Keeping Uncooked Bacon in the Fridge

Shelf life in the refrigerator:

• Unopened bacon (in vacuum-sealed packaging) can last up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
• Opened, raw bacon should be used within 7 days of opening.

These guidelines are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which notes that while bacon is a cured meat, it still has a relatively short shelf life once exposed to air (USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service).

Storage Tips for Uncooked Bacon:

• Store unopened bacon in the coldest part of your refrigerator.
• Once opened, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, or place it in an airtight container.

Keeping Cooked Bacon in the Fridge

Shelf life in the refrigerator:

• Cooked bacon will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, per the USDA and food safety guidelines.

Let cooked bacon cool before storing it. Place it in an airtight container or zip-top bag with as much air removed as possible. To extend its freshness, place a paper towel in the container to absorb moisture.

Can Bacon Be Frozen?

Absolutely! Freezing extends the shelf life of bacon dramatically:

• Uncooked bacon: Up to 4 months in the freezer.
• Cooked bacon: Best used within 1 month for optimal flavor and texture, though it’s safe to eat beyond that.

Wrap individual portions in parchment paper and then place them in a freezer bag to make future thawing easier.

Sources:

• USDA: Bacon and Food Safety
• National Center for Home Food Preservation: Freezing Bacon

Signs Bacon Has Gone Bad

Regardless of dates and storage, always check bacon before using it. Toss it if you notice:

• A sour or rancid smell
• Slimy or sticky texture
• Discoloration (e.g., brown, gray, or greenish tinge)

These are signs of bacterial growth, and consuming spoiled bacon can lead to foodborne illness.

Understanding “Use By” vs. “Sell By” Dates

• Sell By Date: For retailers; bacon can be safely consumed 7 days beyond this date if stored properly.
• Use By Date: The last day the product is considered at peak quality.

Again, if bacon is stored unopened in the fridge, you may have up to 2 weeks—even past the “Sell By” date—but always rely on your senses and good food safety practices.

Final Word

Bacon doesn’t last forever, although we certainly wish it did! Make sure to follow USDA guidelines (or guidelines from your country’s government specialists) to store your bacon safely:

• Raw, unopened bacon: 2 weeks in the fridge
• Raw, opened bacon: 1 week
• Cooked bacon: 4–5 days
• Frozen bacon: Up to 4 months

Keep it cold, keep it sealed, and when in doubt, throw it out.

Sources:

1. USDA Bacon and Food Safety
2. National Center for Home Food Preservation – Freezing Bacon
3. FoodSafety.gov Cold Storage Chart

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A post shared by Alyssa McEwen (@alyssa_mcewen)

There aren’t many bacon snake videos on the internet, in fact this is the first one we’ve seen. Have you seen any others?

If you’ve seen any other bacon snake videos, please let us know in the comments. We’re always on the lookout for anything that combines hilarious videos and bacon.

Bacon Snake Video Back Story

As she told the Today Show, Alyssa McEwen’s 3-year-old triplets, Georgia Kate, Miley Mae, and Staten can be seen in the bacon snake video arguing in the kitchen of their home. Miley Mae is sure that the potentially dangerous object is simply bacon, but Georgia Kate and her brother Staten are positive it’s a scary snake!

McEwen asks the kids in the bacon snake video “If it’s bacon, why don’t you hold it?” and the children recoil…just in case it’s actually a snake and not simply a piece of bacon on the kitchen floor.

One commenter on Instagram dubbed the mystery creator a “snacon,” which is pretty funny. Reminds us a bit of our own word, Smaste.

Another person commented that “I love that the one who thinks it’s bacon at the beginning is way more distressed about it than the snake believer”.

McEwen told The Today Show that she noticed the intense conversation her triples were having while she was feeding her 2-month-old baby boy. So she grabbed her phone and started filming.

Boy, are we glad she did. Any time we can get this level of humor with both bacon and snakes, we’re pretty impressed. And with over 700,000 likes in just a couple weeks it seems like the bacon snake video loving public is in total agreement with us.

Does McEwen have any regrets about the video? “My only regret is not taking a bite in front of them.” she said on Instagram.

These crunchy and delicious plant-based alternatives are a game-changer for those following a vegan lifestyle or looking to reduce their meat intake. With just a few simple ingredients and a little time, you can create your very own vegan bacon bits at home.

Unlike traditional bacon, vegan bacon bits are made from plant-based ingredients like tempeh, tofu, or shiitake mushrooms, allowing you to enjoy the smoky and savory flavor without any animal products. Whether you want to sprinkle them on top of salads, soups, or even pizzas, these vegan bacon bits are versatile and sure to satisfy your taste buds.

In this article, we will guide you through the process of making vegan bacon bits at home. From selecting the perfect base ingredient to seasoning and cooking methods, we’ll cover all you need to know to create the best plant-based bacon alternative. Get ready to add a burst of flavor and texture to your favorite vegan recipes with these homemade vegan bacon bits!

Spoiler alert: You can also buy plant-based bacon bits at most stores.

Why make vegan bacon bits at home?

There are several reasons why making vegan bacon bits at home is a great idea. Firstly, it allows you to have full control over the ingredients, ensuring that they align with your dietary preferences. Store-bought vegan bacon bits often contain preservatives, additives, and artificial flavors, which can compromise the overall quality and taste. Who wants to tarnish a healthy vegan diet with all that junk?

Additionally, making your own vegan bacon bits is a cost-effective alternative. Buying pre-made vegan bacon bits can be expensive, especially if you use them frequently in your cooking. By making them at home you can save money while also enjoying the satisfaction of creating something delicious from scratch.

Ingredients for homemade vegan bacon bits

To make vegan bacon bits at home, you will need a base ingredient that mimics the texture and flavor of traditional bacon. Here are some popular options:

Tempeh

Made from fermented soybeans, tempeh has a firm texture and a slightly nutty flavor. It’s a versatile ingredient that can be easily seasoned and cooked to resemble the texture of bacon.

Tofu

Firm or extra-firm tofu can be sliced into thin strips and marinated to create a bacon-like texture. Tofu absorbs flavors well, making it an excellent choice for homemade vegan bacon bits.

Shiitake mushrooms

Known for their rich umami flavor, shiitake mushrooms can be sliced and cooked to achieve a crispy and savory texture. They are a popular choice for those looking for a more natural and earthy taste.

In addition to using one of the base ingredients listed above, you will need a few other ingredients to enhance the flavor of your vegan bacon bits.

Common seasonings include:

• liquid smoke
• soy sauce
• maple syrup
• smoked paprika
• garlic powder
• black pepper

These ingredients work together to create a smoky, salty, and slightly sweet flavor that mimics the taste of bacon.

Step-by-step guide to making vegan bacon bits

Now that you have gathered your ingredients, it’s time to start making your vegan bacon bits. Follow these steps for a successful outcome.

1. Prepare your base ingredient
   If using tempeh or tofu, slice them into thin strips. If using shiitake mushrooms, remove the stems and slice the caps into thin strips.
   
2. Create the marinade
   In a mixing bowl, combine the liquid smoke, soy sauce, maple syrup, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well to ensure all the flavors are evenly distributed.
   
3. Marinate the base ingredient
   Place the sliced tempeh, tofu, or shiitake mushrooms into the marinade. Gently toss or brush the marinade onto each piece to ensure they are well-coated. Let them marinate for at least 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to penetrate.
   
4. Cook the vegan bacon bits
   Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat and add a small amount of oil or cooking spray. Place the marinated pieces onto the skillet, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Cook them for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until they become crispy and golden brown.
   
5. Remove from heat and let them cool
   Once cooked, transfer the vegan bacon bits to a plate lined with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Let them cool for a few minutes before enjoying or storing.

Tips for achieving the perfect texture and flavor

Creating the perfect vegan bacon bits requires attention to detail. Here are some tips to help you achieve the best results:

Thin and uniform slices

When slicing your base ingredient, aim for thin and uniform pieces. This will ensure that they cook evenly and have a consistent texture.

Proper marinating time

Allow your base ingredient to marinate for at least 30 minutes. This will give the flavors time to infuse and enhance the overall taste.

Adjust the seasonings

Feel free to adjust the seasonings according to your preferences. If you prefer a smokier flavor, add more liquid smoke. If you like it sweeter, increase the amount of maple syrup.

Don’t overcrowd the pan

When cooking the vegan bacon bits, make sure not to overcrowd the pan. This allows them to crisp up properly and prevents them from becoming soggy.

Experiment with cooking methods

While skillet cooking is the most common method, you can also try baking or air frying your vegan bacon bits for a different texture. Experiment with different techniques to find your favorite.

Serving suggestions and recipe variations

Now that your homemade vegan bacon bits are ready, it’s time to enjoy them in various dishes. Here are some serving suggestions and recipe variations to inspire you:

Toss them into salads

Sprinkle the vegan bacon bits on top of your favorite salads for an added crunch and smoky flavor. They work particularly well with Caesar salads, spinach salads, or even grain bowls.

Top off soups and stews

Garnish your favorite soups and stews with a handful of vegan bacon bits. They add a depth of flavor and a satisfying texture to any broth-based dish.

Use them in sandwiches or wraps

Layer the vegan bacon bits in your sandwiches or wraps for a protein-packed and flavorful addition. They pair well with avocado, lettuce, and tomato.

Incorporate them into pasta dishes

Add the vegan bacon bits to your pasta dishes for a burst of flavor. They work exceptionally well in carbonara-style sauces or tossed with spaghetti and olive oil.

Create mac and cheese with plant-based bacon bits

Sprinkle the vegan bacon bits on top of your favorite vegan mac and cheese recipe for an extra layer of indulgence. The combination of the creamy sauce and the crispy bits is simply irresistible.

Make vegan pizza with bacon bits

Scatter the vegan bacon bits on top of your homemade or store-bought vegan pizza for a smoky and savory twist. Pair them with vegan cheese, tomato sauce, and your favorite toppings.

How to store and freeze your homemade vegan bacon bits

If you have leftover bacon bits or want to make a larger batch for future use, proper storage is essentia

Refrigerator storage

Once cooled, transfer the bacon bits to an airtight container or a ziplock bag. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freezing

If you want to freeze the bacon bits, place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. They can be frozen for up to 2 months. To prevent them from sticking together, you can separate the pieces with parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Thawing

When ready to use, thaw the frozen vegan bacon bits in the refrigerator overnight. They might lose some crispiness during the thawing process, but they will still retain their flavor.

Health benefits of vegan bacon bits

Aside from being a delicious addition to your meals, homemade vegan bacon bits offer several health benefits. Since they are made from plant-based ingredients, they are naturally cholesterol-free and lower in saturated fat compared to traditional bacon.

Vegan bacon bits also provide a good source of protein, fiber, and essential nutrients. Tempeh, tofu, and shiitake mushrooms are all excellent plant-based sources of protein, making them a suitable option for those following a vegan or vegetarian diet.

When combined with a balanced and varied diet, vegan bacon bits can contribute to overall health and well-being. However, it’s important to remember that moderation is key, as they can still be high in sodium and calories if consumed in excess.

Vegan bacon alternatives and other uses

While homemade vegan bacon bits are a popular choice, there are other plant-based alternatives available. Some options include:

Coconut bacon

Made from coconut flakes seasoned with soy sauce, liquid smoke, and maple syrup, coconut bacon offers a sweet and smoky flavor. It’s a great alternative for those looking for a gluten-free option. Check out this Coconut Bacon recipe from Minimalist Baker.

Rice paper bacon

By seasoning rice paper sheets with a mixture of soy sauce, liquid smoke, and spices, you can create a crispy and bacon-like texture. Rice paper bacon works well in sandwiches and wrap. Here’s a great Rice Paper Bacon recipe from Shannon at Yup! It’s Vegan.

Seitan bacon

Seitan, a protein-rich wheat gluten, can be seasoned and cooked to resemble the texture and taste of bacon. It’s a popular choice among those who prefer a chewier and meat-like texture.
In addition to their traditional use as a topping, vegan bacon alternatives can be used creatively in recipes. They can be crumbled and used as a filling for stuffed mushrooms or added to vegan quiches and omelets for a smoky twist. We like this Seitan Bacon recipe from Kathy’s Vegan Kitchen.

Enjoying the goodness of homemade plant-based bacon bits

Making your own plant-based bacon bits at home is a rewarding and delicious experience. Not only do you have control over the ingredients and flavors, but you also get to enjoy the satisfaction of creating something from scratch.

With the right base ingredient, seasonings, and cooking methods, you can achieve a crispy, smoky, and savory flavor that rivals traditional bacon. Sprinkle your homemade plant-based bacon bits on salads, soups, or even pizzas for added texture and taste.

Remember to experiment, have fun, and let your taste buds guide you. Whether you’re following a vegan lifestyle or simply looking to reduce your meat intake, making vegan style bacon bits are a fantastic addition to any plant-based pantry. Enjoy the goodness and crunch of these vegan delights!

Every bacon lover has wondered at least one time in their life…is bacon healthy? To answer that question you’ll need all the bacon nutrition facts at your disposal, and your own personal definition of “healthy” of course. But fear not, my bacon-loving friend, we’re from BaconToday.com and we’re here to help.

Bacon Nutrition Facts Explained

Here’s the skinny — bacon does contain some nutrients the body needs including protein, vitamins B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, and B12, and selenium. It is also a good source of phosphorus (46.5 mg).

But on the flip side of those bacon nutrition facts is the American Heart Association (AHA), which recommends limiting your intake of saturated fat to less than 10% of your total daily calories. And unfortunately the average slice of cured, uncooked bacon has 3.53 grams of saturated fatty acids. So, if you eat 2,000 calories a day the AHA says you should eat no more than 20 grams of saturated fat. Meaning if you consume a half dozen slices of salty pork goodness you’re already over your saturated fat limit for the day.

But Seriously, Is Bacon Healthy?

The health experts say that saturated fat can raise your LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, which can increase your risk of heart disease. They also report that sodium can raise your blood pressure and cholesterol can build up in your arteries, leading to heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. But we love the taste of nature’s meat candy so we’re going to keep eating all the bacony goodness we can find and then exercise & eat other healthy stuff, right?

So is bacon healthy? Let’s just say that we should all eat bacon in moderation. I’ll now duck from all the items being thrown at me from the bacon-loving crowd and remind you all we invented the Turbaconducken & have previously ordered a grilled cheese sandwich with 30 slices of bacon…and it was delicious.

Nutritional Facts About Bacon

Bacon nutrition facts and caloric information can vary based on the brand, the thickness of the slice and the cut of bacon. The bacon nutritional information we’re sharing here is a portion of the public data available from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The data below represents the average findings for one slice (28 grams) of raw, cured bacon. You can find the full chart with all the bells & whistles & minerals on the USDA’s SuperFood Central page about bacon.

But Really, Is Bacon Healthy?

As we mentioned previously, everything in moderation…even bacon. C’mon now, you never want too much of a good thing, right? But yes indeed, there are some instances where bacon has actual health benefits. Read on about these healthy bacon nutrion facts, while you salivate and ponder asking your doctor for a bacon prescription.

