How do you make bacon better?

[Scrapironchef]

Wrap it in fried chicken ---

http://consumerist.com/5342699/kfc-ha...

A cardiopocalypse.

[ktb615]

I like to saute bacon in butter.

[Janet]

How can the perfect food be made better? Just fry up more.

[Smileelisa]

bake in the oven drizzled with maple syrup....yum

[RShea78]

Smileelisa,

Do you bake or actually broil your bacon? I broil mine, but keep the pan roughly 8 inches (2nd rack adjustment from the top) and babysit the bacon till it looks right to me. (Not exactly limp or crunchy, somewhere in between)

In general bacon cannot be made better (IMHO) unless you pick the right brand of bacon. Whenever possible I try to purchase Wright brand (See link below) of bacon, but unfortunately it has to be on special.

http://www.wrightbrand.com/Default.aspx

[nvcook]

A couple of times I've seen Ina Garten bake bacon in the oven. Once she placed it on a rack (like for cooling cookies) on a jelly roll pan and another time, no rack. I think it was 400 for like 20 min. I plan on trying that soon myself.

[RShea78]

>>I think it was 400 for like 20 min. I plan on trying that soon myself.

Geez! After about the first 7 minutes I would be pulling some bacon early to munch on. (Bacon ranks second place too my comfort food, and thy shall not wait.

My broiling method is rather quick, so around the 7 minute mark, it should be done to my likings.

[modthyrth]

In the oven is the only way I make bacon. The times I've tried it in a skillet, I pull it off when it looks right and somehow it's way overdone. I like crispy, I like VERY crispy, and yet I can't gauge it on the stovetop.

In the oven, I can do a whole pound of bacon at a time for a crowd, I can cook it to the perfect crisp-but-not-burnt, and all the excess fat neatly drips down from the grate into the pan below. It's perfect every time.

[mmalmad]

I put the bacon in a cold oven, then turn it on to 400.. takes about 10-15 minutes if you put it on a rack there is no need to turn, if not flip over if not flip about 1/2 way through, comes out crisp with less shrinkage

[Smileelisa]

I actually bake it. Nothing beats the sweet and salty taste of bacon with maple syrup over it! I have never seen Wrightbrand bacon up here in the northeast. I have used many different brands but since I love bacon so much I have yet to meet a bacon I didn't like!

[1stmakearoux]

Don't overcook it.

[RShea78]

Or burn the bacon!

[Uncle Bob]

Slice it thick....sprinkle on fresh course ground black pepper...fry

Enjoy!

[KiltedCook]

Dip in chocolate fondue.

[Muskrat]

Dredge it in brown sugar; bake until crisp.

[baldwinwood]

+1

[kattyeyes]

I'd say it's Muskrat Love!!! Tried your method this weekend and it was out of this world! Candied bacon is a taste sensation!!! I even took a photo of it in all its shiny goodness, but I am too lazy to download it.

I thank you and will add a real NO KIDDING statement: don't forget NOT to drain the bacon on paper towels. I figured it out quickly enough NOT to have totally botched the bacon bounty (or, more appropriately, saved the bacon from becoming one with the Bounty!!!). HA HA HA! So many possibilities for bacon this way. I will be experimenting again very soon. +1 indeed!

[kattyeyes]

Too pretty not to post...candied bacon in all its shiny glory! Thanks again!

[kattyeyes]

I learned a new candied bacon tip while out shopping this past weekend. I'm told a little white pepper over the brown sugar makes it extra tasty. HOOOO-AHHHH!

[Gigi007]

Wrap bacon around dates stuffed with goat cheese. I haven't made this myself, but have had had it as an appetizer at various restaurants. Trust me, it's delicious.

[PurpleTeeth]

even better if it's blue cheese!

[SporkChop]

add a slivered almond to the cheese filling and sprinkle on a touch of crushed red pepper. nirvana!

[shanagain]

Or no cheese, fresh jalapeno. Yum.

[Passadumkeg]

Make it yourself from a pig that you have raised. True appreciation.
Sorry Charlotte & Wilbur

[tracylee]

I saw Paula Deen toss it with brown sugar and dijon mustard before baking. She seemed to think it was fabulous, LOL.

[Smileelisa]

She didn't roll it in butter???????????? Oh my

[MartinDC]

I got this same recipe from a food article in the New York Times magazine by Patricia Marx. The recipe instructions were a hoot. For example, she wrote, and I'm paraphrasing, "Go to your favorite market and buy the best bacon you can afford." She proceeded to instruct the cook to use a whole box of brown sugar and a little water to bind it together into thick paste, then slather it all over the bacon. I don't remember the dijon, but it might have been there. Then bake on parchment on a sheet pan, turning the bacon half way. She likes hers a little chewy. Then cut into triangles and serve with cocktails.

