# Bacon clanger a disaster.



## BML (Mar 27, 2017)

I wanted to cook a Bacon Clanger so I bought some bacon pieces and found a couple or recipes but the result was a disaster.
This might have been because the bacon pieces which I thought were bits and pieces of bacon rashers were actually large bits of bacon, I don’t know if that made a difference.
I wrapped the mixture in greece proof paper and then a washing up cloth tied at each end and twice in the middle placing it in a fish kettle and keeping it topped up with boiling water.
The end result was a slightly soggy not very tasty thing and it was nothing like the last one I cooked a good few years past which I’m sure finished up with a crust on it.
I’m going to have another go but this time I will buy some bacon rashers and cook it in a bowl.  Any sugestions would be welcome.


----------



## Dawgluver (Mar 27, 2017)

I have no idea what you're talking about.

When I cook bacon, I do it in the oven or toaster oven over a rack, a pound at a time.  Bits and pieces I'll do in a skillet, then drain.

Do you have the recipe you're trying to make?


----------



## BML (Mar 27, 2017)

You don't appear to know what a Bacon Clanger is.


----------



## Dawgluver (Mar 27, 2017)

You're right.


----------



## Kayelle (Mar 27, 2017)

I had no idea what it is either Dawg. Mr. Google showed me this..
Traditional bacon clanger | Pocket Farm Magazine

In the USA, we call bacon what the UK calls "streaky bacon".
http://www.endlesssimmer.com/2010/11/09/three-little-pigs/


----------



## Farmer Jon (Mar 27, 2017)

I have no idea what a bacon clanger is. I do know that boiling bacon is not very good. It looks raw but its cooked. Its weird.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 27, 2017)

BML said:


> You don't appear to know what a Bacon Clanger is.



Would you care to enlighten us, so maybe we could be of help?


----------



## BML (Mar 27, 2017)

I'm obviously on the wrong Forum.  A bacon clanger is a British dish made by making some pastry with self raising flour mixed with suet rolling it out to about 12 inches by 20 inches.  Sprinkling chopped up bacon rashers cut into small pieces with a chopped onion on top and then rolling it into a thick sausage shape, wrapping it in greece proof paper supported by wrapping that in a muslin cloth and then steaming it for about three hours.


----------



## medtran49 (Mar 27, 2017)

BML said:


> I'm obviously on the wrong Forum.  A bacon clanger is a British dish made by making some pastry with self raising flour mixed with suet rolling it out to about 12 inches by 20 inches.  Sprinkling chopped up bacon rashers cut into small pieces with a chopped onion on top and then rolling it into a thick sausage shape, wrapping it in greece proof paper supported by wrapping that in a muslin cloth and then steaming it for about three hours.



Well, this is s North American site and the majority of the members are Canadian or American.  But, I would think that wrapping it in grease-proof paper contributed to your disaster since it kept all the grease in.  Steaming it is also going to keep it from forming a crust.


----------



## jennyema (Mar 27, 2017)

The people of Greece are crying....


----------



## Farmer Jon (Mar 27, 2017)

Pictures would be very helpful.


----------



## GotGarlic (Mar 27, 2017)

BML said:


> I'm obviously on the wrong Forum.  A bacon clanger is a British dish made by making some pastry with self raising flour mixed with suet rolling it out to about 12 inches by 20 inches.  Sprinkling chopped up bacon rashers cut into small pieces with a chopped onion on top and then rolling it into a thick sausage shape, wrapping it in greece proof paper supported by wrapping that in a muslin cloth and then steaming it for about three hours.


We have a few members from the UK. Maybe one of them will come along and have a suggestion for you.


----------



## Steve Kroll (Mar 28, 2017)

BML said:


> I wanted to cook a Bacon Clanger so I bought some bacon pieces and found a couple or recipes but the result was a disaster.
> This might have been because the bacon pieces which I thought were bits and pieces of bacon rashers were actually large bits of bacon, I don’t know if that made a difference.
> I wrapped the mixture in greece proof paper and then a washing up cloth tied at each end and twice in the middle placing it in a fish kettle and keeping it topped up with boiling water.
> The end result was a slightly soggy not very tasty thing and it was nothing like the last one I cooked a good few years past which I’m sure finished up with a crust on it.
> I’m going to have another go but this time I will buy some bacon rashers and cook it in a bowl.  Any sugestions would be welcome.



Welcome.

I've spent some time in the UK and what you describe sounds something like a Bacon Badger, although I believe those are actually baked, rather than steamed. Maybe that's the difference.

Honestly, I've never really been a fan of the steamed pudding sort of dishes, although I do realize it's a traditional English cooking method. I just feel that if you're going to take the time to make a nice pastry dough and wrap something up in it, you might as well pop it into an oven and get some brown on the crust.

We do have some British members on the forum. The two I can think of off the top of my head are Domestic Goddess (?) and Mad Cook, who visit somewhat frequently.


----------



## caseydog (Mar 28, 2017)

BML said:


> You don't appear to know what a Bacon Clanger is.