There are some people who eat diets that typically don’t provide enough salt. Yes, it’s true! The sodium in bacon can contribute the addtional salt needed to help balance the sodium levels of people with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). And high-performing athletes may find themselves in an electrolyte imbalance situation from sweating out tons of salt, which might be a good place to slip in a slice of bacon or two (post-workout of course…don’t want any bacon burps while you excercise).

Can Bacon Cure a Hangover?

Bacon, burgers, and other big greasy meals are often touted as part of a healthy hangover cure. But the jury is out on whether bacon can cure a hangover. Okay, the experts say that the salt in bacon can help replace electorolytes that you lose due to the dehydration you’ll experience after drinking too much alcohol, but they also say that there’s no scientific evidence that bacon itself can actual cure a hangover.

The Facts about Bacon Nutrion Facts

Now, we researched the info you just read on this page but admitedly, we’re not doctors nor scientists or experts on health & nutrition. So even though we like to joke around and have fun, please talk with your doctor before eating a crap ton of delicious bacon. We want to make sure you can continue to enjoy tasty tasty bacon for years to come.

At Bacon Today, we’ve tested a lot of bacon products over the years. And by “tested”, we mean “received them free in our P.O. box from a ton of vendors and used the heck out of them” (please send more).

Since we’ve probably had more experience with bacon gizmos, gadgets, and the like than pretty much anyone on planet Earth, we thought we’d put together a bacon gift guide for you all.

To make things easy for everyone (and in hopes that we’ll make a small commission if you click the links and buy something so we can keep the lights on here at the Bacon Today office), all the products below are available for your purchasing pleasure on Amazon. If you’re not a fan of big corporations, consider this guide more of a shopping list to use at various small businesses that sell most of these fun gifts individually.

Bacon Gifts for Guys

When you’re shopping for the bacon-loving man in your life, it’s often tricky to know exactly which awesome bacon thingamajig to get him (hint: the answer is ALL OF THEM). Check out this bacon gift guide for men and we’re sure you’ll find something that’ll ticket his fancy on Father’s Day, or any time of year.

Funny Bacon Socks

With the words “if you can read this bring me bacon” printed on the soles and little strips of bacon all over the legs, these hilarious bacon socks are just what he needs to keep his feet warm and his belly full of bacon (if you’re nice enough to actually bring him any).

Buy Now

Fitness Bacon T-Shirt

He’s an athlete, or at least he was. Help him reclaim his high school glory days with this fabulously punny bacon t-shirt that reads “I’m into fitness…fit’ness bacon in my mouth”.

Buy Now

Bacon Gift Basket Products

Not sure what the one most awesome special super-deluxe thing is the best item to buy the bacon lover in your household? Are you torn between several amazing bacon gifts and have no idea how to thin out your shopping cart?

Here’s our advice: don’t! Buy all the bacon gifts you can afford and make your special someone the happiest bacon freak in all the land with their own bacon gift basket.

Use this bacon gift guide to make your own fabulous bacon gift basket and put a smile on someone’s face. You’ll thank us later.

Merry Crispness Bacon Xmas Tree Shirt

You love puns, they love puns, we all love puns…and bacon. This “Merry Crispness” t-shirt is just fantastic and we recommend buying two — one to put in the bacon gift box you’re giving, and the other to wear yourself because it’s just that awesome.

Buy Now

Bacon Flavored Lip Balm

A great small item to put in your bacon gift box or their Christmas stocking is this bacon-flavored, bacon-smelling lip balm. No matter the occasion, they can keep their lips moisturized and bacony delicious. It’s a win-win.

Buy Now

Bacon Jerky Variety Pack

Your bacon gift box just wouldn’t be complete without a big ass assortment of tasty bacon jerky. You get two packs of each flavor: Original BBQ, Honey PeppeOld Fashioned Maple, Sweet BBQ, and Spicy Sriracha.

Buy Now

Whoop Ass Bacon Hot Sauce

While you’re at it, make sure to include a bottle of Whoop Ass Bacon Hot Sauce in your bacon gift basket. Even if they don’t like the flavor, the bottle will be a conversation piece for years to come.

Buy Now

Bacon Gift Guide for Christmas

You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry…wait, why would you cry when you’re getting ready to buy some incredible bacon Christmas gifts? Yes, friends, Santa Claus has really come to town and prepared this bacon gift guide for all your holiday shopping needs.

The jolly dude even went so far as to link all the bacon gift ideas to Amazon where we’ll earn a small commission if you buy something. Think about it…you give a great bacon gift to your loved one, co-worker, etc. aaaaaand you give back to the hard-working folks at BaconToday.com. You are freakin’ AWESOME, ya know that?

Bacon Coffee Mug with Avocado

This bacon coffee mug is pretty hilarious. The bacon strip says to the avocado “I said you’re the GOOD kind of fat!”

Buy Now

Bacon Throw Blanket

Who doesn’t want giant, photo-realistic strips of bacon snugly wrapped around them as they cuddle up in front of the TV? Available in three sizes (50x40in, 60x50in, 80x60in), this bacon blanket’s fleece fabric will keep you cozy warm.

Buy Now

Bacon Ugly Christmas Sweater

While technical a sweatshirt, this bacon ugly Christmas sweater might just win you the ugly sweater contest as your next office party. Available in 5 colors and sizes small through XXL, you kind of have to buy one…don’t you?

Buy Now

Bacon Gift Ideas for Women

She loves bacon. She loves bacon not. She loves bacon. She loves bacon not.

Hold it right there — if she doesn’t love bacon, you’re looking in the wrong place, partner.

If she does love bacon…well, follow me friends because we’re going to give you some of the best bacon gift ideas for women you could hope to find anywhere on this bacon-loving planet. Without further adieu, we present to you our bacon gift guide for women.

Bacon Earrings Made of Wood

These handmade wooden bacon earrings are a fantastic style accessory for any occasion. With hypoallergenic titanium posts attached to laser-engraved cherry wood bacon strips, they measure about 3/4 of an inch.

Buy Now

Women’s “Body By Bacon” T-shirt

Available in three cute colors, these soft “Body By Bacon” t-shirts are sure to look great on the bacon-loving lady in your life.

Buy Now

Beautiful Bacon Rose Bouquet

The fine folks at Bacon Bouquets have perfected the art of flower-shaped bacon with their Original Bacon Roses® recipe. Get your special lady a dozen long-stemmed bacon flowers shipped safely in their stellar packaging. Comes complete with a deluxe vase.

Buy Now

Handmade Bacon Gift Guide

Sometimes it’s best to ditch the big-company, mass-produced products and give something hand-made and from the heart. If you don’t have a local bacon goodie retailer or artisan that specialized in pork-related creations, there’s always Etsy. We combed through the hundreds of bacon-themed gift ideas over at Etsy and we were going to use our handmade bacon gift guide to give a bacon gift, this is where we’d start.

Bacon and Eggs Earrings

These cute little plastic earrings with titanium posts are the perfect bacon gift for someone who’s ready to accessorize in style. Hand made in New Orleans Louisiana, hypoallergenic, and nickle-free these bacon earrings are a sure hit.

Buy Now

Fuzzy Bacon Christmas Ornament

Look at that cute little bacon face and Santa hat that’s embroidered on felt in a maroon/brown bacon color with a red & white cord attached for hanging. The bacon Christmas ornament measures 3 1/2 inches tall & 2 inches wide.

Buy Now

We hope you found a bacon gift or two that worked perfectly for that birthday party, office Christmas party white elephant gift exchange, or Father’s Day brunch. If none of these ideas worked for you but you found and even better bacon gift somewhere else, please share it in the comments below. Gotta pay that bacon forward, people!

As we were searching the bacony archives of the interwebs for the answer to the question “does Elon Musk like bacon?”, our digital archeologists discovered that back in the year 2017, world-famous billionaire Elon Musk posted this cryptic series of messages on the website he now owns, Twitter (er, X?)…

On June 22, 2017 Elon Musk wrote: “In life, there are no easy choices.”

Twitter user @WaywardPlane immediately made the incredibly astute retort, “Bacon. Bacon is ALWAYS an easy choice.”

To which Mr. Musk quickly replied, “Damn, I forgot bacon”.

A person could easily infer that Elon was implying that he does in fact like bacon, but anyone who has followed Elon Musk’s posts on Twitter over the years knows that he has a penchant for stirring up a little controversy here and there. So we had to dig a bit deeper. Does Elon Musk like bacon, or is he just prone to use bacon’s polarizing virtues to stir that digital pot?

Twitter user @Baconaholic posed a very important question on Elon Musk’s thread:
“When thinking about how far you’ve come with payments, solar, electric vehicles, rockets, AI, etc… What’s your favourite type of bacon?”

This was a very fair and astute question by Baconaholic, but one to which Mr. Musk curiously did not reply. The mystery continued.

After considerably more sifting through the archives of the internet, our diligent research team discovered this photo that Steve Jurvetson, co-founder of Future Ventures (venture capital firm with investments in SpaceX and Tesla) posted on September 12, 2012. It appeared that we were one step closer to answering the question: does Elon Musk like bacon?

Mr. Jurvetson stated that the team had Hungr-Buster® Burgers from Dairy Queen. Now, the Hungr-Buster® appears to be a regionally-specific offering around Texas that consists of a 1/4 lb. grilled beef patty topped with crisp lettuce, ripe tomatoes, purple onions, tangy pickles and bold yellow mustard. And Mr. Jurvetson also noted that they added jalpeños and bacon to the burgers.

Are We Any Closer to Knowing Does Elon Musk Like Bacon?

Did that mean Elon also enjoyed some bacony goodness on his tasty Dairy Queen burger? Possibly, but we have thus far been unable to confirm whether Mr. Musk shares our love of nature’s meat candy, bacon. Maybe someday he’ll grace our collective Twitter feeds with the once-and-for-all answer to this important question. Until then, we’ll just have to wonder.

Now, we know some of the bacon purists out there will question whether Dairy Queen serves “real” bacon. Fast food bacon is always a controversial topic.

Here at Bacon Today we try not to limit the scope of bacon lovers’ pork preferences, so we will leave it up to you to determine whether Elon Musk eating a burger with bacon at a Dairy Queen truly answers the question: does Elon Musk like bacon? Please let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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For those of you who know about this burger, understand that it rates pretty high on the Epic meter. It’s only a slight coincidence that the Epic meter often coincides with the cholesterol meter. But we don’t want to think about that — specially when we’re talking about bacon.

What is a Bacon Turtle Burger?

For those of you who haven’t heard of this delicious gluttonous meal; you’ve obviously been hiding behind an extremely slow bandwidth. No, this burger is not made out of turtle meat. We did say that it’s a gluttonous meal, not an exotic one.

The Bacon Turtle Burger is an amazing burger that combines hotdogs, beef, and bacon all in one. A combination of multiple meats for the over zealous carnivore. And this particular version even brings melted cheese into the mix.

Have you heard of the Juicy Lucy? Yep, it’s just like that. But different. And by different, we mean wrapped-in-bacon and steal-your-heart different.

Don’t know what we’re talking about? Look at the pictures, follow the recipe below, and be your own Gluttonous Meal Master. C’mon, it’s covered in bacon. ‘Nuff said.

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Bacon Turtle Burger Recipe

Hot dogs, beef, bacon, cheese…all in the shape of a turtle.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon, beef, cheese

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 1 burger

Ingredients

• 4 oz Lean Ground Beef
• 1 pack Hot Dogs
• 1 package Bacon (at least 10 strips)
• 1 slice Cheddar Cheese (or more if you really like extra cheese)
• 1 Egg White
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

Instructions

• Start by weaving the bacon just like a basket. Cut some of the fat off the outside of the bacon if you need to in order to make it straight. Make it into a square. (5X5 strips of bacon usually work.)
• Mix the ground meat, spices and egg white together in a bowl. (The egg whites are used to help hold things together.)
• Make a thin, flat meat patty with part of the meat.
• Place the meat on the center of the bacon weave.
• Place some cheese slices on the center of the patty. Make sure there is a "crust" of burger meat around the cheese.
• Place another thinly formed meat patty on top of the cheese and form it into one meat patty. (Form the edges of the meat together- causing the meat patty to be "filled" with the cheese.)
• Fold the bacon weave over it.
• Take out three hotdogs. Make 2 cuts on both ends of two of the hot dogs (acting as the "feet".) Cut the two hot dogs directly in half. Now you have the feet.
• With the other hot dog, cut it in half, and on one end, cut the hot dog into a point to act as the tail. The other end will be the head.
• Make holes in the bacon weave, (one each for the head, tail, and four legs), poke hot dogs into the body- embedding them into the meat by about 1/2 and inch to 1 inch.
• Use extra bacon to cover the gap and bring stray ends of bacon into the weave.
• Use a spatula to get it onto the pan.
• Put toothpicks (that have been soaking in water) into the body to secure the hot dogs and keep the bacon ends secure.
• Cook the Bacon Turtle at 400 to 450 degrees (depending upon oven)*

Notes

*Cooking time will vary so check the turtle to see how well done you want your burger to be. For less cooked, make sure it’s still juicy. If juices aren’t flowing, your turtle will be well done.

And what’s beautiful about this Turtle, (aside from the sexy bacon), is that you can make a regular burger as opposed to the cheeseburger. Skip the egg whites and just make a meat patty for the center of the Bacon Turtle Burger. The options are all up to you!

It’s an appetizer, it’s a dessert, it’s just plain addictive. Trust us, you’ve got to try this for yourself.

How does it taste?

OMG, this is pretty much the perfect combination of sweet, salty, and crunchy. No matter if we serve this at our own party, or bring to a pot luck event at a friend’s house, we never have any left over to bring home.

Everyone takes at least a handful. Most folks grab a small bowl for themselves. Because it’s so popular we usually double or triple up the recipe if there are more than a few people at the event.

The last time we went to a get-together, so many people asked us for the recipe we decided we’d better share it with the world here at Bacon Today.

Recipe for candied bacon & nuts mix

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Maple Bacon Candied Nuts

A great sweet & salty snack for any gathering.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine American

Keyword bacon, candy, nuts

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Candied Bacon

• 7 slices Center Cut Bacon (less fatty style)
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Candied Nuts

• 1 cup Pecans
• 1 cup Peanuts
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper
• 1/2 tsp Paprika
• 3 tbsp Maple Syrup

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Place parchment paper on a baking sheet.
• Cut the raw bacon into small pieces, roughly 1/4" each.
• Add the bacon and remaining Candied Bacon ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
• Spread the coated bacon on your parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake for 10 mins (the sugar will bubble a bit and the bacon will be starting to brown).
• While that's cooking, combine the ingredients for the Candied Nuts in a separate bowl and mix together.
• Take the bacon out of the oven, add to the nut mixture, and mix everything together.
• Line your baking sheet with a new piece of parchment paper, and spread out your entire Candied Bacon & Nuts mixture on the tray.
• Bake for another 15 minutes (you may need to stir the mix around the 10-minute mark depending on your oven).
• Remove the baking sheet and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes.
• Put the entire mix into an airtight container, breaking apart any large chunks that stuck together when baking.
• Store in the refrigerator (if you haven't eaten it all in one sitting).