I put it out as hors d'oevres while making grits and shrimp for friends.

[pacheeseguy]

I love dark bacon (almost burnt) in a sandwich of burnt toast with butter.
Absolutely fabulous.

[Claudette]

LOL!!! I'm coming over to your house!

[dmjordan]

What's better than bacon?
What's better than a massage?
A massage while eating bacon!

[Scargod]

Better: Eating bacon while getting a "massage" by three pigs using bacon grease.

Other idea: add hickory smoke seasoning to the bacon or cook it slowly over wood smoke on the grill.

[fresnohotspot]

Serve it on Kauai's north shore.

[pacheeseguy]

I only eat one brand of bacon, Neuskes from Wisconsin. (apple wood smoked)
Best bacon I've ever eaten. Makes an incredible BLT wrap!

[Harters]

Green back bacon cooked under the grill till it's cooked through but not at all crispy, then onto cheap white sliced supermarket bread, dollop of ketchup - the perfect bacon butty.

[Veggo]

I grill it on my Weber. Manage your flare ups -you want a few short ones that add a nice smokiness. And it doesn't curl up.

[c oliver]

Could I get more details please? Gas or charcoal? Direct or indirect? Do you put it directly on the grill? About how long does it take? Thanks, Veg.

[Bat Guano]

Holy crap. When I tried this I had flames shooting 8 feet high out of the grill. Manage the flareups indeed!

[Veggo]

Practice, practice.

[Claudette]

Go to Saveur's website to get Bill McDaniel's Bacon Tempura recipe. Sounds worthy of a heart attack!

[kattyeyes]

Wow...what a magical combo...everything is better with bacon (just about!) and I have yet to find ANYTHING that didn't taste good tempura-battered 'n fried. Yummmmmy! This thread has totally made me want to try another twist on bacon cookies. Sounds like a fun project for a rainy weekend, perhaps.

[Scargod]

Today I used Boars Head bacon and soaked it in dissolved brown sugar, with hickory flavor added, for about three hours. I then microwaved it for four minutes on a low setting. This went on the pork roast sandwiches from pork I cooked to 160 on the smoker last night. It was yummy.

[kattyeyes]

I usually buy Boar's Head, too...but this time used Nature's Promise (Stop & Shop's organic line). We just had it "straight" this a.m., you know...I can bring home the bacon, fry it up in a pan...I should do a side-by-side comparison (a bacon-off!), but was pleasantly surprised with Nature's Promise. Bet those sandwiches were tasty.

[mattwarner]

I can't remember if I saw Ina Garten or Alex Guarnaschelli doing it on Food Network, but now I like to place my bacon on the baking sheet and toss some brown sugar and crushed red pepper flakes over it, then bake until finished. Sweet, salty, slightly spicy. Very tasty. I can't do it very often, though, because then my dog can't have the rendered fat over his kibble, and he's crazy for the "Bacon Food."

[EWSflash]

Pasta carbonara- cream & eggs whisked up with salt and a lot of pepper, cook your pasta drain, then put it in the big old skillet where you've cooked your bacon and drained off most of the fat, heat it up, and pour in the cream mixture and toss gently but thoroughly, add a lot of fresh grated parmesan. Devour. Take an aspirin and an Alli or two. Just kidding about the meds, sort of.

That was taught to me by a guy who thought he was hot stuff,because he lived in Italy and slept with an Italian woman who made the carbonara like that. I have no Idea whether she used the Italian bacon or not. It is the ultimate gutbomb comfort food, though

[mojoeater]

I like carbonara when it is served with a runny egg on top!

[bushwickgirl]

There was an episode of Chopped where bacon was a dessert ingredient and it was coated with brown sugar and dusted with cayenne (I think or maybe red pepper flakes) and baked. The other guy dipped it in chocolate, which he didn't temper properly. He lost but the judges really like both bacon concoctions.
My nephew cooks his on a panini grill, it's the flatest, crispiest bacon I've ever had, without being a midge burnt.

[pacheeseguy]

Another of my wicked pleasures is grilling
slabs of Wild Boar bacon. I also like to add
small fried cubes of it to my chili.
Great sliced up and fried for breakfast too.

[Scargod]

Gives chili a neat textural difference, too. I have fried bacon, almost crisp, and chopped it somewhat fine. Those flavor nuggets are a cool taste change when you hit them.
I'd imagine your cubes are even more powerful when hit in the chili.

[justaddwater]

Baking is key. Also using the right bacon. Niman Ranch works for me. A great summer treat for the jalapenos from the garden is to stuff them with pre cooked mild italian sausage, pre cook the bacon some, wrap the peppers in the bacon, stab with a toothpick to hold it all together, and grill until there's black marks on the skin. The next step, of course, is to eat yourself sick.

