What the Heck Is Bacon Camp and Is It Worth Your Time and Cholesterol?

There's only one way to find out

May 12, 2017 9:00 am

To say the folks behind Zingerman’s Delicatessen in Ann Arbor know a little something about bacon is an understatement. 

In addition to being one of the Midwest’s most legendary delis on top of offering a plethora of hard-to-find yet easy-to-fry strips of fatty heaven from their vast online marketplace, Zingerman’s penned a book about the subject. Not only that, eight years ago they have an annual event dubbed Camp Bacon.

This year’s edition — which promises to serve the brain, belly and soul — will be held from May 31st to June 4th and, before you buy a ticket and take the ride, here’s what you need to know.

What can I expect?
In short: bacon-related conversation, movies, cooking and baking demos and, of course, foods, for five days. The fest kicks off with a film festival, followed by a pair of cooking and baking classes, a traditional Cajun pig roast, a bacon poetry jam and concert as well as a culinary tour of Detroit. That’s all before the main event.

So what happens at the main event then?
There’s another pig roast and a presentations by bacon producers, food experts and some surprise guests. There are also 13 scheduled speakers who’ll be doing talks on subjects ranging from crimes committed with bacon to a century of liverwurst in Milwaukee to how a vegan Jewish boy ended up making country ham.

Anything else?
Camp Bacon will include a meat raffle where Cochon 555 winner Brian Merkel will be awarding grub like baby back ribs, picnic hams and pork loin after putting on a butchering demo. There will also be a street fair where bacon-based games will be played and guests will have a final chance to sample a ton of bacon and “pork of all sizes, shapes, flavors, and levels of smokiness.”

You had me at “pork of all sizes.” How much are tickets?
The events are all ticketed differently at different price points, but entry into the main event will cost ya $195. That might seem a bit high, but besides giving you the meat sweats, it’s all for a good cause: the event is a fundraiser for the Southern Foodways Alliance and the 4H Club of Washtenaw County.

Take a gander at the video below for a closer look. 

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