not my dad's bacon - cooking perfect crispy bacon

Crispy!

Because it transcends all food – I think it’s time to do something with Bacon! Love it or hate it I am convinced there are closeted bacon eaters who say they wouldn’t touch the stuff. Bacon has become so used in cooking over the years and has been added and topped nearly everything including cupcakes and yes even ice cream. Check out David Lebovitz’s - Candied Bacon IceCream and the Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes on AllRecipes.com.  I haven’t made either…YET! 

I don’t know a bigger fan of bacon and all pork for that matter then my dad. To eat bacon with him is like no other eating experience. He starts with a full slab from a butcher. He slices it thick, when I say think I mean at least a ½ - ¾ inch. Then – because he can – he roasts it over a real wood fire in his backyard in northern Michigan. The smoke and the char from the fire flare-ups – OMG…okay I’m back… Dad always has his with a fresh piece of Italian bread. Oh the bread…he takes a full loaf and splits it. From time to time after the meat has had time to really cook – he removes it and presses it between the halved loaf and then returns it to the fire. The bread is divine. Besides a good glass of wine – you need nothing else. 

Well this post is not so much a recipe as it is a technique and was inspired by my friend Wanda; who cooked sausages this way.  It appeals to me on many levels. It is great for store bought sliced bacon. It’s especially great if you want to cut the fat (a bit) and if you want to keep your stove and counters and the front of your clothes spatter free. Great for breakfast because it keeps the stove top free for eggs and grits! Also great for BLTs! The bacon comes out as crispy as you like it!

Ingredients:

Sliced Bacon
Thickness is your choice as well as the type – never tried turkey bacon though…probably never will - lol!

Tools:

Baking Pan
Paper Towel (plain no ink/patterns)

Tongs for turning

Instructions:

Set your baking rack in the middle of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Line the bottom of the baking sheet with two layers of paper towel.

Lay the strips of bacon on top of the paper towel.
I have done as little as 6 pieces or butted the pieces up against each other and did the whole pound.

Put the pan on the middle rack and set the timer for around 6 minutes. It will cook faster if the bacon is thin – slower if…well you get the idea. 

Turn it once it starts to brown on the top.

Continue cooking checking every 2-3 minutes until it is the crispness you like!  

I know what you are thinking...no it won’t …no….I’m telling you…it’s not going to catch fire. I’ve done this in a gas and electric stove – ‘umpteen’ times (as my mom would say) without incident.

That is unless you do what Jim’s cousin Anita did and put the paper towel on top of the bacon…Bless her little heart. Love you Anita! 

Silpats and cooling racks on top of the baking sheet defeat the purpose – because you are left with a puddle of bacon grease to deal with. As the bacon cooks and releases grease the paper towel absorbs it. When the bacon is cooked you let the pan cool and throw away the paper towel. No grease down the drain or in the trash!

Bacon Ghosts. Oh and no flames-see! :-)

Oh and best of all the yummiest crispy bacon strips you have always wanted to make!

Enjoy!