A Bit About Bacon

Keep your griddles hot! Last week's sizzling reports of a global bacon shortage may not be true after all. The Associated Press reports that the news was "dismissed by the American Farm Bureau Federation as 'baloney.'"

What is true is that the largest supplier of grains for pig feed, the United States, is experiencing a drought. The consequential increase in the cost of grains, which makes up the majority of the price of raising livestock, is leading some swine and beef producers to decrease the size of their herds. This will most likely lead to a slight decrease in overall pork supplies next year. Customers could end up paying as much as 10 percent more for their bacon and pork, but this will hardly constitute the global crisis that some had predicted.

The good news? Your eggs won't be lonely. And bacon, with its growing popularity, isn't just a breakfast food. Bacon lovers in recent years have been adding the meat to everything from cupcakes to alcohol.

Check out the slideshow above to see our favorite bacon recipes.