I had to Google it. We don't have anything like it over here, if the description I read is correct. 

"_The Buckinghamshire Bacon clanger is a boiled or baked pudding made from suet pastry with a filling made of bacon, onion and potatoes with seasoning._"

I read a little about the history of it, and over here, we had a working man's food called a pastie, that miners ate. I still make them, from time-to-time. That is of Irish origin, I believe. Below is a picture of one I made a while back.

The way you cooked your bacon, I'm not surprised it was soggy.  

That's all I got. 

CD

.


----------



## caseydog (Mar 28, 2017)

BML said:


> I'm obviously on the wrong Forum.



When it comes to this particular food item, you may be on the wrong forum. It is just not something most of us are familiar with. 

I don't say that in a mean way -- I'm not trying to chase you away. I'm just not sure we can help you. 

Hopefully someone will chime in who knows about bacon clangers. 

If you ever want to make a proper American cheeseburger, we can overload you with information. 

CD


----------



## CakePoet (Mar 28, 2017)

No a Bacon clanger  is a steamed long dumpling!  That is at least what I gotten in Scotland  by my mother in law!

Or do you mean Buckinghamshire Bacon Clanger?  Or Bacon Badger with mussy peas?


----------



## Steve Kroll (Mar 28, 2017)

caseydog said:


> I read a little about the history of it, and over here, we had a working man's food called a pastie, that miners ate. I still make them, from time-to-time. That is of Irish origin, I believe. Below is a picture of one I made a while back.


Not Irish. Pasties originated in Cornwall, in the UK.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 29, 2017)

Please remember to REPORT posts that you take exception to.  This allows DC to show their best side to all members, new and old.


----------



## Mad Cook (Mar 29, 2017)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Would you care to enlighten us, so maybe we could be of help?


Don't worry chaps. You aren't on your own. I'm English and had to look it up! It's a regional thing. The Bedfordshire clanger has savoury in one end and sweet in the other, in common with other types of "snap" . ("Snap" being a regional nickname for a workman's packed lunch).


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 29, 2017)

Thank you, Mad Cook.


----------



## Just Cooking (Mar 29, 2017)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Please remember to REPORT posts that you take exception to.  This allows DC to show their best side to all members, new and old.




Oh geeze...  Did I miss another fun one??


----------



## Lance Bushrod (Mar 29, 2017)

I researched a recipe that looks like something I'd like to try and also gives a recipe for Oxford Sauce. This recipe calls for ham bits and onions as well as bacon.

I'll experiment this weekend and hopefully will have some pictures.


----------



## Addie (Mar 29, 2017)

Mad Cook said:


> Don't worry chaps. You aren't on your own. I'm English and had to look it up! It's a regional thing. The Bedfordshire clanger has savoury in one end and sweet in the other, in common with other types of "snap" . ("Snap" being a regional nickname for a workman's packed lunch).



Thank you. Once again we all learn something new. A new name for what we all pretty well know as a Pastie. Just a different way of making it. 

Please Mad Cook, don't ever leave us. England has so many foods that we Americans are so not aware or familiar with. We need you to translate, even though we supposedly speak the same language.


----------



## Lance Bushrod (Mar 29, 2017)

Rick Steves vist to Cornwall features a pastie and wanted to try making one. I'd add some fried potatoes and scrambled eggs but that may be to much. I dunno?


----------



## GotGarlic (Mar 29, 2017)

Addie said:


> Thank you. Once again we all learn something new. A new name for what we all pretty well know as a Pastie. Just a different way of making it.



I don't believe a pasty has savory on one side and sweet on the other.


----------



## Addie (Mar 29, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> I don't believe a pasty has savory on one side and sweet on the other.



I have no idea on  how they are made. All I know is that they are what the miners took down to the mines and they had a large crust to hold them so that the coal dust wouldn't get into their food. 

I once watch a food show that was from England. I lost interest and changed the channel. The man was making Pasties. Something I knew I would never make. None of my family  has ever been a worker in the mines. But Poo's family on his father's side has been. Poo's great grandfather on his father's side owned a coal mine in KY.


----------



## Lance Bushrod (Mar 29, 2017)

This looks interesting. The Rick Steves section on Cornwall explains about the pasty, as well. 

Cornish Pasty Association - We protect the quality and reputation of authentic Cornish pasties : Cornish Pasty Association


----------



## GotGarlic (Mar 29, 2017)

Addie said:


> I have no idea on  how they are made. All I know is that they are what the miners took down to the mines and they had a large crust to hold them so that the coal dust wouldn't get into their food.



So where did you get this from? 



Addie said:


> Thank you. Once again we all learn something new. A new name for what we all pretty well know as a Pastie. Just a different way of making it.


----------



## Lance Bushrod (Mar 29, 2017)

Actually it was the tin miners, and if I recall, arsenic was involved in the process and that's why they only ate to the crust. The crust was then thrown down the shaft to the Tommyknockers. 

