Courtesy of Cyclone Bill
Perfect Bacon is a beautiful thing in this world. Why? Well, it proves to this carnivore that there really is no such thing as a true vegetarian (yes, I truly do believe this) because of Bacon. I mean seriously, what is the one food that vegetarians will plan their sneak days around? Pay endless money for some Tofu or Soy processor to reproduce? It is that tasty meat candy known as Bacon. The humble pork belly that when cooked properly will yield a bevy off treats for man kind.
When attempting the Perfect Bacon we must first consider the challenge. Bacon cooking demands your attention when you cook it on the stove, and the grease can be very messy. Microwave cooking, well.. how do I put this… you really shouldn’t be cooking if your thinking of microwaving bacon. For my wife and I, we have found that the easiest way to cook bacon is in the oven. We use a large rimmed backing sheet. This allows us to contain the bacon fat and keep it from the bottom element in the oven. We also use a cookie cooling sheet to elevate the bacon out of the grease – and it allows the dry air from the oven perfectly crisp the bacon.
It is important to know that thickness of bacon differ across the country. So you will need to adjust your 2nd cooking time – this is the time after you flip your bacon and rotate the baking sheet.
One trick for the bacon grease is, when you are done cooking your bacon. Using a Mason Jar, tip the baking sheet slightly to pour the liquid bacon drippings in slowly. Use a Mason Jar lid and close tightly and place this Jar in the Refrigerator until the next time you need to do some sauteing of vegetables. Replace this in the place of butter.
Perfect Bacon Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 Slices thick cut bacon
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 Tablesooons honey
Instructions
- Place the oven rack into a middle position and preheat the oven to 375°F
- Pre-line your rimmed backing sheet with aluminum foil. Place a cookie cooling rack on top of the aluminium foiled cookie sheet.
- Arrange the slices of bacon. Allow the oven to completely pre-heat and then place the backing sheet into the oven. Dress the bacon with the brown sugar and black pepper, and then drizzle with the honey.
- Allow the bacon to cook, with out turning until the fat starts to render. This will take about 5-6 minutes.
- To ensure even cooking, rotate the backing sheet and allow to continue to cook until the bacon is crisp and brown, this could take anywhere from 6-10 additional minutes. This is not to take a telephone call.
- Transfer the perfect bacon to a plate that is lined with kitchen paper or use a brown paper bag to collect the excess drippings.
