nov 30, 2008)

When we prepare szalona, we score the fatty side and roast it over hot coals until it starts to drip. When it drips, we dab it on rye bread. Serve with sliced cucumber or sliced red onion, or a mixture of diced onion, tomato, and green pepper. When the szalona starts to get crispy, simply slice off the crispy bits like cracklin's and serve them on the bread, too.

It's basically melted bacon grease on bread with veggies. We've also had it with grilled Hungarian sausage.

A family tradition!


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

My father-in-law's family escaped from Hungary, when he was 12, just as the Tanks started rolling in and they started closing the borders. He purchases most of his sausages and bacon from a company in the Chicago area called "Bende." The bacon that he buys there, called Kolozsvari Szalonna, is excellent, though it sounds more like "American" bacon than what some of you have described. He likes to eat uncooked, sliced very thin and presented on a platter with various other Hungarian style sausages and salamis. I also like it this way, almost better than cooked, as it is a very salty product and cooking it just accents that saltiness in the same why that overcooking proscuitto makes it too salty.


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## chiffonade (Nov 29, 2001)

Hi - I came upon this discussion through a google search for "hungarian smoked pork rinds." Years ago, my friend was married to a hungarian man and we used to walk to a butcher in upper Manhattan. We'd get these greasy treats that reminded me a lot of a more tender pork rind. I can't for the life of me remember the name of the butcher or the name of the treat. I don't think it's what the original poster has pictured but I could be wrong. We'd eat them right out of the bag (when calories and cholesterol didn't matter :look: ). 

If you know the name of the meat or the name of the butcher, I'd appreciate your sharing it with me...Thanks.


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## Guest (Mar 18, 2010)

Slap some tomatoes and peppers on that and its a great dish! Oh my familys has been eating "Bacon Bread" as i call it or Greasy Bread for years! Just go to the market get a loaf of cut rye bread put diced tomatoes peppers and onions. No one i know has ever heard of such a thing, my great grandfather came over from hungary and brought it with him!



JvK said:


> Ok,
> I guess I'm the only magayar (hungarian for hungarian) reading this list. :lips:
> 
> What you have is what has been Americanized and has replaced real hungarian *"SZALONNÁK" or Szalona. *
> ...


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## lindajp (Jun 8, 2010)

*my family is hungarian and growing up we always had the cookouts ...main attraction Szallona...."SPEC" cookout....dont knock it till you try it...ofcourse its not so good for you , but who knew that? Good RYE bread NY STYLE...on a platter with green peppers, onions, tomatoes....or plain. put that bacon on a long stick and hold into a nice bond type fire...and drip on the bread! it is awfully good.....ofcourse you have to salt it......yumyumyum...and as the bacon gets blackened...cut bits onto the bread..and thats the best part....its all good!! *

*wow..this is making me hungry.. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/rollsmile.gif*


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## lindajp (Jun 8, 2010)

I also remember the bacon (smoked) and with lots of paprika on it...my dad would have in the fridge and cut very small thin strips and eat with bread....that was good too...


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## babybook281 (Jun 1, 2011)

Ah, memories. Family/church picnics always featured shut (two dots over the u, pronounced more like a combo of shoot and shirt) szalona.

Shut means cooked, I think, or cooked over the fire.

Do you mean Magyar?

Interested in your background, and thanks for the clarification.

I can taste it now!

BB


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

Even though this is an old thread, nothing wrong with picking it up.

The Bende product is called kolozsvari, and is a double-smoked, ready to eat product. According to the company its cured with salt, garlic powder, sodium lactate, sodium nitrite, and ascorbic acid. There is no paprika in it.

I use it both like regular bacon, and as a flavoring for other dishes. F'rinstance, I'll dice some and stir fry it in a wok with baby bok choy, some garlic, red pepper flakes, soy sauce and fish sauce. Delish!


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## idorablo (Jul 23, 2011)

Yes you can cook with it like baked beans and also can cook it on a long fork and put the drippings on Bread with chopped onions ,Tomatoes and peppers.

Also fry it like you would bacon . It very delicious could be used in any dish calling for smoked meats Excellent flavor


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## gypsyqueen55 (Apr 27, 2012)

My mom would take the slab bacon and put it into a pot of water with garlic.  Let it come to a boil and simmer til "done".  That could be 45 min to an hour depending on when we remembered to check it!  Anyway, take the slab out and put it on a platter.  Cover with paprika completely (top, all sides) and put it in the fridge.  When it's cold, just slice it and then cut each slice into bite size pieces.  We eat it with fresh tomatoes, scallions, Italian or frying green peppers and nice crusty Italian bread! Delicious!