How long does it last?

Because this is such a popular recipe, we’ve never seen this candied bacon & nuts mix last more than a few days in the fridge. I’d guess you wouldn’t want to keep it any more than a week though, because the bacon would get old and the candied items would likely get hard as a rock the longer you leave it sit.

When is International Bacon Day?

International Bacon Day is celebrated on the first Saturday before Labor Day in the United States. Yes, an “international” day based on another U.S. holiday…it’s not the most logical thing ever conceived, but since it’s about the celebration of bacon, we’ll be sure to enjoy the day every year.

• International Bacon Day 2022: September 3
• International Bacon Day 2023: September 2
• International Bacon Day 2024: August 31
• International Bacon Day 2025: August 30

Are you excited? You should be excited!

It comes but once a year, folks. Like Christmas. Or Super Bowl Sunday. Or Thanksgiving. Only this holiday is ALL ABOUT THE BACON.

One day a year to truly celebrate your love for bacon. Think of all the turkey you eat on Thanksgiving–and you don’t even really like turkey!

But you love bacon, and you need to do right by bacon on bacon’s special day. Don’t hold back on bacon’s holiday.

Break out of your usual bacon routine. Give everything you can to bacon on this day of all days, and make bacon proud.

Fryin’ up some store-bought bacon and eating it with your eggs isn’t gonna cut it. Not this time. Not on Bacon’s Day!

Top 10 Ways You Can Celebrate International Bacon Day

If you’re wondering how you can do right by bacon, I’ll tell you how. I’ll give you 10 glorious ways to indulge your bacon love and spread the bacon joy this International Bacon Day!

10. Cure Your Own Bacon
9. Eat Bacon With Every Meal
8. Join a Bacon of the Month Club
7. Introduce a vegetarian to “bacon” products
6. Make Bacon-Infused Bourbon
5. Cook a Recipe from “Bacon Nation”
4. Make a Bacon Dessert
3. Throw a Bacon Tasting Party
2. Create Your Own Bacon Recipe
1. Attend a Bacon Festival or Throw Your Own Bacon Bash

10. Cure your own bacon

It’s not hard to make your own bacon. Really, it’s not.

Imagine being able to determine exactly how your bacon tastes, and exactly how thick each slice is. It all starts with an uncured slab of bacon.

You can get one at your grocery store or from your local butcher. He or she will probably be so happy that you’re asking for a slab of bacon, they’ll probably strike up a conversation with you about it and offer their advice on how to cure it. Or you can read this previous post about how to cure bacon.

9. Eat Bacon With Every Meal

Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. Start off the morning by cookin’ up a pound (or 2 or 3 or 7) of bacon and add it to your meals throughout the day.

Bacon and eggs for breakfast. A BBBBBLT for lunch. Candied bacon for a snack and some bacon-wrapped filet for dinner.

See how easy it is? If you don’t want to cook at all, find some bacon at restaurants near you!

8. Join a Bacon of the Month Club

Is there anything better than getting bacon delivered to you every month? There’s really nothing better that I can think of. Unless magical bacon elves could also show up at your door and cook the bacon for you.

Sign up for a Bacon of the Month Club ahead of time, so you have plenty of bacon on hand for International Bacon Day — or sign up on International Bacon Day in honor of your favorite meat.

7. Introduce a vegetarian to “bacon” products

Did you know there are lots of bacon-related products that have no actual bacon in them? Here’s a list of just a few of those non-meatatarian products that your vegetarian and vegan friends can enjoy:

Bacon Hot Sauce

Rocky's Bacon Hot Sauce – Gourmet Red Chili Sauce with Perfectly Balanced Heat – Great Hot Sauce Gift and Wing Sauce - 5 oz

• ADDS AMAZING FLAVOR WITH HEAT - This sauce has a “bacony” flavor that will have you reminiscing about mornings gone by with friends and family around the kitchen table. You NEED this sauce for your breakfast favorites, of course, but it is also perfect for Mac ‘n’ Cheese, or to bring your wings to the next level!
• We are a small family business based in Pennsylvania
• Heat Rating: Medium...Heat without the hurt!
• No Piglets were harmed in the making of this sauce
• Allergens: Fish, Dairy

$13.99

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Bacon Syrup

Mrs. Butterworth's Thick and Rich Sugar Free Pancake Syrup, Sugar Free Maple Flavored Syrup for Pancakes, Waffles and Breakfast Food, 24 Fl Oz Bottle

• One (1) 24 fl oz bottle of Mrs. Butterworth's Thick and Rich Sugar Free Pancake Syrup
• Thick and delicious breakfast syrup without sugar perfect for pancakes, waffles and more
• Indulge in rich maple syrup flavor in a sugar free waffle syrup from a brand you know and love
• Great for topping breakfast food like French toast, oatmeal or crispy bacon
• Try this Mrs. Butterworth's syrup in sweet or savory recipes to add a touch of maple flavor without added sugar

$8.78

Buy on Amazon

Bacon Seasoning

Pork King Good Bacon Seasoning for Grilling, Cooking, and Popcorn Seasoning - Keto Friendly, Paleo, No MSG, Gluten Free (Bacon, Single Shaker)

• BOLD, FUN FLAVORS: If you know Pork King Good, you know we’re all about going bold and getting weird with our innovative lineup of flavors!
• ZERO CARBS, MSG FREE, GLUTEN FREE: Add tons of flavor to your diet without any of the junk! We pride ourselves on our clean & natural ingredients. As always, our products contain 0g carbs per serving and our Keto friendly and Paleo friendly.
• SPRINKLING IDEAS: Eggs, Cheese Sauce, Burgers, Baked Potato, Nuts, Roasted Veggies, Soup or Chili, Popcorn, Chicken, Fish, Pork, Casseroles
• GREAT GIFT IDEA for bacon lovers or creative home cooks and chefs!

$8.95

Buy on Amazon

Bacon Popcorn

Sale

The Popcorn Factory Bacon Cheddar Flavored Popcorn, 3 bag count Great as a Snack, Gift, Thank You, Movie Night & Popcorn Lovers

• Experience pure happiness with our irresistible bacon cheddar popcorn. Whether you're hosting a movie night, throwing a party, or simply seeking a scrumptious snack, this flavor is the ultimate choice.
• Every savory, salty hint of bacon enhances the experience, taking your taste buds on a journey of sheer pleasure.
• This bacon cheddar popcorn achieves a perfect balance that is simply delightful. Its bold and cheesy profile injects excitement into any gathering, ensuring that you'll keep coming back for more.
• This flavor sets the standard for yummy popcorn. Envision sinking your teeth into fluffy bacon flavored popcorn that is coated in velvety melted cheddar cheese
• This delicious treat combines smoky, crispy bacon with creamy cheddar, resulting in a flavor explosion. Made with real bacon seasoning and aged cheddar cheese, delivering a taste that brings joy.

$20.99

Buy on Amazon

Bacon Soda Pop

ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda Made in USA, Ideal for Baking, Pure & Natural, 2.7lb Bag

• Ideal for Baking: Made with fine baking soda particles from Grade 1 baking soda to create fluffier recipes; Elevate your baking and enjoy great results with ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda
• Made in USA: Pure baking soda made in Green River, Wyoming that’s ready for baking; Manufactured with a focus on using locally sourced ingredients, renewable electricity, and water from the Green River Basin
• Pure & Natural: Free of harsh chemicals, gluten free, kosher, and can be used in organic baking; ARM & HAMMER is America’s #1 trusted baking soda brand
• 100+ Uses: Hundreds of other uses around your home including cleaning, health and beauty, deodorizing, crafting, and more; Your go-to, multipurpose solution for cleaning and deodorizing around your home
• The ARM & HAMMER Promise: We take care of the planet and create products you know and trust; ARM & HAMMER Baking Soda is certified carbon neutral* *By measuring our carbon footprint and reducing it to zero through internal reductions and offsets

$7.99

Buy on Amazon

Bacon Lip Balm

Accoutrements Bacon Lip Balm

• Heals Dry And Cracked Lips
• Bacon Fresh
• Wonderful Bacon Smell

$9.25

Buy on Amazon

Bacon Mints

Peace Love Bacon Mints Funny Bacon Gags for Friends Cute Stocking Stuffers for Bacon Lovers Peppermint Breath Mints Heart Emoji Gags Fun Unisex White Elephant Ideas Hippie Bacon Emoji

• FOCUS ON WHAT REALLY MATTERS – In a world rife with stress and craziness, sometimes you have to take a deep, minty breath and remember what really matters – peace, love, and bacon. These mints really highlight what unites us all in the tastiest, breath refreshing way possible.
• YOU’LL LOVE BREATHING PEACEFULLY AFTER EATING A MOUNTAIN OF BACON – Living a stress-free, happy life means conquering your worries – starting with your breath. You’ll breathe easy after popping some of these sugar-free peppermint mints. 1 oz. of mint breath fresheners come to approximately 165 mints.
• FUNNY STOCKING STUFFERS FOR KIDS, TEENS, AND ADULTS – Peace Love Bacon Mints are a cute, unisex gag gift that you can add to anyone’s care packages, stockings, and Easter Baskets for adults.
• CLEAN GAG GIFT FOR FRIENDS, FAMILY, AND COWORKERS –If you love giving novelty gifts, but worry that something won’t be appropriate, look no further. This clean humor gift is perfect for anyone, so it’s an awesome choice for a Secret Santa gift or White Elephant gift!
• MADE IN THE USA – Celebrating the good things in life everywhere.

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Bacon Candle

Middle Davids Candles Bacon Man Candle - 6.5 Ounce

• 100% botanical Soy wax, Hand Crafted in Indiana
• Recyclable metal container with lid
• Cotton fiber "Eco" wicks for a clean burn
• Strongly fragranced
• Packaged in Gloss White Cardstock Gift Box

$12.99

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Bacon Soap

Accoutrements Bacon Air Freshener

• Take that great bacon smell everywhere you go
• 4" tall air freshener
• Comes with string for hanging

$5.59

Buy on Amazon

6. Make Bacon-Infused Bourbon

If you’re a bacon fan and a cocktail drinker, you’ve gotta try making bacon-infused bourbon. Read our previous post on the process infusing burbon with bacon.

Not a bourbon fan? Just use your favorite type of alcohol and create your own bacon cocktail concoctions.

5. Cook a Recipe from “Bacon Nation”

Are all of your bacon ideas dried up in the recipe department? Order a copy of the book Bacon Nation by Peter Kaminsky & Marie Rama and find 125 new bacony-good recipes to inspire you in the kitchen! Like Bacon Peanut Toffee, or Bacon Swizzle Sticks.

Sale

Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes

• Kaminsky, Peter (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 320 Pages - 05/07/2013 (Publication Date) - Workman Publishing Company (Publisher)

$11.00

Buy on Amazon

4. Make a Bacon Dessert

If you’ve never tried a bacon dessert, what are you waiting for?

If you think that bacon and sweets don’t go together, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Because savory salty bacon just loves some sweet sugar accompaniment.

For those who love dark chocolate and nuts in their dessert, try our Candied Bacon and Nut Fudge recipe.

Need a gluten-free recipe? Try our Peanut Butter & Bacon Cookies! Or go All-American with our Bacon Weave Apple Pie. Or try Maple Bacon Caramels.

3. Throw a Bacon Tasting Party

When the theme is Bacon, there’s no limit to the types of parties that you can throw. Have a bacon tasting party!

Buy several different types of bacon, cook them up, and sample all the different flavors of bacon.

Pair each bacon flavor with a specific dish or appetizer. Or pair bacon and wine. Or bacon and beer! Or bacon and cocktails, utilizing some of that bacon infused-booze you created in #6 (see above).

2. Create Your Own Bacon Recipe

What’s your second favorite food? You know, the one that comes right after bacon?

Okay, whatever that food is, imagine how much better it would be with your first favorite food. If you answered “chocolate,” make some chocolate covered bacon.

If you said “cheese,” make some cheesy bacon bombs.

If you said PB&J, make a PBB&J. Heck, make a PBBBBBB&J!

On Bacon’s holiday, it’s okay to go crazy! Take a look at our bacon desserts and bacon recipes to help get your ideas flowing with some inspiration.

1. Attend a bacon festival or throw a bacon bash of your own!

Is there any better place to be on International Bacon Day than a Bacon Festival? None that we can think of.

We have a list of bacon events, some of which often take place on or around International Bacon Day.

And if you can’t attend a big bacon event, throw your friends and family a bacon party of your own! There’s nothing like the smell of sweet, sweet bacon to bring folks together.

We want to hear how YOU will be celebrating International Bacon Day this year! Leave your ideas and photos in the comments section.

How To Celebrate International Bacon Day

Instead of us giving you ideas on how to celebrate International Bacon Day, we thought we’d let our fans give their ideas instead!

We asked folks on our Facebook page how they celebrate International Bacon Day (IBD) and we received a ton of amazing feedback about how they will be celebrating IBD. Here and just a handful of ideas for celebrating International Bacon Day:

“We are throwing another bacon party. This year is the 3rd. About 20 people attend bringing any dish with bacon. Last year I made the chicken bacon wraps and chocolate dipped candy bacon strips. Mmmm Bacon!”

“Since it is also my birthday, I plan to have some Bacon chocolate chip cookies made with a shot of Maker’s Mark!”

“By smoking some bacon in my smoker and adding it to almost everything I cook that day! Maybe even put some in ice cream!”

“We are having a cookout. I’m making bacon wrapped pork tenderloin and bacon wrapped scallops and jalapeños. We will have about 20-30 people and they are to bring a side that MUST HAVE BACON IN IT!”

“I work for a public radio station, so I’m celebrating Bacon Day with eight on-air announcements encouraging people to put a little more meat candy in their lives with a link to the Bacon Today blog!”

“Wake up to a bacon-featured breakfast, followed by Facebooking my latest bacon finds, followed by a BBBLT, because a single portion of bacon is ludicrous. Then maybe a nap so I can dream of bacon, followed by a bacon-wrapped something with a bacon-infused sauce. Dessert will have bacon mixed in and sprinkled on top. At that point, all I’ll be able to do is pass out due to my self-induced bacon-o-thon, but I’m not complaining. And since my doctor may read this, I will follow this day with a mega workout so I may eat more bacon at will.”

“I will be celebrating International Bacon Day by attending San Diego’s 2nd annual Bacon Fest. I will be introducing my boyfriend to this wonderful event as well. My plan so far is to wear my specially-selected apparel (a t-shirt that reads ‘this girl loves bacon’) and to eat and/or drink all the bacon delicacies that are available to me. I can honestly say that International Bacon Day is my favorite holiday!”

“I will recite all the lyrics to “Rappers Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang, but instead of the normal lyrics, “I don’t mean to brag, I don’t mean to boast, but we’re like hot butter on your breakfast toast…” I will substitute the lyrics, “I am sick with gout, my doctor’s not fakin’, my LDL’s so high because I’m crazy for bacon.”

How to you be celebrate International Bacon Day? Let us know in the comments section below!