I read a piece that did say there was a sweet and a savory side but it wouldn't let me cut and paste that.


----------



## caseydog (Mar 29, 2017)

Addie said:


> I have no idea on  how they are made. All I know is that they are what the miners took down to the mines and they had a large crust to hold them so that the coal dust wouldn't get into their food.
> 
> I once watch a food show that was from England. I lost interest and changed the channel. The man was making Pasties. Something I knew I would never make. None of my family  has ever been a worker in the mines. But Poo's family on his father's side has been. Poo's great grandfather on his father's side owned a coal mine in KY.



Pasties are actually pretty darn good. They would certainly hit the spot on lunch break working a physically hard job. Not terribly hard to make, either. I cheated, and used store bought pastry dough. 

CD


----------



## caseydog (Mar 29, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> So where did you get this from?



A quick Google search led me to the same thing. The bacon clanger was a hand-held meal for working men back in the day. Not just miners, but farmers, too. Similar to a pastie, but not the same. Both served the same purpose -- hearty food you could eat with your hands. 

CD


----------



## caseydog (Mar 29, 2017)

Looks like we lost BML. Too bad, since I like having people from all over the world on the forum. It adds to the knowledge base. 

CD


----------



## Steve Kroll (Mar 29, 2017)

Here is a recipe I posted for pasties, if anyone is interested...
http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/cornish-pasties-ala-steve-78441.html

I converted the official Cornish Pasty recipe to American measurements. It's about as authentic recipe as you can get. And, believe it or not, there is an official Cornish Pasty Association that has PGI (protected geographical indication) status in the EU. Who knows what will happen with that after Brexit is complete. 

Whoever mentioned the savory in one end and sweet in the other... that's absolutely correct. It was designed to be an all-in-one meal. Lead miners' wives would also use some of the dough to put their husband's initials on the pastry, so they would be able to identify their lunches.


----------



## GotGarlic (Mar 29, 2017)

Steve Kroll said:


> Here is a recipe I posted for pasties, if anyone is interested...
> http://www.discusscooking.com/forums/f21/cornish-pasties-ala-steve-78441.html
> 
> I converted the official Cornish Pasty recipe to American measurements. It's about as authentic recipe as you can get. And, believe it or not, there is an official Cornish Pasty Association that has PGI (protected geographical indication) status in the EU. Who knows what will happen with that after Brexit is complete. [emoji38]
> ...


According to the website you posted, the official recipe for Cornish pasty does not have a sweet side. I did find this on Wikipedia: "A part-savoury, part-sweet pasty (similar to the*Bedfordshire clanger) was eaten by miners in the 19th century, in the copper mines on*Parys Mountain,*Anglesey. The technician who did the research and discovered the recipe claimed that the recipe was probably taken to Anglesey by Cornish miners travelling to the area looking for work.*No two-course pasties are commercially produced in Cornwall today, but are usually the product of amateur cooks."

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty


----------



## Steve Kroll (Mar 30, 2017)

GotGarlic said:


> According to the website you posted, the official recipe for Cornish pasty does not have a sweet side. I did find this on Wikipedia: "A part-savoury, part-sweet pasty (similar to the*Bedfordshire clanger) was eaten by miners in the 19th century, in the copper mines on*Parys Mountain,*Anglesey. The technician who did the research and discovered the recipe claimed that the recipe was probably taken to Anglesey by Cornish miners travelling to the area looking for work.*No two-course pasties are commercially produced in Cornwall today, but are usually the product of amateur cooks."
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasty



Yep. Just like everything else, it's a food that's evolved over the years. 

I know my pasties. We had them a lot when I was kid. I grew up in southwestern Wisconsin about 30 miles from a town called Lead Mine (near Mineral Point) that was settled in the early 1800s by Cornish miners. And if you want the best pasty outside of Cornwall, this is the place to go:
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUse...Red_Rooster_Cafe-Mineral_Point_Wisconsin.html

Here are several variations on Pasties, that include some savory-to-sweet varieties:
The Cornish Pasty: Cornish tin miner's pasty

A good historical article about the area:
http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-026/?action=more_essay


----------



## RPCookin (Mar 30, 2017)

caseydog said:


> Pasties are actually pretty darn good. They would certainly hit the spot on lunch break working a physically hard job. Not terribly hard to make, either. I cheated, and used store bought pastry dough.
> 
> CD



I agree.  Years ago the food truck that came to the shop where I worked had pasties a couple of times a week, and I often bought them.  They had beef and potatoes with enough gravy to make them moist, but not runny.  A good one hand meal.


----------



## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 30, 2017)

A place in Butte, Montana makes pasties with the "handle" for the fire crews, but leaves it off for retail sale.


----------



## Mad Cook (Apr 3, 2017)

Co-incidentally I came across a comment in a cookery book the other day. It said that the name "Clanger" came about because miners' wives deliberately made the pastry hard so that it would withstand them throwing it down the pit shaft to their husbands at "snap" time. (I'm not _entirely _sure I believe that!)


----------