[greygarious]

The merits of microwaving bacon have been discussed on another thread. I used to bake it in the oven but after hearing Jacques Pepin's firm assertion that the microwave makes the best bacon, I converted. There are gadgets for this, but I just fit as many pieces as possible onto the round, revolving microwave tray (halving them helps) then cover with a round of parchment and keep an eye on it while it cooks on full power. Remove when done. Most people do it between paper towels but I want to be able to collect the rendered fat for use in frying potatoes and eggs. As usual, Jacques is right!

[mattwarner]

I tried this recently, after seeing another of the posts on microwaving bacon. I was underwhelmed. I arranged about eight slices parallel to one another on paper towels on a plate and covered them with another paper towel. I initially microwaved it for eight minutes (one minute per slice) then at one minute intervals for about four more minutes, trying to get the rashers to crisp. It ended up sort of chewey, but not like when bacon is lightly cooked. It was almost papery - hard to break apart with the teeth during chewing. Am I missing something in how I'm microwaving them? I'll admit that I didn't buy my preferred brand, and I wasn't entirely pleased with how this brand baked, either, but I feel like I really am missing something in how I'm microwaving the bacon.

[greygarious]

I haven't used towels so I can't comment on the resulting texture. The way I do it means that the bacon is sitting in the fat it renders, and that makes it crisp nicely.

[mattwarner]

It sounded like you arranged them in a circle pattern around the plate, is that right? I'll try it with the towels and see if that makes the difference.

[greygarious]

No, I halve them crosswise and then just make as many rows as I can without overlapping. However you lay out the bacon, try just covering it, not putting towels under the bacon.

[Nii]

Is back bacon big in the states? In all my time going to the States I've never had good bacon, it's always been fatty and streaky.

There must be independent butchers who sell the stuff?

[SweetPhyl]

I, too, prefer to microwave my bacon. I put it on the bare plate with a single papertowel on top. After about 4 minutes, I drain the bacon and put a fresh towel on top. It seems to help the bacon crisp up better and I can sart frying my eggs in the drippings. =)

[mattwarner]

How many pieces are you microwaving at once? Or, how do you determine the time to cook the plate's worth?

[greygarious]

Since the thickness and fattiness of bacon strips varies according to brand and package, not to mention the wattage of microwave ovens, you have to try a couple of slices, keeping an eye on them. Start with 2-3 minutes, then stop and look. Make a mental note of your results, and remember that residual heat in the rendered fat will still continue cooking the strips in the time it takes for the plate to cool enough to handle.

[Fritter]

Have a Rastafarian smoke it and then bake it into brownies!
If you don't have any Rastafarians in your hood then soak it in bourbon and brown sugar for a few days and then smoke it on a BGE.

[Passadumkeg]

Wrap bacon around a big fat, fresh sea scallop and grill or broil.

[c oliver]

Over on a shrimp thread, there's a suggestion to cook the bacon a couple minutes a side (no crispness) prior to wrapping the shrimp. That way the shrimp/scallop won't overcook. I thought that was quite a good idea. FWIW.

[missclaudy]

Make candy, (BACON BRITTLE) out of it.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/348661

[Davwud]

Bacon covered bacon.

DT

[kattyeyes]

I went to a new chocolate shop in town tonight and there was a "Porky Porcini" truffle. So I thought, aha, a kindred spirit. But no...it was a porcini truffle without a hint of pig. So, though I'm sure it was interesting, it was less so to me after that. HA!

[Scargod]

Jonesing for a bacon and do'g. How about jellyroll and bacon?

[Scargod]

Perhaps she has the right idea? Cool T-shirt. May have to get one.

[Cinnamon]

In the book "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes, the author suggests making bacon-fat mayonnaise to go on BLTs."

I think that deserves at least an honorable mention.

[shanagain]

I think you just blew my mind, in a good way.

[Davwud]

Mmmmmm baconnaise........

DT

[CHEFINTHECLOSET]

sugar-peppered brunch bacon is the best. Put your bacon in a baking pan in a 400 F oven. Sprinkle your bacon with brown sugar and coarse cracked black pepper. Bake for about 10-20 minutes, Serve piping hot, Yummy;)

[kattyeyes]

That is too funny. I came back to add what I learned about white pepper and here you are suggesting black. Black, white, it's all ultra good, I am sure! ;)

[pacheeseguy]

Just read a book review of "Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon".in Gourmet Retailer magazine.
Written by Ari Zingerman, owner of Z's deli in Ann Arbor.
The reviewer raves about the great history he tells about bacon,
and also the 42 bacon recipes, including desserts.
I'm going to get it and check it out!

[kattyeyes]

That sounds wonderful! Please report back if you find recipes worth sharing. ;)

[modthyrth]

All food from Zingerman's is worth selfishly hoarding, so I expect the recipes will be worth sharing. ;-) Looking forward to the review!