I like my bacon "done" - but not crispy. To me - when it is crispy - the fats have been cooked out - and you are left with an almost burnt flavor. I don't like it limp either. There *IS* a middle ground here, but I think the search of the "perfect" bacon is more complex:
Store bought bacon seems to shrink more than made at home bacon. I think this is because it pumped full of brining fluid, and perhaps "plumped up" because of the way it is processed ( and - as you have seen - it gets "slimy" in the package as some of the excess brining fluids bleed out of it.)
That loss of extra water moisture when cooking - allows for more shrinkage of the store bought kind as well. And - it makes a difference when you are comparing thin vs thick sliced bacon.
I was shocked when I cooked up bacon that I had made using the Cider Mill Bacon recipe, and compared it to store bought. Both were sliced thick. The texture was definitely more firm than store bought, without having to cook to what we would call "crispy". Great flavor, better texture and "tooth" - different - in a betterway from what store bought gives you.
If you have not tried the Cider Mill Bacon recipe and made your own bacon yet, I highly recommend it. Much lower in sodium - but with enough salt for flavor, and - it will ruin you on paying the crazy prices at the store for bacon.
At current pork belly prices here ( about $2.00 per lb.) I can make far better bacon for approx. $3.50 per lb, than I can buy at the store for twice the price.
Thanks to Cliff, Chris and Rick for the assistance in answering my questions, and teaching me how do make my own bacon. It is easy once you do it one time. TRY IT!
