We may not always agree on politics or religion, but I think we can all find common ground where there is bacon to be had.
Bacon. Is there a better smell to wake up to in the morning? (Ok, coffee may give bacon a run for it’s…bacon?)
Well, we can all agree that it’s pretty darn good. By itself. On stuff. In stuff. Around stuff. Probably even as edible jewelry…
A couple years ago, my domestic goddess of a mother-in-law suggested a new recipe for making bacon. I believe she saw it in a Better Homes magazine.
I know, “bacon recipe”? How can you have a recipe for bacon? It’s one ingredient!
A “bacon recipe” would read;
Open bacon package.
Place bacon over stove in pan.
Dodge flying bacon grease.
Enjoy!
That’s how I was raised to make bacon anyway…
Nevertheless, we tried this newfangled “bacon recipe” and, well – it changed my life.
A short time later we were on breakfast duty for my family’s Christmastime reunion and Micah decided to use this recipe. It was a game-changer. Everyone raved about it. Since then, I’ve lost track of the amount of times my sisters have asked Micah to “make his special bacon” at family get-togethers involving brunch (which are most of them).
Now that I’ve given it sufficient hype, I will share the recipe below:
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Better Bacon
– 1 package of Bacon
– 1/2ish cup of Brown Sugar
You will also need:
– “Jelly roll” pan (cookie sheet with a lip)
– Parchment Paper
– Oven Broiler on Low
Trim a piece of parchment paper to fit into your pan. You want it to curl up the edges of the pan to catch the bacon grease, but not so high it will catch the broiler flames.
Next, open your package of bacon and line those pink piggies up along the pan.
* (If you don’t eat pork for religious reasons – there is always turkey bacon. If you are vegan or vegetarian, I’m sorry… Is there tofu/veggie bacon?)
Now that you have your bacon organized, get out your secret ingredient.
Brown sugah, baby.
Begin by sprinkling liberally over the entire pan – aiming for the bacon.
If needed, dump it on for better bacon coverage – aka BBC.
Place bacon in the oven on Low Broil for 10 – 15 minutes.
Check periodically for even cooking. You may need to rotate your pan or push some bacon around with tongs.
When bacon is crisped to your liking, remove and enjoy your bacon candy!
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I have never had a bacon doughnut before, but I’d like to think it tastes something like this. Something magical happens while that bacon is in the oven – I don’t really know how else to describe it. The brown sugar seems to melt into the bacon and creates a delicious, mouthwatering glaze which perfectly complements that salty, greasy strip of goodness.
I’m the kind of person who likes a little sweet and a little savory for breakfast, so I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with this brown sugar bacon.
Also, if you’re like me and avoid making “fancy” breakfast because of all the dishes – you’ll be happy to know that the cleanup for this Better Bacon is almost as sweet as the bacon itself.
After you gobble up your bacon, let your parchment paper/pan sit for several hours. It’s a procrastinators dream. Come on, were you really going to wash that pan right away? Unless you are my friend Julie, probably not. (Love ya, Jules 😉 )
Pretty soon, that bacon grease will start to congeal, and you can lift the parchment paper like so.
9 times out of 10, your cookie sheet will be clean as a whistle. Or maybe need just a quick rinse. That is 95% better that the mess inside your frying pan after making normal bacon. I don’t know where I got those statistics. But you can trust me on that.
So, yeah. Ball up that parchment paper…
and throw it in the trash.
And boom – just like that, you’re done.
Perhaps the best part, still, is how you enjoy your bacon. It is a dish best served with others. So invite your family, friends & neighbors over for brunch. Pull out the extra chairs and let the kids run amuck while you discuss the important things in life like politics & religion – and just how good that bacon is – while you linger over just one more piece…
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And…just for fun:
Anyone care to count how many times the word “bacon” appears in this post? It’s gotta be some kind of record. First one to guess correctly gets invited over for bacon. 🙂
The Simple Palette 