Bacon?

[lsanderson]

Caramelized Bacon

You can make this up to 3 days in advance. Keep in a tightly sealed container at room temperature. This is a dish that can’t be ruined. You can freeze the leftovers. But why are there leftovers?

1 pound bacon
1 1-pound box light brown sugar (about 2 ¼ cups).

1. Go to a butcher and spend as much money as you have on very good bacon. Cut it into medium-thick slices, say, 3\16 of an inch.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper. Dump a box of brown sugar into a big bowl. Light brown sugar is best, but if you want to use dark brown, I won’t stop you. Add ¼ cup of water, so that the sugar becomes more than damp but less than soupy. Some bacon caramelizers add a dash of cayenne pepper, but I think this makes the dish too nutritious.

3. Dredge the bacon in the sugar, one slice at a time. If the sugar isn’t sticking to the bacon, add some more water a teaspoon at a time until it sticks. (By the way, you won’t use all of the sugar, but it’s good to have extra.) Place the bacon strips on the paper. I then smear some sugar on top of the bacon, on the theory that if a little sweet is good, more is better.

4. Place the bacon in the oven. It’s impossible for me to tell you how long to cook the bacon because it depends on whether you like it chewy or crispy. Some recipes tell you to keep it in the oven for 8 to 13 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the bacon. I keep it in on the longer side. You should take yours out when it resembles the kind of bacon you would like to eat. Cut it into roughly 1 1/2-inch triangles. Serve at room temperature. Serves 8 to 10.

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Comments

[lollardfish.livejournal.com]

I really couldn't be more for this.

Maybe there were leftovers because the friends you served it to were all observant Jews and Muslims so only ate a little bit because God would understand?

[daedala.livejournal.com]

Bacon and waffles.

Just sayin'.

[mia-mcdavid.livejournal.com]

But . . . where's the finely chopped pecans that belong with the brown sugar???

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

Mike, on hearing this recipe, says, "One pound of bacon serves *eight to ten*? Nahhhh. That can't be right." He opined that this might serve fewer people. (Personally, I'm betting it would serve two nicely.)

[danae.livejournal.com]

that sounds so..... delicious, yet horrifying

[magentamn.livejournal.com]

Does Scalzi know about this yet?

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

I've already told the Boskone committee that I hope to bring this to the Thursday night SBOF (aka "Secret Banquet of Fandom" for people there in time to help with set-up).

I anticipate much experimentation before then!

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

I tried this, and the result was tasty, though not really very caramelized, but as with most recipes out of my usual line, I found the instructions a bit puzzling.

I found that it took considerably more than 1/4 cup water to turn the sugar into a thick molasses-like sludge, which I guess is what is meant by "more than damp but less than soupy." It still didn't stick to the bacon very well, and it wasn't clear whether what was supposed to stick was solid wads of sugar or just a film.

It turned out not to matter, because when I opened the oven after 8 minutes (I like my bacon very chewy), the pan had become a seething hell of bubbling sugar-&-baconfat mix, with the forlorn bacon (how many slices are you supposed to get per pound, by the way?) almost floating in the midst.

Needless to say the pan was a bear to clean up after it had cooled down, and having the parchment underneath didn't help much at all.

[42itous.livejournal.com]

Thank you again for sharing this recipe. I've just made a batch (cooling on the stovetop as I type) to bring to a dance tonight, and it smells SOOOO GOOD!!!