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## brianb20gauge (Sep 12, 2012)

We have eatin this for years like that. Hard to find butchers that still have it. You waste a lot of the grease dripping in the fire so we now cut it into small cubes and put it in a camping sandwich cooker and drip it out of it onto rye bread. Grease, onions, green pepper, tomato, then more grease and a little salt and pepper. Some of us also add cayenne pepper. Having it this weekend....I have converted a lot of my friends to Hungarians..lol


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## kostendorf (Mar 15, 2012)

some good suggestions that i have read.  i am working and living in Austria and we have much of the same cuisine as Hungary this is how the bacon is here. you could use the rind or skin in a soup to flavor it.  then think of the bacon as a prosciutto.  slice it thin and serve it on bread or on a meat tray.  the ends you cant slice hack small and use in pasta dishes.  if you have Hungarian bacon you should make a goulash.  many recipes for different types of goulash call for bacon of this type because when you heat it up the flavor comes out much stronger.  when i want north American style bacon here i have to search for it,  it is called hamburger bacon here.


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## andras (Apr 3, 2013)

You can cook that and sprinkle with paprika.Pan of water with salt and garlic powder. Boil bacon till you stick with a fork and it slides off.Sprinkle with paprika. Let it cool and put in refr. Eat cold with bread and red onions.


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## hungarian girl (Jul 1, 2013)

We still cook Szelonna @ our family picnic/reunion each year. Needs to be kept in a slab and the softer side scored with a sharp knife(criss cross) . Place slab on a metal grilling stick. Need to cook over a "wood fire" until grease starts to drip. Ahead of time prepare slices of rye bread/seedless rye bread and place bread on cookie sheet. Slice tomatoes and place a slice on each piece of bread. Chop green peppers and white onions and sprinkle over tomato. When bacon starts dripping, hold over bread slices and let drippings fall over tomatoes/green peppers and onion. Need to keep repeating til you feel there is enough drippings on each piece. So good! It's good we only have this once a year!


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## haluski (Oct 3, 2013)

I am not sure if someone said this already, but....

I would suggest you try making bryndzove halusky. It is the Slovak national dish and is mind blowingly delicious. I had it when I visited a friend in Bratislava, Slovakia. the Halusky can be tricky to make but it is well worth it.

Here are a couple links. The hardest ingredient to find is the Bryndza (sheeps cheese) it is a very creamy and rich. the only two places I know that carry it are Endy's Deli and Bobak Sausage Company

http://www.brokeandhealthy.com/bryn...slovak-potato-dumplings-with-bacon-and-cheese It is funny this recipe is on a site called broke and healthy it may be cheap but healthy no way.

http://www.grouprecipes.com/110075/bryndzove-halusky.html

Most importantly keep serve all the ingredients (the cheese, dumpling, and bacon) separately, don't mix it all together.


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## mmccann (Oct 23, 2013)

Hello, Would you be able to direct me to where I would get the "basket" to roast the Szolona in? Thank you.


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## katica (Dec 7, 2013)

I was just telling my husband about this. So good, such good memories of roasting this over the fire when I was a kid. They now serve "Bacon on a Stick" at Camden Yards - but they coat it with HONEY - so wrong.

2x2x5 slices on a stick, roasted over a fire, my mom and aunt would make home made bread, nice thick slices we would press the roasted bacon onto to catch the drippings, slicing off the crispy bacon, big slices of vine ripe tomatoes. Oh, so good.

I've promised my two sons I would find out where to order this so we roast some over a fire and they could experience this. Good Hungarian Boys!


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## woohoo (Feb 6, 2015)

Thank you Andras for providing me the recipe my Hungarian mother used many decades ago. Back then in the 50's & 60's we lived in a small Midwestern town that had ZERO "international" foods of any kind much less "Hungarian bacon". So she used plain old salt pork & prepared it exactly as you described. She ate it thin sliced on bread and it was fabulous.

By the way, I've lived in many parts of the country including major "international" cities and have never found the chunk "Hungarian bacon" the OP described. I've checked the Bende site, but all they seem to have is sliced bacon. If anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them! And also would be cool to find out exactly what cut of pork is "Hungarian bacon" and how to prepare it at home. I do a lot of meat-smoking and would love to prepare the real thing!


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Woohoo, if you take a closer look at the picture, on the Bende site, of the back of the package of bacon, I don't think it is sliced.  It may be worth a call to them to verify, because I know we still buy the unsliced bacon at their physical location so I'd be surprised if they wouldn't ship, even if it isn't on the website.