[First published in November 2008]

How to make a bacon-wrapped turducken (turbaconducken)

Just in time for the winter season comes a recipe that is sure to bring bacon lovers some warm holiday cheer. Turbaconducken. That’s right a chicken stuffed in duck stuffed in a turkey, all wrapped in bacon. Otherwise known as a bacon-wrapped turducken.

Just how did we create this meaty madness? Read on.

Bacon-Wrapped Turducken Recipe Ingredients

It all started with a dream and a whole bunch of bacon. Five pounds of bacon to be exact.

For some variety we used three types of bacon, including Boss Hog’s Pepper Country Bacon for the decorative topping.

We used a 15 pound turkey, a small duck, and a pre-cut whole chicken. We consulted the internet for a turducken recipe, modified it to suit our needs, and hoped for the best.

Bacon-Wrapped Turducken Recipe Instructions

We started by wrapping the chicken pieces in bacon.

Then we split the duck into two halves…

…and wrapped the duck halves in bacon.

At this point the chicken and duck started looking pretty big, so we test fit the pieces into the turkey. There wasn’t any room to spare but we managed to get all the pieces in there.

Then we wrapped the turkey in bacon and the feast was ready for the oven.

We cooked the birds in a roaster oven on low heat. Cooking took all day but the results were worth the wait.

Final Turbaconducken Recipe Results

The cooked concoction looked mouth-wateringly good after pulling it out of the oven.

Some of the bacon shifted during cooking, but overall the bacon held together quite well after an entire day in the oven.

The final product was moist and absolutely delicious. We used no seasoning whatsoever. The bacon gave the poultry just the right hint of salty goodness.

The original turbaconducken is perfect holiday meal for bacon lovers everywhere. Meet lovers, rejoice!

But don’t just take our word for it — not long after we originally published this article, our original Turbaconducken was given a value of $1 Trillion Dollars (in a manner of speaking) by a popular syndicated journalist.

There are few things as great as the smell of crispy bacon that has been fried early in the morning.

But how would you feel if you told you that air fryer bacon is also a thing, and is equally delicious (if not more!) and super easy to make. In fact, even those people who aren’t that big on bacon will love this recipe that we have compiled below since it is just so delicious and fuss-free!

All you need to do is go looking for a great air fryer, get some fresh bacon, and be ready to enjoy a delicious breakfast.

So, let’s get started!

Crispy Bacon Strips Cooked in an Air Fryer

Bacon and an air fryer is a combination you didn’t know you needed.

From making the perfect food when camping out (with a power inverter, for the air fryer of course), or entertaining guests at home, you can prepare so many recipes with these two in your arsenal. However, we decided to cover the classic bacon recipe which everyone adores – crispy (air) fried bacon.

Ingredients

• 6 ounces bacon strips (regular or thick-cut)

Directions

1. Lay the bacon strips inside the air fryer basket. Make sure that they are assembled in a single layer. Cut the bacon in half crosswise in case there isn’t enough space. Remember, the bacon will shrink as it cooks, so even if some pieces overlap, it shouldn’t be a big deal.
   
2. Now comes the time to set the air fryer. The machine should be set to 400°, and the bacon slices need to be cooked well till it gets super crispy – this should take you about 10 minutes.
   
3. You can keep checking the bacon halfway through and rearrange the slices as needed with the help of tongs.
   
4. Line a plate with paper towels. After the frying time is up – and the bacon is cooked perfectly to your liking – transfer it to the plate to drain.

NOTE: You can store the cooked bacon in the refrigerator for around four days – provided you place it in an airtight container. If you freeze the air-fried bacon, it can last for three months.

Choosing an Air Fryer for Cooking Bacon

Basket Style Air Fryer – These are a bit more compact and tend to work well for smaller families. These are generally easy to clean as well, as many of the plastic models have baskets and other parts that are safe to wash in the dishwasher.

Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer – These take up a bit more space, but they’re great for larger families and with most recipes you can cook more volume of food in a single batch. Often, these air fryer overs can cook food faster as well. You may be able to save a minute or two of cook time when cooking bacon in a toaster oven style air fryer.

Most Popular Basket Style Air Fryers

SaleBestseller No. 1

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• COOKING FUNCTIONS: This premium 1800 watt toaster oven and AirFryer, is equipped with AirFry setting plus toast, convection bake, bake, convection broil, broil, grill, warming feature, with a wide temperature range (Warm-450°F)
• CAPACITY: Large enough to toast 6-slices of bread, air fry 3-pounds of chicken wings, bake a 12-inch pizza or roast a 4-pound chicken
• SUPERIOR OPERATION: Equipped with an adjustable temperature dial, 60-minute timer/auto-shutoff and a toast shade selector to ensure your meals are cooked to your perfection
• INCLUDES: Oven light, oven rack, baking pan, AirFry basket, grill and a nonstick easy-clean interior to make cleanup simple
• LIMITED 3-YEAR WARRANTY: Refer to user manual for troubleshooting steps and questions surrounding warranty policies

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Emeril Lagasse Extra Large French Door Air Fryer Toaster Oven Combo, 24 Cooking Functions and Digital Controls, 7 Accessories Included, Stainless Steel Finish, 26QT Capacity

• A VERSATILE AIR FRYER AND MULTI-COOKER COMBO: Elevates practically any meal, from air frying quick after-school snacks to roasting for large gatherings.
• PERFECTLY DONE TOAST: Oven turns off automatically when the toast countown timer ends - no burnt toast! Indicator light is red while toasting, blue when timer ends and oven turns off. Place rack at indicated toast position for ideal results.
• 25 COOKING PRE-SETS: Provide a variety of cooking methods: Ribs, Defrost, Bake, Toast, Chicken, Pizza, Pastry, Slow Cook, Roast, Reheat, and Keep Warm.
• DUAL-SPEED FAN: Golden fried crisping at it's finest with 360º superheated air circulation for your homemade cooking.
• 26-QUART CAPACITY: This Extra-large 26-quart capacity countertop toaster is suitable for preparing food for 4–6 people with capacity to rotisserie a 6-lb chicken, bake a 12” pizza.

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BLACK+DECKER Crisp 'N Bake Air Fry Countertop Convection Toaster Oven, Medium Capacity, 4-Slice, 5-in-1, Fits 9” Pizza, 30-Min Timer, Bake, Broil, Air Fry, Toast, Keep Warm, Stainless Steel

• 5-IN–1 MULTIFUNCTIONAL COOKING- Enjoy versatile cooking with Air Fry, Bake, Broil, Toast, and Keep Warm settings. Perfect for preparing a wide variety of meals from crispy fries to perfectly baked pizzas and golden toast.
• HEALTHY AIR FRYING TECHNOLOGY – Cook crispy, delicious meals with little to no oil using advanced air frying technology. Enjoy healthier alternatives to your favorite fried foods without compromising taste or texture.
• EVENTOAST TECHNOLOGY FOR PERFECT TOAST – Achieve evenly toasted bread, bagels, and more with BLACK+DECKER’s EvenToast technology, ensuring consistent results every time with no hot spots.
• COMPACT YET SPACIOUS INTERIOR – Fits up to a 9-inch pizza or 4 slices of bread, making it ideal for quick family meals, snacks, or small batch cooking while saving valuable counter space.
• USER-FRIENDLY CONTROLS 7 ACCESSORIES – Features a 30-minute timer for precision cooking, plus a removable crumb tray, bake pan, air fry mesh tray, and wire rack for easy cleanup and versatile cooking options.

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Most Popular Toaster Over Style Air Fryers

Bestseller No. 1

COSORI Air Fryer 9-in-1, Compact & Large 6-Qt, Fast Turbo Modes, 90–450°F Precise Heat for Even Results, Up to 95% Less Oil*, Roast, Bake, Dry, Reheat, Frozen, Broil, Proof, 120V, TurboBlaze, Grey

• 𝙏𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙐𝙥𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚: Innovative TurboBlaze Technology delivers a powerful 3600 rpm fan speed and temperatures up to 450℉, achieving beyond-crispy, juicy perfection in every main dish
• 𝙏𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙐𝙥𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚: Advanced airflow and precise temperature control deliver evenly cooked side dishes with perfectly balanced texture in every bite
• 𝙋𝙧𝙤 𝙐𝙥𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚: Cosori's unique 5-fan speed system and precise 90°–450°F temperature control deliver professional-grade versatility, creating exceptional dishes across all functions with just one basket
• 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙐𝙥𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚: Innovative TurboBlaze Technology helps speed up cooking to save time and deliver perfectly crispy family meals, even on busy weekdays
• 𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙐𝙥𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙚: The 6-quart square basket offers a wider, deeper design for family meals in one go while saving kitchen counter and storage space

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Chefman Air Fryer – 6 QT Compact Airfryer for Quick & Easy Meals in Minutes, Features Hi-Fry Technology for Extra Crisp, Touchscreen Controls with 4 Presets, Nonstick & Dishwasher Safe Basket - Black

• FAST AND EASY: This compact air fryer handles any culinary challenge. Customize cooking time and temperature with the digital touch screen display or use one of four preset functions for quick, one-touch meals. Perfect for serving 3-5 people
• 450°F HI-FRY TECHNOLOGY: Achieve the perfect finishing crunch on your air-fried favorites. Increase the heat to 450°F during the final two minutes of cooking: perfect for extra crispy chicken tenders and French fries.
• STYLISH AND COMPACT: The sleek, narrow design of this air fryers maximizes its 6-quart capacity while minimizing its countertop footprint. Its compact size makes it a great space saver, fitting perfectly on your counter or in your cabinets
• HEALTHY COOKING: Enjoy delicious meals with little-to-no oil. This Chefman large air fryer lets you cook healthier, low-fat meals that still taste amazing
• LED SHAKE NOTIFICATIONS: Get notified with an audible alarm halfway through cooking, reminding you to shake your food for the crispiest results possible

$69.93

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• LESS FAT: Now enjoy guilt-free food. Air fry with up to 75% less fat than traditional frying methods. Tested against hand-cut, deep-fried French fries.
• WIDE TEMPERATURE RANGE: 105°F-400°F allows you to gently remove moisture from foods or quickly cook and crisp foods with convection heat.
• FAMILY-SIZED CAPACITY: 4-quart ceramic-coated nonstick basket and crisper plate fit 2 lbs of French fries.
• 4-IN-1 VERSATILITY: Includes 4 versatile cooking programs: Air Fry, Roast, Reheat, and Dehydrate.
• DEHYDRATE: Create flat, chip-like dehydrated foods for fun, homemade snacks. The combination of low fan speed and low temperature enables thorough dehydration.

$79.98

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How to Prep and Cook Bacon in an Air Fryer

If you choose a basket air fryer to cook your bacon, the size and configuration of the air fryer basket play a crucial role when it comes to determining the right settings. While some baskets are round, some are square – and some even rectangular. You need to cut your bacon in a way that fits all the pieces when put in a single layer. See this article for info about how to pick a basket style for your air fryer.

Even the cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the bacon. Having said that, you do not have to worry about increasing the cooking time when you open the machine to test the doneness. If you find that the bacon slices aren’t as crispy as you would like, let it cook for a few extra minutes (1-3 minutes is good enough).

Tips to Prevent the Air Fryer from Smoking

Cooking bacon on an air fryer can have one problem – smoking.

To prevent the air fryer from getting smoky, you can place a piece of bread under the basket or simply turn on a fan or open the window. Another alternative is to insert the piece of bread Inside a basket to soak up some of the extra grease that usually drips down and leads to smoking.

Wrapping Up

Considering the versatility of bacon, there is so just much that you can do with bacon, but that doesn’t mean you can’t take a healthier and quicker alternative – an air fryer!

Air fying is an easy way that you can cook bacon at home. Not only is the recipe easy to make, but it’s also very tasty.

Winter camping is not for the faint of hear, but at least there’s bacon! And while both bacon & camping are each awesome on their own, they are actually better together. We’ve gathered some cooking tips for winter warriors who brave the elements and find themselves hungry for real food. Anyone who’s camped before knows that food tastes better when your in the great outdoors.

Camping trips always make people extra hungry and leave them craving for hearty foods. Luckily, some foods are perfect for camping like hot dogs, BBQ and s’mores for dessert. But what do you do when you catch yourself dreaming of crispy bacon when you’re outdoors on your camping trip? Don’t worry, bacon can easily be prepared in almost any environment and with little to no gear at all necessary. Here are some great campsite cooking hacks that will move bacon from your mind’s eye to your belly.

Bacon straight from the campsite grill

If you have a good grill ready for preparing burgers or steaks on an open fire, you can easily add a little extra taste to your meat with a few slices of bacon. Place the bacon on a fire-safe griddle and keep it on a cooler part of the grill. Expect to have perfectly cooked bacon in five to seven minutes. Serve on top of your burger or on the side with your steak. Add some beer to the mix and voila, you’ll have a gourmet-tasting meal after a physical day enjoying nature. 

Better bacon from the campfire skillet

Breakfasts are often the hardest to pull off while camping. So, if you’re tired of eating leftovers every morning, try preparing perfect skillet-cooked bacon and eggs. Set your grill rack over the flame, cut bacon into pieces, they’ll cook more quickly and evenly, and place them into the skillet. Break a few eggs when your bacon gets nice and crispy, season to taste. Get ready for a hearty warming breakfast that will keep you going until dinner. If you need some help with getting gear for your outdoor adventures, check out this camping blog and you’ll find all sorts of basic camping item reviews, including cooking gear perfect for use in nature. As long as you have a good skillet and a sharp knife, you’ll be fine, but a portable grill is also a great addition to your camping ensemble, just make sure to grab a high-quality one. 

Bacon skewers 

Marshmallows always find their spot on a camping table, but if you can put that mushy cloud on a stick, you can do the same with bacon. The secret to perfectly crispy bacon skewers is in weaving each strip on the stick and leaving a few inches empty at the end. Rest the skewers over hot coals and turn every five minutes, depending on the temperature of your coals. You don’t want any flames, otherwise, your bacon will burn very quickly. If the fire gets out of hand (and it probably will, especially when the grease starts dripping on the coal) squirt some water on the flame and it will die down. In about 30 minutes, you’ll have super crispy and extra smoky bacon ready for snacking. 

Corn-on-the-cob and bacon

Corn-on-the-cob is another camping staple, but you can make this tasty food even better with some bacon. Wrap each ear of corn with a strip of bacon, swaddle everything in aluminum foil and place in the fire. If you have a grill, just grab a few toothpicks to hold the bacon in place and ditch the aluminum foil. Rotate your corn every few minutes until both bacon and corn are cooked well. In about 10 to 15 minutes, you’ll have the most aromatic corn you’ve ever had the pleasure of tasting! If you want to really impress, try this amazing recipe. 

Bacon and potatoes in foil 

This way of preparing bacon will give you a full meal with minimal effort. Grab some potatoes, cut into little squares. In a large bowl, combine cut onion, cut bacon, cut potatoes, parmesan, salt, pepper and bacon seasoning and mix well. Cut aluminum foil into double-layered squares, fill it with the mixture and wrap tightly. Place the stuffed pouches over the grill or place in hot coals for about 15-20 minutes (you can pierce the potato to check if it’s tender). Open the foil and add some more cheese, mozzarella or cheddar melt nicely. Enjoy with some light sour cream dressing and some beer and you’ll have the meal of your life surrounded by beautiful nature. 

