Food Truck Friday-Charlotte, NC: MASTER BACON

Food Truck Fridays have become a staple in South End Charlotte during its short existence.  Every Friday at 5, about a dozen food trucks park themselves on a large grassy field in South End to satisfy the hunger of hundreds of people celebrating the arrival of the weekend.  The first time I went, I actually wasn’t able to eat.  I went around 7:45 when the lines were at their longest.  Most of the food trucks stop serving at 9, and believe it or not, we were in line for almost two hours, at which point we were told the trucks were closing.  Lesson learned, my husband and I decided the next time we went, we would go around 5:30. 

So, we go at 5:30, and the lines are still ridiculously long.  I had no idea what an event these Food Truck Fridays had turned into.  There is limited seating, so people bring their own chairs, blankets, tables, coolers, beer, etc.  Everyone is happy, having a good time, enjoying the warm weather that is about to become an every day occurrence.  Once again, we were reminded of our amateur status, not knowing that in order to do this right and not have to wait in line forever, we would have to be there before the trucks open, possibly an hour earlier, and bring our own chairs to stake our claim on a seating area. 

Despite the long line, we managed to eat at one of the trucks with the shortest line.  I really wanted to try the Maryland Seafood truck, but that line was endless.  We ended up ordering from the Master Bacon truck.  The line wasn’t too long which may be telling in and of itself.  Bacon is a staple in my household.  Growing up, my baby sister and I would always have to split the last piece of bacon, and our mom would inevitably end up having to make more because we couldn’t get enough.  One of the earliest bonding moments I had with my husband was before we were dating.  We were at a breakfast buffet and my plate was 90% bacon, 10% all other breakfast items.  I looked away to answer my phone, and two minutes later, I look back down and the bacon is gone.  Carney, my husband whom I call by his last name, had eaten all my bacon.  He didn’t know I was such an enthusiast.  He thought I had brought that plate of bacon for him.  That was the moment I knew we were meant to be…

Four years later, it’s no surprise that Carney and I are standing in the Master Bacon line completely excited about the impending pork feast.  The menu was hard to see.  It’s hanging inside the front window which is tinted, so you can’t really read it while you’re standing in line.  We had to wait until we got up close, at which point we felt rushed to order since there was a sizeable line behind us. 

I was disappointed by the menu.  Bacon became a food fad last year.  Trendy restaurants and catering companies were offering items such as bacon topped ice cream or bacon rose bouquets, and this was a trend I was happy to accept.  For this reason, I was slightly shocked that Master Bacon didn’t offer more innovative dishes.  For example, they offered a bacon cheeseburger.  Bacon cheeseburgers have been around for as long as I can remember.  I used to order a junior bacon cheeseburger from Wendy’s when I was in high school because it was $1.07 and it was across the street from school.  There’s nothing creative about this dish.  It’s classic, something you would find on the menu of a regular burger joint.  If you’re claiming to be the Bacon Master, you’re indicating that there’s some level of ingenuity in how you use the ingredient.  When I saw they had a burger on the menu, I was expecting to read that the bacon was mixed into the ground meat prior to cooking, or that the burger was wrapped in bacon, or even that the special sauce to top the burger was a bacon aioli or something along those lines.  Not too long ago on Pinterest, I saw bacon tacos, where the actual taco shell was pure bacon.  I half expected to see that on the menu.  There was a bacon wrapped hot dog, and that was the extent of the creativity. 

We ended up ordering the pork rinds and the bacon cheeseburger sliders.  The sliders weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either.  The burger had that charred flavor that I love so much and the bacon was crisp.  It could’ve used more cheese and the burger itself was a little under seasoned.  There’s nothing that turns my taste buds off more than bland meat, but the grill flavor saved the sliders from being completely insipid.

The pork rinds were not good.  They were home made, so I applaud the effort, but they were dull and lacked any flavor.  The rinds were sprinkled with some paprika based seasoning which is a good idea in theory, but personally, if you don’t season the skins prior to frying them, no amount of seasoning post-fry is going to mask the flavorless rinds when you bite into them.  The pork rinds were crunchy, so the texture was acceptable, and you get a good amount of rinds with your purchase so you don’t feel cheated.  The problem is neither one of us wanted to eat more than one. 

The two items we purchased cost us $13, so it wasn’t cheap considering that it’s a food truck, and it was even more disappointing because we weren’t pleased with the food.  Due to the mediocrity of the food and the lack of originality this Bacon Master exemplified, I would not go back to this particular food truck.  Food Truck Friday as an experience; however, is fun, and there are several food trucks I want to try, meaning I will have to arrive earlier to avoid a long wait in line.  There’s also a cupcake truck that I am eager to try, so look forward to reviews on more of these food trucks in the upcoming weeks.  Food Truck Friday is definitely something worth going to if you do it right.  Turn it into a mini-tailgate with your friends and family and arrive early, just stay away from Master Bacon.