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## woohoo (Feb 6, 2015)

Thanks for the suggestion! I checked again, and sure enough it's a slab not sliced. Can't wait til it gets here!


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## rcole (Feb 10, 2015)

this is a campfire food.the way my family always ate it was to chop peppers and onions and put them on a piece of bread.

cut the bacon (*Szalonna) into 3/4" chuncks and put on a roasting fork. As the fat begins to melt, drip it onto the bread. continue until the peppers onions and bread are saturated, then it's time to eat. you can eat the bacon as i do, or discard it and start with a new.*


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## frankie007 (Jan 17, 2015)

This is such a blast from the past for me as I haven't eaten it for more than 20 years. I think It is back fat or belly of very fat pigs that you used to get in old times cold smoked. Nowadays pigs are lean because that is what folk wants. I am from what once was Yugoslavia, we used to share a border with Hungary and used to make this product. It is poor man's food. We never fried it, we just used to slice it thin sprinkle it with paprika and eat it with crusty country bread, onions and pickles. Sometimes this is all we had to eat especially in winter months. I guess Italian lardo is the same thing, the Spanish have something similar as well. It is hard to believe nowadays how eating habits have changed with all the low fat, low cholesterol stuff....Mind you you in these times I often worked in the field all day or chores like chopping wood and such so I could easily burn those calories....


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## ionescu (May 19, 2015)

My grandfather smoked bacon, or just backfat that was simply eaten either as is with bread, or as is described in the previous discussion. Without cooking, it simply is like crunchy butter but much more favorfull. If you decide to cook like bacon don't cook until crisp--that ruins it, and definitely use all of the melted fat.

Bende is the only US source of this as far as I know. Their stuff is good, and pretty authentic. I know of no source for "real" slanina, which is the smoke pork back fat (no meat), unless you visit Romania, Hungary, Serbia or Croatia


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## bhold362 (Jun 26, 2015)

Smoked and cured pork jowls roasted over a wood fire is what I remember growing up. We used day old rye bread, seeded or not and put thinly cut onions, cucumbers, green peppers, radishes and tomatoes on the bread and dripped that beautiful, flavorful "nectar" on the veggies. When the bacon cooked, we would slice off pieces of the bacon and add that to the sandwich. A little black pepper or even a dash of cayenne and you're in heaven. In my 71 yrs. I found only one person who didn't like it. Some on-line meat purveyors who have smoked meat products may have it. It's worth  trying to find.


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## whiskytango (Apr 24, 2011)

im working through the chatter,..but just gotta say 14k views for the magyar post makes me happy


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## monda013 (Jul 4, 2015)

We eat this every summer 4th of July. First you will need to dice onions , green peppers. Buy rye bread and paprika! Take the square slab of Hungarian bacon and carefully slice it half horizontal ...then slice again half way vertical. (as you would cut an onion .but not cutting through the bacon) place the bacon on a thick stick to place over a fire pit. The juices or drippings from the bacon dab on the rye bread...once it is absorbed to your taste put onions and green peppers on it. When then bacon starts to crackle you can cut them little pieces and place on bread! sooooooo goooood!


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## shane h (Jul 9, 2015)

I believe what you're talking about is called paprikash szalona. My grandmother use to make this, its the pork belly(Bacon/szalona) cured in salt for several days then boiled, some times garlic would be added to the boiling process. After its boiled its coated with Paprika (paprikash) and then smoked. From there she would slice it and place in wax baggies and keep in the fridge, we would eat this with fresh rye bread. Its like you said tender pork rind and has an unbelievable flavor.


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## mooiemoo (Jul 20, 2016)

I get my szalonna at Barb & Patty's butcher shop in Mentor, OH. (http://www.barbandpattys.com/) They actually have the real deal, which makes me wonder if they have connections with someone who is raising Mangalica hogs. Anyway, I don't know where you are located, but if you are remote from them, maybe they would tell you how to smoke your own. Good luck & Happy Szalonna!


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## shamom (Sep 17, 2016)

I grew up with the Hungarian bacon roasts all my life, and we had a roast last year.  Living in Phoenix, AZ, I'm having a hard time trying to find the right kind of bacon.  My dad said to try jowl bacon, but it didn't taste the same.  Do you know what kind of bacon to ask for?


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## shamom (Sep 17, 2016)

I live in Phoenix AZ and am trying to find the right kind of bacon to ask for a bacon roast.  My dad said to get jowl bacon, but I'm not so sure.  Any ideas of what I should ask for?


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

Shamom, you can order Hungarian bacon online from a company called Bende & Sons.  It's a really good product.


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