Who says you can’t have bacon on your camping trip? It’s a perfect food to give you protein and plenty of calories to use while hiking, fishing or exploring your area and it’s universally beloved. Plus, dry cured bacon is shelf stable for upto 90 days before opening which makes it an easy travel companion, and so tasty too!

Thanks to Nemanja Marinkoff, editor-in-chief and TheGearHunt and WalkJogRun, our guest contributor for this post.

A mere two slices of VooDoo bacon infuse some seriously Cajun flavors into this recipe. The rendered fat from the bacon is used to cook the shrimp, quickly, then when the shrimp is removed it adds the same flavors to the super yummy gravy you can make to serve with the VooDoo Shrimp.

Use a small-ish shrimp (41-50 count) which cooks up quickly and thoroughly; frozen peeled and deveined shrimp make this recipe an absolute breeze to prepare. And what is to be done with the two strips of VooDoo bacon? Since cooking is such hungry work, you might reward yourself with some of the bacon you started this recipe with. And if you have a dog, you also have plausible deniability.

Yep. It’s bacon-infused bourbon.

Bacon & Bourbon festivals are on the rise. Click on our events button above to see if there’s one scheduled in your area.

Adhering to the adage everything is better with bacon, we applied the theory to bourbon, and we’re quite sure those festival folks are onto something. 

Did you know that you can make your very own delicious Bacon Bourbon? Of course you could make your own bacon-infused vodka, but that takes infinitely longer than bacon bourbon (weeks). And you want to have a nice Bacon Old Fashioned this weekend!

How to make bacon bourbon

A bacon with more smokiness creates a better and more sophisticated drink. It also amps up that bacony good flavor. We suggest a Hickory Smoked Bacon, Boss Hog’s Hickory Smoked Bacon is an excellent choice.

Make sure you’re hungry because you’re only going to be using the bacon fat to infuse your bourbon. You could always drink your cocktail with a plate of bacon. Or save the bacon for later. Chef’s choice.

The process of infusing the bacon into the bourbon is called “fat washing”. Sounds gross but the result is absolutely delicious and delightfully intoxicating. To do it right, follow the steps in the bacon bourbon recipe below.

Once you’ve got your own bacon bourbon ready, why not mix up a tasty cocktail? Here’s our take on a bacon old fashioned recipe.

We absolutely love bacon old fashioneds, and making them with our homemade bacon burbon is even better.

Do you make bacon old fashioned drinks? What’s your preferred brand of bourbon?

February 5, 2019 kicked off the Year of the Pig. Each lunar cycle in China is comprised of 60 years, with every 12 year period defined as a small cycle. Each of those 12 years is represented by an animal: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

The Year of the Pig is the twelfth sign of the Chinese zodiac and it signifies wealth and prosperity. According to legend, people share some personality traits with the animal that represents the year they were born in.

China is not the only country to celebrate Chinese New Year. The holiday is observed in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Singapore and other Asian countries. In Vietnam, for example, the holiday is known as Yet Nguyen Dan.

The celebration around Chinese New Year lasts 15 days and concludes with the Lantern Festival.

People celebrate with a reunion dinner on Chinese New Year’s Eve, which lands on February 4 this year, with their families. After the reunion dinner, families watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala.

This last fun fact sounds awfully familiar. I wonder what CCTV’s answer to team Anderson & Cohen is.

Were you born in a lunar year of the pig?

If you were born in one of the following years, you were born in a lunar year of the pig. 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031

The Pig is the twelfth of all zodiac animals. According to one myth, the Jade Emperor said the order would be decided by the order in which they arrived to his party.

Pig was late because he overslept. Another story says that a wolf destroyed his house. He had to rebuild his home before he could set off. When he arrived, he was the last one and could only take twelfth place.

The Pig is also associated with the Earthly Branch (??—dì zh?) hài (?), and the hours 9–11 in the night. In terms of yin and yang (??—y?n yáng), the Pig is yin. In Chinese culture, pigs are the symbol of wealth.
Their chubby faces and big ears are signs of fortune as well.

Pigs might not stand out in a crowd. But they are very realistic. Others may be all talk and no action. Pigs are the opposite.

Though not wasteful spenders, they will let themselves enjoy life. They love entertainment and will occasionally treat themselves. They are a bit materialistic, but this is motivation for them to work hard. Being able to hold solid objects in their hands gives them security.

They are energetic and are always enthusiastic, even for boring jobs. If given the chance, they will take positions of power and status. They believe that only those people have the right to speak, and that’s what they want.

Find more fascinating facts about the year of the pig from the Chinese Zodiac website here.

National Bacon  Lover’s Day is August 20!

This seems like a great time to try out a new recipe featuring the star of the holiday, bacon. And we’re going in what might seem an unusual direction for a recipe featuring bacon.

Well, not such an unusual direction if you consider that China is one of the first known cultures to salt-cure pork belly way back in 1500 BC.

This recipe for bacon pot stickers is delicious and has a limited number of ingredients but the taste of the smoky peppered bacon along with the toasted sesame oil and the green onions is bacon bliss.

The pot sticker filling can be kept refrigerated for a couple of days which allows you to turn out fantastic, fresh hot pot stickers in under 15 minutes.

Bacon is so very versatile, it should be celebrated more often!

You’re likely familiar with wine and craft beer flights, a collection or grouping of various wines or beers for the purpose of tasting and comparing. The same concept is used for bacon flights and can be found in many restaurants including The Center Street Cafe in Farmersville, OH.

Breakfast, the most important meal of the day

The owners of this culinary gem, Heather Neitman and Mike Dowden, are locals who love their town. But they defined something that was missing, a great breakfast spot.

So they made one! Talk about necessity being the mother of invention. Their farm to table style restaurant, where everything they make is made from scratch, is also home to the elusive bacon flight.

The Center Street Cafe expanded their menu, by popular demand, to offer lunch in short order. With offerings as delectable sounding as maple bacon pulled pork mac-n-cheese, cracker-jack French toast (Thick-cut challah bread, bathed in a rich custard, finished with Cracker Jacks® & a salted caramel compound butter, oh my!) and waffled crab cakes, that demand is highly understood.

The cafe stocks ten different bacon flavors.

Customers choose four flavors to be included in a bacon flight. The flight includes two slices of each of the chosen flavors.

The cafe’s current ten bacon flavors from which to choose are:

• Coastal Caliente Chipotle
• Bacon Freak Everything but the Kitchen Sink
• The Majestic Pig Cracked Four Pepper
• VooDoo Swine Blackened Louisiana
• Orville’s Apple Pie
• Pan Fried Pier Summer Herb
• Firecracker Chili
• Smokey Strabler’s Italian
• Boss Hog Hickory Smoked Maple
• Bacon Freak Maple Cinnamon

The restaurant plans to refresh their bacon selection periodically, giving new taste opportunities to their clientele.

Bacon has become a cure-all for bland food in recent years. It can add a new dimension to old recipes making them new again. And flavored bacon can be a nice compliment for some recipes. 

With a bacon flight, since the bacon doesn’t compete with other ingredients, you can savor the distinct flavor of the bacon and its seasonings as well as the texture and scent.

How to make your own bacon flight sampler

If you’re not near Farmersville or don’t have the good fortune of a local restaurant serving bacon flights, be the mother of your own necessity and create a bacon flight all on your own. 

Including both savory and sweet varieties of bacon spans the breadth of possibilities. Add a bacon with a spicy kick as well, all the better to finish with a frosty brew.

Including a simple bacon can calm the palate and helps showcase the different flavors that can enhance bacon.

Be sure to have good drink to accompany the bacon flights. Label the different flavors or consider blind taste testing, revealing the flavor of the bacon only after it has been tasted.

You can provide each guest with a note pad and pencil and ask them to write down the flavors they taste in each flight.

To make it cute add some pig inspired items like pink napkins, pig placemats, bacon themed serving tray or pig name card holders. The final ingredient will be good friends that enjoy good food. 

Let the tasting begin!

“Begin with Bacon” should be the rallying cry for recipes, as everyone knows, everything is better with bacon. Some recipes use bacon as a garnish, other recipes feature bacon as the star of the show. This recipe begins with bacon, but rather than sliced strips of bacon, a portion from a slab of bacon is used in order to cut small cubes, or lardons, that render the fat while cooking, but don’t become crispy.

Once the fat is rendered you remove the cubes and then add them back when you quickly toss the cooked spaghetti in the warm bacon fat near the end of the recipe. Although the recipe is simple, it is unusual in that you don’t cook the egg before adding it to the cooked pasta.  If this step is not done properly you end up with bits of scrambled egg in your pasta. And if it is done properly, you end up with a delicious creamy coating on all your pasta. The raw egg can only cook properly with a pasta shape that has a sufficiently large ratio of surface area to volume, such as spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine.

Delicious smoky, crunchy, cheesy pockets of goodness are baked into these homemade Bacon Cheddar Soft Pretzels. To Alton Brown’s excellent recipe for homemade soft pretzels, we add cooked and crumbled bacon and shredded Cheddar. If you have a stand mixer with a dough hook, these delicious pretzels are so easy to make you might feel a little guilty with all the accolades you’ll receive. Choose a bacon that has a robust smoky flavor that packs a punch, really amps up the flavor volume so it isn’t lost in the hearty dough of the pretzel. We used Boss Hog Hickory Smoked Bacon which is smoky and has plenty of flavor. Considering beer and pretzels go together like pigs and slop, it seemed like a natural and we found it to be an excellent choice.

Dough section rolled from top of original rectangle to bottom

practically turns the old food pyramid on its head!

Let’s Do This!

January 2nd and it’s time to get real about those resolutions. Surely the Ketogenic diet is the most appealing diet since bacon is a mainstay of this fat-burning diet.

Dr. John Salerno’s book, “Fight Fat with FAT” offers this recipe.

Kale with Garlic & Bacon

1 1/2 pounds kale (about 2 bunches), tough stems and center ribs cut off and discarded

10 hickory smoked bacon slices

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1 cup chicken broth

salt to taste

fresh ground black pepper to taste

Stack a few kale leaves and roll lengthwise into a cigar shape. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips with a sharp knife. Repeat with remaining leaves.

Cook bacon in a wide 6 to 8 quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp; then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Cook garlic and red chili flakes in remaining fat over moderately low heat, stirring, until pale golden, about 30 seconds. Add kale (pot will be full) and cook, turning with tongs, until wilted and bright green, about 1 minute. Add broth and simmer, partially covered, until just tender, 6 – 10 minutes.

Toss with bacon and salt & pepper to taste.

Calories: 375 Fat: 26 g. Protein: 22.31 g. Carbs: 18.1 g. Fiber: 1.36 g.

If you missed the Turbaconducken train, don’t worry! You can still include the most magical meat of all into your Thanksgiving.

Consider wrapping your turkey in bacon before putting it in the oven to roast. Our motto here is everything’s better with bacon, so why leave it out of our Thanksgiving day feast?

It is a simple concept, but we’ve found a video that shows tips on how best to dress ol’ Tom Turkey.

And since the folks at the Institute of Culinary Education know a thing or two about the big bird, they educate on the best way to layer the bacon.

Video courtesy of The Huffington Post and the Institute of Culinary Education.

Thanks Y’all!

TurBACONducken for all!

It’s that time of year when the weather turns chilly and our hearts get warmer as we spend time thinking of others and gathering with loved ones. Time to bake and cook and warm the hearth. But how to prepare a fantastic feast and still have time to spend with the ones you love?  Cue the turbaconducken, otherwise known as a bacon wrapped boneless turducken roast.

In olden times, way back at the beginning of this millennium, we here at Bacon Today were doling out instructions on how to make your own turbaconducken,  you remember: the duck, stuffed in a chicken, stuffed in turkey then wrapped with bacon and then more bacon.

But today, I’m happy to report there’s a much easier way to enjoy this decadent dinner. Check out the bacon super store, BaconFreak.com to find this miraculous meal made ready to go from fridge to oven with no work at all. No worries this year about drying out the turkey, this roast is juicy and delicious. With bacon on the inside and the outside, this roast is a sort of self basting. And carving this treat is super easy too!

What to expect …

This beastly meat feast delivers the wow factor to any holiday. The Bacon-Wrapped Turducken consists of a boneless turkey breast that is wrapped in bacon and layered with boneless, skinless chicken breast meat, boneless, skinless duck breast meat, more bacon inside and stuffed with a spicy Italian sausage stuffing.

Delivered in a colorful gift box, the turbaconducken roast comes packed on dry ice to keep it fresh in transit.  Weighing in at 6.6 pounds, this delightful combination of meats will serve 10-12 hungry carnivores.

What to do …

To thaw the roast, place it in the refrigerator for three days before cooking. With one to three days for shipping, plus three days to thaw in the refrigerator, be sure to order yours in time from our friends at Bacon Freak! Order anytime between now and the deadline of November 12 and your very own turbaconducken will be shipped to your door. (All orders shipping between November 12 & 13 to ensure time for shipping and thawing before Thanksgiving.)

Then mark this meal off your “bucket list.”

Add bacon to a jalapeno popper and what do you get, a better version of the ubiquitous jalapeno popper.  This version of the appetizer is easy to make and if you’re lucky (and skilled) enough to have a home garden bursting with jalapeno peppers, you’re almost half-way there.  The creamy center of this popper cuts the heat of the spicy pepper and the crispy bacon adds a little crunch and smoky salty flavor. The mixing of flavors is delicious and without the heavy fried coating each flavor is discernible. The following recipe and photo above comes from  Saveur.

Ingredients

recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 pound of small yellow potatoes (fingerlings work well)

2-4 slices of bacon

4 Tbs red wine vinegar

1 Tbs bacon drippings (bacon flavored olive oil can be substituted for the bacon fat)

1 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 or 2 green onions

salt & pepper to taste

Cook the bacon and reserve one tablespoon of the rendered bacon fat for the vinaigrette.

Wash potatoes and place them in a saucepan, add water to cover, plus about one inch. Once potatoes come to a boil, continue to boil for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Drain the potatoes and quickly cover them with cold water. When cool enough to touch remove the potato skins and slice the potatoes. Put them in a serving bowl and drizzle 2 Tbs of the vinegar on the potatoes.

Make the vinaigrette by using the 1 Tbs of reserve bacon fat, 1 Tbs of olive oil, 2 Tbs of red wine vinegar and 1 tsp of Dijon mustard. Whisk these ingredients until they are emulsified. Add the 1 Tbs of chopped fresh parsley and the sliced green onions (including some of the green part of the onion).

Pour the vinaigrette over the sliced potatoes (which are already covered with 2 Tbs of the red wine vinegar).  Salt and pepper to your taste.

Toss the potatoes then top with the “piece-de-resistance,” crumbled bacon.

Serve warm, or at room temperature, alongside your best barbecue and enjoy! If you refrigerate the leftovers (if there are any), bring the salad back to room temperature before eating.

Vive la potato salad!

Could even BACON be better with Chocolate?

Bacon, meet Chocolate ….

If two wrongs don’t make a right then we can assume that two rights won’t make it wrong.

The two “rights” in this case are bacon and chocolate, both decadently delightful.

We took some some superior bacon to our neighborhood artisan bakery “disgustingly delicious” and had them chocolate coat it.  After cooking the bacon Chef prepared the chocolate.  A small amount of butter and bacon fat were added to the melted chocolate before dipping the cooked bacon into it.  Truth be told the first batch of chocolate was ditched as instead of smooth and creamy the melted chocolate appeared grainy. The chef attributed this to heating the chocolate too quickly. The second batch of chocolate was the correct consistency for dipping our delectable bacon. After being dipped in chocolate, the bacon was placed on a wire rack to cool and harden.  Once the chocolate set, into the freezer it went to maintain freshness.

The result of our adventure is a crispy, creamy, sweet and salty stick of delicious!

Want some? http://www.baconfreak.com/chocolate-covered-bacon-strips-milk.html

Thanks, neighbor!

Baconize your grilled cheese sandwich to turn bland into something to squeal about!  You’ll love this bacon grilled cheese sandwich.

prep time: 5 minutes
cooking time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: gruyere cheese, green apple, thinly sliced, Orville’s Apple pie bacon, loaf of Italian bread, butter

Instructions: Cook the Orville’s Apple Pie bacon. Be sure to prepare more than you need for the sandwiches because this bacon should be savored solo. It’s that good!

After your moment with the bacon, slice or shave off slices of the gruyere cheese to cover the size of a slice of the Italian bread. Use more or less cheese to suit your taste.

Butter one side of each slice of bread. Place buttered side of bread into a pre-heated frypan. Place cheese slice on bread, then sliced apples. Put bacon atop the apple slices and complete the tower of “goodness” with another slice of the gruyere cheese. Place the second slice of buttered bread atop the tower of yum you’ve made with the buttered side facing up. You can place a weighted press on top of the sandwich while grilling to promote quick and even toasting of the bread. When the first side is adequately toasted carefully turn the sandwich over in the pan to grill the other side. Cover the pan briefly to ensure the cheese gets warm enough to begin to melt.

Serve with your favorite chips and a pickle wedge.

So simple to make but such a delicious melange of flavors; your mouth will thank you.

Braised Bacon, A Decadent Delight

As a bacon lover, you’re always on the look out for a bacon experience — bacon-wrapped lobster, bacon apple pie, bacon maple bars or just a good, old-fashioned BLT sandwich. But how do you take your bacon dedication to the next level? Braised bacon recipes and delights can lead your nose and taste buds to a whole new realm of possibilities. Here’s a look at what you’ll need and how you’ll go about creating decadent braised bacon delights.

Process

Most braised bacon directions call for a temperature between 325 and 375 degrees. It depends on how thick your slices of bacon are, how quickly you want them to cook, and how crispy you like. You can braise bacon on a skillet, on a pan or use a dutch oven.

If you use a pan, consider covering it with aluminum foil for easy cleanup. Cover the bacon with a lid or alternative. This will keep the bacon moist. If you enjoy it crunchier, leave the bacon uncovered. Braising duration can take one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half hours. It depends on the thickness of the cut and the temperature you cook it at, but also how you like it, so keep the texture you want in mind while the bacon is in the oven.

The (Main) Ingredients

Ingredients are a matter of choice when it comes to your braised bacon dish. Whether you wrap your bacon around morsels of lobster or use it on a sandwich, the complementary flavors you’ll want will be inherently different. Some braised bacon recipes call for a braising liquid like a vegetable stock that consists of peeled garlic cloves, celery stocks, carrots and onions. Another option is apple cider vinegar which adds a sweetness that pairs well with the savory flavors of bacon. (Check out this bourbon-cider mashup.) In terms of braising liquid, the options are endless and you can experiment with different options and create your own.

For The Newbie

If this is your first time braising bacon, you may want some concrete directions and recipe to follow. There’s no shame in this, everyone starts somewhere, after all. Get the process down before you start experimenting.

You’ll need either a braising pan or a dutch oven for this recipe. For your first attempt, use this recipe on BostonChefs.com.

Set the oven temperature to 325 degrees. Add butter and vegetables. Let them soften until they begin to release their moisture. Transfer the vegetables and deglaze the pan with Armagnac and your white wine, then replace the vegetables and add the bacon on top of them. Cover with a lid. Let cook for around two-and-a-half hours. Keep an eye on the liquid as the ingredients sweat. You may need to drain off some of the liquid, but make sure not to dump all of it. Once done, you can sear the bacon in a pan if you prefer some extra crunch and flavor. Well done, you’ve braised bacon for the first time. You can now try out your own recipes.

I’m pretty sure you could bacon wrap almost any food and come out with a delicious masterpiece. You could Picasso your way about the process. Take a jumble of foods, throw them together, bacon wrap it all, and suddenly you have people marveling at your edible art.

“How did you come up with such deliciousness?” they’d ask. Then you just shrug your shoulders nonchalantly and respond, “I don’t know. I was just trying to be weird and do something different. And after a couple of beers, this is what I came up with.”

“Wow, you have talent! The marshmallow and banana brings a delicious sweetness to the salty, savory bacon. You’re so creative, I never would have thought of this! You have to give me the recipe!” Little do they know that marshmallows, bananas, and bacon were all you had in your kitchen. And after a couple of beers, you were really hungry.

Fantasies of accidental culinary prowess aside, sometimes you just have to take two of your favorite foods and wrap them in bacon. So I ended up putting cheese in an avocado and wrapped it up in bacon. Yes, I love cheese and avocados. And yes, I thought adding bacon into the mix would make my mouth extra happy. I was right.

Oh… WOW. This was my first Cheesy Ba-cado experience. And it was beautiful. You know that moment when you take a bite of something and suddenly the world stops and you seem to be forever in that moment; nothing existing but you and this delicious morsel in your mouth? Yes, it was like that.

I suggest you experience the Cheesy Ba-cado awesomeness. Here’s how you can reach nirvana:

Ingredients: (This recipe yields two servings.)
1 Avocado (Preferably a large one.)
5 slices of Muenster Cheese (This is the cheese I used, but you may use any cheese that you would like. Pepper Jack would give it a nice little kick. However, if you choose a softer cheese such as Brie, the baking time will be shorter, and you will want to cook your bacon a little bit before you wrap it.)
2- 4 strips of Bacon (Depending on the cut.)
Olive Oil

Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°
2. Cut your avocado in half and take out the pit. Peel the avocado. (You will want an avocado that isn’t too mushy. This makes it harder to peel.)
3. Line a baking pan with aluminum foil and grease it with the olive oil.
4. Place your avocado halves on your pan, pit side up.
5. Next step is filling them with cheese. You’ll be placing the cheese into the avocado where the pit was. For even more cheesiness, you can hollow out the avocado a little more.
6. I had sliced Muenster so I broke them into four little squares of each and layered them into the middle of the avocado halves until they were filled. You can use chunks, cubes, anything, because the cheese is just going to end up melted anyway. Fill to your desired level of cheesiness. (Feel free to nibble on the cheese while filling your avocado.)
7. Time to bacon wrap! Depending upon the width of the bacon, you may need two strips to get each of your avocado halves wrapped. Once you have the avocados wrapped up in their little bacon blanket of goodness, use a toothpick to stick through the middle to make sure they stay wrapped.
8. For added flavor, you may shake some garlic, rosemary, basil, pepper, or any of your favorite seasonings over your Ba-cado. I went with Garlic Salt because I love garlicy, salty things. Yum.
9. Drizzle olive oil over your masterpiece. (Don’t you feel like Emeril Lagasse?)
10. When your oven is ready to go, bake your Bacon Wrapped Cheesiness for 15- 20 minutes or until your desired crispness of the bacon.
11. When done, take a picture of them with your phone, think of witty caption, and share your photo with all of your social networks.
12. Take your first bite and reach nirvana. (So good, right?)

Pretty sure you have the rest covered. I won’t tell you how to clean your own kitchen. But what are you doing still on the internet? Go make one! Right now!

Find similar recipes and healthful ideas at:

Because believe it or not, bacon, chocolate, and pecan pie go together like peas, carrots and Forrest Gump. This pie is filled with layer upon layer of wonderful, sweet and savory flavors. All this nutty, bacon-y, chocolate-y goodness starts with a flaky, buttery crust. Next comes our variation on a traditional pecan pie filling. Adding semi-sweet chocolates, candied bacon, AND smooth bourbon to our toast pecans gives this pie a “Yeah, baby!” flavor explosion. Top this dreamy pie with a dollop of Chocolate Whipped Cream for a pie that is perfection on a plate.

Basic Pie Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 – 4 tablespoons chilled water

Chocolate Bacon-Pecan filling:
3 large eggs
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2/3 cup light or dark corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter, salted or unsalted
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/3 cups toasted pecans, lightly chopped
1/2 cup chopped, candied bacon
3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Whipped Cream:
1/2 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
3 – 4 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar (or more to taste)
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

1. Using a food processor or pastry blender, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add in butter and combine until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsps. water and continue mixing until the dough is crumbly, but holds together. (Add 1 Tbsp. additional water if necessary).

2. Flatten dough into 1″ thick disk and refrigerate for about an hour. You can prepare your other pie filling and whipped cream while you wait.

3. Preheat the oven to 375ºF and position the oven rack in the center of the oven.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar, syrup, vanilla, salt, melted butter, and bourbon.

5. Stir in the pecans, candied bacon bits (learn how to make candied bacon HERE), and the chocolate chips. Set aside.

6. Using a chilled whisk, stir together vanilla, sugar, cocoa powder, and 2 Tbsps. of cream in a chilled mixing bowl to form a thick paste.

7. When the cocoa powder is dissolved, add the remaining heavy cream and beat until stiff peaks form. You may also use a hand mixer (be sure the beaters are chilled).

8. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.

9. Place your pastry dough on a floured surface and roll dough into a 14-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Place your dough into a 9″ pie plate and gently fit into the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.

10. Scrape the pie filling into the pie shell and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the filling puffs up slightly but still feels slightly jiggly and moist in the center.

11. Let pie cool completely before slicing. Serve with a dollop of chocolate whipped cream and a sprinkling of chopped candied bacon.

A pie complete with bacon and booze. Alas, a pie that the great Dean Winchester would go to hell and back for.

Walnuts, rum, and bacon: meatball’s drunk uncle!

5 oz can evaporated milk
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup spiced rum
1 package vanilla wafers, crushed very fine
2 cups finely chopped walnuts
1 cup confectioners’ sugar for rolling
1 lb hickory bacon, cooked, chopped

Line a baking pan with foil and lay your bacon strips on it. Place it in the oven then turn the oven to 400. Cook for 17-20 minutes. Drain grease from bacon, chop, and set aside.

In a food processor, chop up the vanilla wafer until they are in tiny pieces.

Melt chocolate chips and evaporated milk in a bowl over a boiling pit of water, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.

Stir in the crushed vanilla wafers, bacon, and rum until well blended.

Roll the dough into small balls and roll the balls in chopped walnuts, then repeat in confectioners’ sugar.

Store covered in the refrigerator. Eat responsibly!

While visions of bacon sugar cookies danced in their head …

Increase the flavor volume on the ubiquitous sugar cookie by adding bacon! The holiday season is about bringing family closer together, and here at Bacon Today, we know that bacon brings everyone together. This year, try this recipe we created, a delicious roll-out bacon sugar cookie, so that your whole family can enjoy the holiday spirit of bacon. Roll out the dough and let the children cut out their favorites shapes. When the cookies are done baking, you and your whole family can enjoy the love of bacon as you decorate them with frosting, sprinkles, candy, and more bacon!

INGREDIENTS:
· 1½ cup butter, softened
· 2 cups white sugar
· 4 eggs
· 1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
· 5 cups all-purpose flour
· 2 tsps baking powder
· 1 tsp salt
· 2 tsp cinnamon
· 1 tsp nutmeg
· 4-6 slices of  Apple Cinnamon Bacon, cooked, finely chopped.

Cooking Directions

1. Cook Your Bacon: Lay strips on a foil-lined baking pan. Place in the oven, then turn oven on at 400 degrees F. Cook for 17-20 minutes. Drain grease from bacon, chop, and set aside. You’ll want to keep an eye on your bacon as the sugar on your bacon can burn if it cooks too long.

2. Mix Your Dough: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and bacon. Cover, and chill dough for at least one hour.

3. Cut Your Cookies: Preheat oven to 400? F. Roll out dough on floured surface ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. Place cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes in preheated oven. Cool completely.

5. Decorate Your Cookies: I used a royal icing I found online and some chopped bacon, but you can use whatever your heart desires. The good thing about these cookies is that they taste wonderful now matter how you decorate them! Go hog wild!

Final Tip

Cutting bacon into pieces before cooking allows you to remove the smaller pieces when they are done, leaving larger pieces to cook longer without burning the smaller sections of a bacon strip.

Bacon Gingerbread Sponge Cakes

People like to say that the holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. And while I most definitely agree, I also like to say it’s the most wonderful time for our mouths! It’s nearly impossible to go through the holiday season without thinking about and eating deliciously sweet desserts.

These Bacon Gingerbread Sponge Cakes help prove the point about mouths having a good time during this season, too. These light, airy cakes are filled with smoke, maple, and ginger flavors that will have your tongue wishing the season will never end. Loaded up with tons of yummy bacon, these sponge cakes are sure to please all of your family and friends! So don’t wait any longer and get bacon! … and bakin’!

From The World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Jason Bailin takes the typically PC world of the culinary arts, throws it high into the air and says “to hell with it!” His cookbook series “Get in the Kitchen, Bit@hes” and gourmet spice blends of the same name are sure to please those seeking both good food and a good laugh in the kitchen! He has sold over 21K copies of his books and has garnered over 60K fans on Facebook. If you’re not easily offended, check out his website. His newest cookbook comes out on November 1st.

Creamy Dijon Green Bean Casserole with Bacon
Makes 6-8 Servings

2 Tbsp Butter
3 cloves Garlic diced
1 Onion sliced
4 strips raw Bacon diced
2 ½ Tbsp Flour
2 cups Milk
½ tsp Salt
½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
3 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1 ½ lbs Fresh Green Beans (cut into about 1 inch pieces)
French Fried Onions

1. In a medium pot, melt the butter on medium-high heat. Add the garlic, onions and bacon with a pinch of salt and pepper and sauté for about 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent. Then lower heat to medium and add the flour and stir. Let the flour begin to clump and thicken in the butter for about a minute more. Add the milk, ½ tsp salt, ground black pepper. Raise heat to medium-high and bring to a slow boil to thicken. Once it starts to boil, take off heat and stir until it thickens. Set aside and let cool for about ten minutes. Add the Dijon mustard and stir.

2. Preheat oven to 350° degrees. Add the green beans and place the mixture in a greased baking tray. Sprinkle the top with french fried onions and bake for 35 minutes. Take out of oven and let cool for about 10 minutes and serve.

Sweet Potato, Jalapeno and Bacon Fritters
Makes 4-6 Servings

2 large Sweet Potatoes quartered
2 Jalapeño Peppers diced
1 ½ tsp Chili Powder
3 cloves of Garlic chopped fine
1 Onion chopped
4 strips of Bacon diced
1 ½ cup of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/3 cup Sour Cream
1 cup Flour
1 ½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Ground Black Pepper
4 Tbsp of Butter
Vegetable Oil

1. Boil sweet potatoes. When sweet potatoes are tender to the fork, drain thoroughly and place in a bowl while still hot. Add jalapeños, bacon, chili powder, garlic, onion, shredded cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream, salt, pepper, and flour. Mash with masher or back of fork until mixture is smoothed.

2. Let cool for at least an hour. Mixture will be slightly “mushy.” Ideally you will want to use an ice cream scooper for the next step, but may also use a large serving spoon. Heat vegetable oil in deep fryer or deep pot halfway up, on a medium-high heat. Make sure oil is very hot before you deep fry (can test with a small amount of potato mixture—if you drop it in, and intense bubbles form around it, it is hot enough). Carefully scoop the batter and place potato balls in the oil and let fry for 4-6 minutes. Remove and place on paper towels, and repeat until all fritters are prepared. Let fritters sit for about 10 minutes prior to serving.

Sharone Hakman is the self-taught chef and culinary entrepreneur known for his breakout role on Fox’s MasterChef. The former financial planner and father of two became well known by the judges for his “secret weapon,” his barbecue sauce. The highly acclaimed chef naturally took the next step and left the corporate world behind to pursue his passion while starting Hak’s BBQ, his barbecue sauce company. Sharone Hakman has stoked the fires of his culinary career, but even with international television success and celebrity clientele Hakman never gives up who he is: a family man, an active lifestyle enthusiast, and a lover of food. Check out his YouTube Channel and follow him on Instagram @sharonehakman.

Ingredients:

1 turkey breast
2 tbsp Grapeseed Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
8-10 slices of bacon – enough to wrap entire turkey breast

Serves 5 or 2 big dudes.

1. Season turkey breasts with salt and pepper.

2. Heat grapeseed oil in sauté pan, then add the turkey breast and pan-sear to achieve a nice golden crust.

3. Set aside and allow to cool. It’s very important to let your meat rest.

4. Line up bacon on a baking sheet, slightly overlapping the pieces. Place (cooled) seared turkey breast in the middle of the bacon, then wrap bacon around the turkey.

5. Carefully flip bacon-wrapped turkey over so that the ends of the bacon are underneath the turkey breast.
6. Roast in oven at 425° for 20-25 minutes.

Serve with grilled sweet potatoes. Coat sweet potatoes in olive oil, salt, pepper, and a kick of cinnamon. Toss potatoes on the grill and cook until charred and softened.

Bacon Gingerbread Cookies

Did you know that November 21st is National Gingerbread Cookies Day?! It’s a pretty exciting day for cookie lovers. And we’re making it a pretty exciting day for bacon lovers, too! We added some maple bacon flavor to these crispy gingerbread cookies then decorated them with Maple Bacon Royal Icing to bring a little bacon cheer to your holiday season.

Hard gingerbread cookies were traditionally cut into shapes, often the gingerbread man shape we still see today, and then decorated with candies and icing. They were typically found at street fairs or carnivals and enjoyed by dunking them in port wine to moisten the cookies. Today the preferred dunking beverage of choice is a spiced latte or creamy hot cocoa, but we’re thinkin’ that port wine was probably the better choice!

From The World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Add bacon to your pumpkin pie for a Holiday dessert that no one will be able to resist!

Ingredients:
1 package Cinnamon Sugar Bacon
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbsp shortening
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2-3 Tbsp cold water
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
15 oz. Pure Pumpkin
12 oz. Evaporated Milk

Preparation:
Cook 4-6 strips of bacon in a 400° oven for 17 minutes. Chop into small pieces and set aside. Turn up your oven to 425°.

Crust:
Mix together 1 cup flour and salt. Cut in shortening using a pasty blender or by crossing 2 knives until particles are the size of course crumbs. Toss in a small handful of chopped bacon, then sprinkle cold water a little at a time, tossing with fork until all the flour is moistened. Roll pastry out into a even circle large enough to cover your pie plate. Press rolled crust into your pie plate and set aside.

Pie Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin, remaining chopped bacon and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour filling into pie shell.

Bake in 425° oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° and continue baking for an additional 40 to 50 minutes. Cool for 2 hours. Top with whipped cream before serving (optional).

Be sure to refrigerate any left overs… if you have any!

It’s Autumn! For many people, that means it’s time to bust out the roasted veggie recipes. If you’ve never tried roasting a vegetable, you don’t know what you’re missing! Many vegetables that are barely tolerable suddenly become delicious when they are roasted. And adding bacon ensures that you will get the fussiest eater to start eating their veggies.

We’ve got two fabulous roasted veggie recipes that are made better with bacon. The first is Curried Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon. If you don’t like the taste of curry, simply omit it and roast the cauliflower with olive oil, salt and pepper. But, if you dare to try it, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. The spicy, smoky flavor of curry powder perfectly complements savory bacon.

The second recipe is for those with a bit of a sweet tooth. Cinnamon, brown sugar and olive oil are tossed with cubes of butternut squash, then wrapped in bacon and baked in the oven. The crisp bacon and the softly roasted squash are a delicious flavor and texture combo. Make sure and give these little babies time to cool before you pop them in your mouth!

Curried Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
Salt and pepper to taste
6 slices cooked, chopped bacon

Directions:

1. Chop cauliflower into florets. Mix olive oil, curry powder (if using), and salt and pepper. Toss with florets.

2. Pre-heat oven to 425 F. Roast cauliflower for 20-25 minutes or until tender, turning halfway through to avoid
burning.

3. Top with crumbled, cooked bacon bits and serve.

Bacon-Wrapped Butternut Squash Bites

Ingredients:

1 bag cubed butternut squash (about a pound)*
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound bacon
Toothpicks that have been soaked in water

Directions:

1. Mix the olive oil, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Toss with cubed butternut squash.

2. Cut bacon strips into thirds. Wrap each segment around a cube of squash and secure with a toothpick. Place in a casserole dish.

3. Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes until bacon is crispy and squash is tender. You may need to switch to broil to get the bacon to brown evenly.

*Bags of cubed butternut squash can be found at Costco and Trader Joe’s.

When we first saw this recipe for Piggy Buns, we were confused. We didn’t know if we we should eat them, or give them a cuddle. We still don’t know! Perhaps both is a good idea! Give ‘em a little kiss and a little cuddle before devouring them. But seriously, have you ever seen anything more cute and more delicious looking at the same time??

This recipe from SoGoodBlog.com would be a fun addition to your Christmas dinner menu. Made from scratch bread rolls, stuffed with bacon jam, your family and friends will be impressed with these adorable, scrumptious rolls. Served warm right out of the oven, is there anything better than a doughy roll that’s been stuffed with bacon jam? They’re a must for any bacon-loving family! Merry Christmas!

Ingredients:

14 oz. all purpose flour
7/8 cup warm water
1 1/2 oz. soft butter
1/4 oz. instant yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
10 tsp. Bacon jam red chile & garlic
10 1/2 inch thick slices of chorizo
1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tbsp warm water for egg wash

Instructions:

1. Mix the flour and yeast. Place them in a mixer with the dough hook attachment.
2. Add the warm water, salt and soft butter and mix for 2-3 minutes or until it forms a soft ball. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and place it in a warm place. Let the dough rise until it is double in size, them transfer it on a lightly floured surface.
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
4. Punch the dough and knead it for a minute, then divide it into 11 balls.
5. Flatten a ball of dough into the palm to make 4 inch round.
6. Spoon in the middle 1 tsp of bacon jam and place ½ inch thick slice of chorizo.
7. Fold the dough to make a ball and gently pinch the edges to close the ball. With your hands roll it gently to make the perfect ball.
8. Place it on a baking tray lined with silicon baking mat.
9. Repeat until 10 balls of dough are used.
10. Use remaining ball of dough to make ears, noses and tales for the piggies.
11. To make the noses, roll the dough out to 1/16-inch thick. Cut out 10 1/2 inch circles. With egg wash glue them to the buns and secure them with 2 toothpicks.
12. Take a lsmall amount of dough and shape it with your index finger and thumb, to make it look like an ear. Glue the ears with egg wash to the bun.
13. Use remaining dough to make curly tails and glue them too.
14. Use peppercorns to make eyes.
15. Brush the piggies with egg wash.
16. Bake for 15 -20 minutes or until golden.
17. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Enjoy!

While most of you were wondering “Oh, how can I make this fall just a little bit better than last year?”, we already figured out the answer. We’ve updated the popular Bacon Pumpkin Seeds Recipe with a bit more bacon and a bit more spice!

Ingredients:
Pumpkin Seeds from 1 Medium Pumpkin
1 tbsp Bacon Olive Oil or Bacon Grease
1 1/2 tbsp  Bacon Salt
1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
1/2 tsp Onion Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat over to 250 degrees.
2. In small bowl, mix together dry ingredients. Add in Cayenne pepper if you want to make your seeds spicy.
3. In bowl, mix pumpkin seeds with the bacon olive oil until the seeds are thoroughly coated. If you are using stored bacon grease, you’ll want to warm it up in the microwave.
4. Pour in dry mixture a little at a time and coat oiled seeds thoroughly.
5. Spread the coated seeds evenly on a greased cookie sheet (if you used bacon grease, you won’t need to grease the pan).
6. Cook in the oven for approximately 25-30 minutes checking every 10 minutes for doneness.

If you want to make this recipe even more flavorful and spicy, we recommend that you use bacon grease from a jalapeno or cajun flavored bacon.

Ingredients:

1 package of Boss Hog’s Maple Bacon
1 cup (2 sticks) of unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 regular size bag of mini pretzels
12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds (optional)
sea salt (optional)

Preparation:

Wrap two baking sheets with tin foil. Lay out the Maple Bacon on one sheet and set the other aside. Place the bacon tray in the oven, then preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Cook bacon for 17-20 minutes then remove from oven. Cut up a few slices (however many you’d like) into small chunks. Don’t turn off the oven as you’ll use it again to cook the caramel.

Directions:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. As it melts, cover the other baking sheet in an even layer of mini pretzels. (You may not use the entire bag.)

2. Once the butter is melted, add the sugar and stir to incorporate. Allow the sugar and butter to softly simmer and bubble, but don’t let it boil. Stir occasionally. The browning process should take about three minutes from when it starts to bubble.

3. Once the sugar and butter have caramelized, there are a few ways that you can add your bacon in: You can mix your bacon chunks into the caramel, layer it in between the caramel and chocolate, mix it into the chocolate, or all three options. If you want to include the bacon in the caramel, mix it in then pour the mixture evenly over the pretzels on the baking sheet. Strafing it back and forth down the length of the sheet works well. The caramel hardens pretty quickly so it’s important to pour it as evenly as possible from the start. If you end up with any clumps, just use a spatula to spread the caramel as best as you can. Bake the pretzel-caramel mixture in the oven for 5-7 minutes.

4. In the meantime, set up a double boiler. Fill a saucepan about a quarter full of water. Place the pot over a medium flame. Take a large, heatproof bowl and set it on top of the saucepan. Be sure that the water in the pot will not touch the bottom of the dish, otherwise your chocolate will burn! Pour the chocolate chips into the bowl and stir constantly until they’re completely melted. If you’d like to add the bacon to your chocolate, go ahead and mix in some chunks after your chocolate is completely melted.

5. By this time the pretzel-caramel mixture should be done and out of the oven. If you want to layer bacon in between your caramel and chocolate, sprinkle your chunks onto of the caramel, then pour the chocolate over the pretzel-caramel mixture evenly, again careful to spread chocolate back and forth down the length of the sheet.

6. Spread any remaining thick spots of chocolate with a spatula. The bacon will add a bit of salty flavor to your bark, but if you want an extra little bit of salt, sprinkle sea salt evenly over the bark. Alternately, you can sprinkle some finely chopped almonds over the chocolate to add that extra nutty texture. Place it in the fridge to cool and harden for about an hour. Once it’s done, the tin foil should pull off easily and you can break the sheet into smaller, bark-like pieces.

Bacon Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding

This Bacon Chocolate Challah Bread Pudding recipe is one of 50 delicious recipes in Bacon Freak’s new cooking “Bacon Freak: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast“. This recipe is for our Jewish fans who still partake of bacon every now and then. Challah’s thick, chewy texture is the ideal vehicle for bread pudding since it doesn’t get soggy. This recipe is incredibly easy to make and incredibly delicious to eat. Let the dairy come to room temperature so the butter won’t solidify when it’s added.

Diggin’ this bacon recipe? Order a copy of “Bacon Freak: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast” for even more delicious recipes that any home cook can make. Filled with fun infographics, Bacon Freak also suggests the best booze pairings, offers information on curing your own bacon and cooking it perfectly, and includes a handy reference section covering must-visit bacon festivals, food trucks, and restaurants. Here’s everything you need to get your bacon freak on!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon

This recipe is property of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. and Bacon Freak LLC. It may not be copied or distributed without permission from either party.

Bacon Waffle Bread Pudding

This sweet and savory bread pudding recipe comes from Sessions Public in San Diego. It’s perfect for a Sunday breakfast or brunch! Sessions Public is a casual, charming neighborhood eatery with an ever-changing draft beer selection on the cusp of Ocean Beach and Point Loma in coastal San Diego. Opened in 2010 by San Diego native, Abel Kaase, the restaurant reflects the casual beach culture of its surroundings.

The restaurant’s eclectic selection of local and imported brews is paired with an approachable, yet creative menu with signature dishes such as Duck Fat Fries, Bacon Lollipops and Pork Belly Tacos. As a nod to the San Diego area code, happy hour is offered until 6:19 p.m. daily. Lunch and dinner are also available, as well as weekend brunch.

4 cooked waffles, cut into squares
6 strips of bacon (cooked and chopped)
1 cup eggs
2 cups cream
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup brown sugar

Combine eggs, cream, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and brown sugar and mix until combined. Pour mixture over waffles and bacon in a greased 8” x 9” pan. Bake at 450 degrees for 1.5 hours. Garnish with chopped bacon and a mint leaf. Enjoy!

Chipotle Bacon Street Tacos

This Chipotle Bacon Street Tacos recipe is one of 50 delicious recipes in “Bacon Freak: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast”.  These street tacos demand to be made for your next tailgate party. The chipotle rub imparts an addictive, smoky spiciness to the bacon and the creamy cilantro sauce cuts the spice.

Diggin’ this bacon recipe? Order a copy of “Bacon Freak: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast” for even more delicious recipes that any home cook can make.  Filled with fun infographics, the book also suggests the best booze pairings, offers information on curing your own bacon and cooking it perfectly, and includes a handy reference section covering must-visit bacon festivals, food trucks, and restaurants.  Here’s everything you need to get your bacon freak on!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

This recipe is property of Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. and Bacon Freak LLC. It may not be copied or distributed without permission from either party.

Looking for a bacon and grilled cheese sandwich that’s different and mouthwatering? Check out my recipe below and take your taste buds into bacon sandwich euphoria!

This recipe makes 2 large sandwiches.

Ingredients:
1 packages of Orville’s Apple Pie Bacon
1 granny smith apple
6 slices of sharp cheddar cheese
4 big pieces of Sourdough Bread (you can use whichever bread you’d like)
Butter

Preparation:
Line a baking sheet with foil, then lay out the bacon on the sheet. Place in the oven and then heat the oven to 400 degrees. Set the time for 17-20 minutes. Once your bacon is cooked, pat the excess grease off with some paper towels. Be careful because this yummy bacon can be a little sticky!

Directions:
1. Lay out your pieces of bread and butter each piece.
2. Cover each piece of bread with your cheese slices. I used one and a half slices on each piece of bread. Feel free to use more or less if you’d like.
3. Core your apple then slice it into thin pieces. Layer your apple slices on one side of the bread for each sandwich. I used 6 think slices for each sandwich.
4. On top of the apples, layer your bacon! I find that the bacon strips will fit better on the bread if you cut them in half. Use as much bacon as you would like. I used 5-6 half slices for each sandwich. This bacon is cut very thick, so it doesn’t take many slices. Place the other piece of bread and cheese on top of the bacon.
5. At this point you can eat your sandwich as is, or grill it on a griddle or skillet pan. Here is how to do that:
6. Heat up your griddle (or skillet) on medium heat. Butter the top of your sandwich liberally with butter. Be sure to cover the whole piece of bread!
7. Once your griddle is warm, place the sandwiches butter side down onto it. Lower your heat to medium low and cover it with a lid if you have one large enough. Cooking it on low heat and covering the sandwiches while they are cooking will allow the cheese to melt all the way without burning the bread.
8. After a few minutes, go ahead and flip the sandwich. Cover again and grill for a few more minutes.
9. Once your sandwich is grilled to your liking, you’re ready to eat it!

And of course 10. ENJOY!

Baking can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. Sometimes you want something that is homemade, but quick, and not as complicated as other recipes. These pumpkin muffins strike a good balance between the two. Using a box of spice cake mix, pumpkin puree, brewed coffee, milk, and bacon, these cupcakes are easy to throw together. They’re also lower in calories than typical cupcake recipes that have eggs, oil, butter, etc. The Toasted Marshmallow frosting recipe involves a bit of work, but the result is worth it. These cupcakes are good on their own, or with your favorite frosting recipe.

The Cake:

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz.)
2/3 cup milk
1/3 cup brewed coffee, cooled (You can omit coffee and add 1/3 cup more milk)
1/3 cup finely chopped top quality thick-sliced bacon (add more or less to suit your level of bacon addiction)

The Marshmallow Frosting:

8 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons bourbon vanilla extract

The instructions:

Mix the cake mix and the puree until combined. Slowly add the milk, then coffee and mix until well combined. Fold in the chopped bacon.

Spoon into 20-24 cupcake liners. Bake at 350° for 18 minutes. Cool completely.Place the cooled cupcakes on a baking sheet (they can be touching) and set them aside.

Fill a medium saucepan with 1 inch of water and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.

Place the egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt in the clean bowl and whisk by hand to combine. Nest the bowl over the saucepan, making sure the bottom of the bowl is not touching the water. Heat the egg white mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is hot to the touch (about 120°F on an instant-read thermometer), about 6 minutes.

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whisk for 1 minute on medium speed. Increase the speed to high and whisk until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes more. Add the vanilla and whisk until just incorporated, about 1 minute.

Transfer the frosting to a large piping bag fitted with your preferred piping tip and pipe onto the cupcakes. Broil until the tops are starting to brown, about 20 to 30 seconds—watch carefully to avoid burning. (Alternatively, you can use a kitchen torch). In my oven, it took 1-2 minutes, so be sure to keep an eye on them. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 hours.

Bacon, Beer and Potato Chip Cookie Bars

When we first saw these bars, it was love at first sight. And so we’re pleased as punch to feature this recipe from Lifeloveandsugar.com. These bars are filled with a long list of scrumptious ingredients: beer, bacon, pretzels, potato chips, chocolate chips, caramel, and peanut butter chips. You can’t get much more sweet & savory than this! Add to that the crunchy goodness of pretzels and potato chips and you’ve got the perfect dessert for salt and sugar addicts. Be sure to follow Lindsay on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for even more jaw-dropping desserts.

Cookie Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 cup of chocolate chunks or chips
2 pieces of bacon, chopped
2 tbsp. beer (I used Yuengling)

Topping:

8.5 oz. caramels (about 27 caramels)
1/4 cup cup beer
3/4 cup potato chips, broken into pieces
1/4 cup pretzels, broken into pieces
2 pieces of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chips

Chocolate drizzle
1/4 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp. milk

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9 x 9 pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil that sticks up above the edges. Grease the paper or foil.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Mix in egg and vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add flour and baking soda.

3. Stir in chocolate chips, bacon and beer. Dough will be thick. Press cookie dough evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the edges are slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan.

4. While bars are cooling, melt caramels and beer together in a pan over medium heat. Allow caramel to cook on low for about 5-10 minutes. Pour caramel mixture over cookie bars and spread evenly. Pour potato chips, pretzels, bacon, peanut butter chips and chocolate chips evenly over caramel before it cools and hardens.

5. Microwave chocolate chips for chocolate drizzle and milk in a small bowl in the microwave until the milk begins to boil. Whisk chocolate until smooth Allow chocolate mixture to cool for about 2 minutes, then drizzle over top of bars. Once bars are cool, use parchment paper or foil to lift them out of the pan and cut into squares.

Drunken Pig Bacon Chili

Beef, Bourbon and Bacon. Three of our favorite “b’s” give this chili its boozy, meaty flavor! Perfect for football season, this chili recipe is a crowd pleaser. The addition of the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce give the chili an amazing smoky, hearty flavor that will please every carnivore lucky enough to try it. This recipe doubles easily to feed a crowd of ravenous football fans. You can make it spicier by adding more chipotle chiles but be careful, these little guys are HOT! Store unused peppers in the adobo sauce in a glass jar or plastic container for several months. Or you can freeze them for future use.

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. beef stew meat, cut into 1-1.5” chunks
1/2 lb. chipotle bacon, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cans kidney beans, rinsed well
2 canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
1 can diced tomatoes or 2-3 fresh tomatoes, diced
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1.5 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
1 small can sliced black olives
1 qt. reduced-sodium beef broth
1/2 cup whiskey
Sour cream
Pepper jack cheese, shredded
Salt and pepper
Hot sauce

Instructions:
1. Add bacon to pot and cook, stirring often, until browned but still soft, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and the bacon fat, keeping 2 tablespoons of fat in the pot. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Brown beef in the bacon fat, turning occasionally to get a sear on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer beef to a plate with the bacon.

2. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute. May add additional bacon fat or oil if needed to keep the onion from sticking. Return beef and bacon to pot and add chipotles, tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, broth, and 1/2 cup whiskey. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 60 minutes. Add the beans and cook for 30 minutes or until beef is tender.

3. Garnish with sour cream, cheese, crumbled bacon bits and hot sauce if desired.

Kale. I hate it. I really do. One of the reasons why I hate it is that some people have said that kale is as trendy as bacon! What nonsense! And one time, I was at a party where someone had made some “crispy kale chips” and told me: “Try these. They’re just as good as bacon.” Needless to say, they were NOT just as good as bacon!!

You might be thinking, “So why’d you make a recipe using kale if you hate it so much??” Because, I was tricked into eating it. It’s true. A fellow Bacon Today staff member got me to eat kale by adding it to this bread pudding. The kale is cooked in the bacon fat, and with all the bacon, cheese, and bread that’s also in this dish, then yeah, I’m able to admit that kale is not as bad as I thought it was.

So even if you’re as anti-kale as I was, give this recipe a try. This hearty, savory bread pudding is best enjoyed with a glass of white wine or a bottle of lager or even hard cider.

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon

Bacon Peanutella Afternoon Snackwich

When you say “Nutella,” many words immediately spring to mind. Like, “crepes.” Or, “delicious.” And, “lawsuit.” Those of you who watch TV probably saw the Nutella commercials that promoted the product as a healthy way to get kids to eat their whole grains. Eventually they were sued by a mother who began feeding it to her kid, then discovered that a chocolate spread isn’t actually that healthy.

Hearing this news got me thinking about my own favorite childhood snack: Jif peanut butter on Wonder bread, downed with a glass of milk. So I thought, why not create a “Peanutella” sandwich, and make it even better with bacon? Whatever your age, this “snackwich” is suitable any time of day when you’ve got a bacon craving, Nutella craving, or peanut butter craving. And if you happen to have all three going on at once, this sandwich is ideal!

It’s easy to throw together, especially since we know all you bacon fans keep massive amounts of pre-cooked bacon in your refrigerator. Pull a few slices out, nuke ‘em or eat ‘em cold if that’s your thing, and layer away. You don’t have to create this many stacks, but I had a hungry office to feed so I went big. Or, you can go even bigger. I recommend toasting the bread if you go any higher for ease of slicing.

Bacon, Nutella and Peanut Butter are a delicious trinity of salty, sweet and savory. I divvied it up into quarters and all who tried it found it to be a scrumptious, filling afternoon snack that tasted great with afternoon coffee. In retrospect, I should’ve gone bigger, but hey, there’s always next time!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon

It’s pretty obvious that bacon is the ultimate food when it comes to versatility. If you can eat it, you can probably add bacon to it. It’s that simple. But often times when people think of bacon, they think of the tried and true BLT – and there’s nothing wrong with that!

A good BLT will always be one of the best ways to enjoy bacon’s true flavors. So when International Bacon Day was inching its way up on the calendar, dedicating a recipe to that good ol’ BLT was a must. Naturally, deep frying came to mind.

But deep frying a whole sandwich can be tricky and since bacon day is about celebrating and sharing our love of bacon with ALL bacon lovers, the BLT was turned into a shareable bite that’s not only fun to make, but irresistibly delicious. This recipe literally is amaze-balls and awesome sauce.

Deep Fried BLT Bites Ingredients

MAKES 24 BITES

For the Batter:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup cup water
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 teaspoon baking powder
Oil for frying

For the Bites (Amaze-Balls!):
12 strips of bacon, cooked, cut in half
24 Grape Tomatoes, washed
1 head Romain Lettuce
24 Toothpicks

Honey Sriracha Mayo (Awesome Sauce!):
1/2 cup Mayo (or greek yogurt if you must)
1-2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce
1 Tablespoon honey

Cook the bacon: I used Firecracker Chili Bacon for these to give them a hint of spicy flavor. Line a baking sheet with foil and lay out the bacon strips. Place in oven, then heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake until bacon just starts to brown and crisp, about 17-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon. Do not over bake or it will be harder to wrap them around the tomatoes. Drain on paper towels, then cut in half.

Prepare the batter: Mix together flour, water, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the water until smooth. If the batter is too thick, add a little more water. Whisk in the baking powder. Set aside until ready to fry.

Make the mayo: Simply stir together all ingredients until well combined. You can use more or less of each ingredient to your taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Prepare the lettuce: Pick off and wash 3-4 of the larger outer leaves of the lettuce. Slice the leafy part into 24 1-inch wide strips. Try to avoid using pieces that have a lot of spine as it makes it harder to wrap around the tomato. Pat them dry.

Assemble the bites: Take one tomato and wrap it with a piece of lettuce. Then wrap 1/2 piece of bacon around the lettuce, secure with a toothpick. Repeat with remaining tomatoes.

Deep-fry the bites: Heat up oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Holding the toothpick, carefully dip each bite into the batter, spooning it over the top. I found that dipping the whole thing in will cause it to slide off the toothpick, but spooning the batter to cover the top worked just fine. Cook 2-4 at a time in hot oil until golden brown all around, flipping once (around 30 seconds per side). Transfer to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining bites.

Serve these tasty bites while they are warm with Honey Sriracha Mayo or any topping of your choice. Don’t know what to serve them with? I picked something that I would enjoy spread on a BLT sandwich.

Candy Bar Bacon Rice Crispy Treats

With International Bacon Day coming up on the first Saturday in September, we wanted to evolve our Bacon Rice Crispy Treats into a new beast. And the first thing that naturally comes to mind when it comes to bacon desserts is CHOCOLATE! So we thought, well, why not stuff these crunchy lil’ guys with chocolate candy bars! With a simple addition like that, we not only brought our bacon & chocolate game to a new level, we also added hints of buttery caramel and smooth peanut butter.

The great thing about these bars is that you can use any kind of chocolate bar you want. If you want to use whole size bars, all you have to do it cut them up into smaller pieces. So go wild and fulfill your bacon chocolate cravings with these gooey treats.

Candy Bar Bacon Rice Crispy Treats Ingredients

7 cups rice cereal
1 bag marshmallows
4 tbsp butter
1/2 cup bacon, cooked, chopped
1 bag Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Minis
1 bag Snickers Minis
1 bag Twix Minis
1 bag Rolos Minis

Instructions:

Lightly grease a 7×11 baking dish, set aside.

Mix together the Reese’s, Snickers, Twix, and Rolos.

In a large bowl, melt 4 Tablespoons butter and the marshmallows in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir in the chopped bacon.

Pour the cereal into the marshmallow mixture and stir until completely combined. Gently press half the cereal mixture into the buttered 7×11 pan.

Randomly place the candy pieces over the top of the rice crispies in the pan. Spoon the rest of the rice crispies over the top and press down gently. Let cool completely. Cut into squares.

Cheddar Bacon Stuffed Pretzel Buns

Is there anything better than a cheesy pretzel bun stuffed with bacon? Maybe if you added a honey dijon dipping sauce… These bacon buns are the ultimate comfort food. Don’t be daunted by the long ingredient list; the result is worth the work! Gather up these ingredients then head on over to Yammie’s Noshery for the full instructions. Be sure to follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest for more recipe inspiration.

Makes a dozen (adapted from this Auntie Anne’s Copycat Recipe)

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
1 1/2 tablespoons (2 packets) active dry yeast
6 tablespoons brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons fine salt
3/4 cup crumbled bacon
1 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese (I don’t remember if it was sharp or medium. Just whatever you like is fine.)
1/3 cup baking soda
2 cups warm water
Coarse salt
6 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
Chopped fresh herbs (I used oregano and parsley)

Crock pots recipes are usually associated with Fall and Winter, but summer is the ideal time to bust out the crock pot. Because really, who wants to spend a lot of time cooking when you could be outside enjoying the nice summer weather? You’ve got better things to do than slave over a hot stove! Let your crock pot free you up so you can enjoy the summer. These are our favorite slow cooker recipes that are ideal for beating the heat, from party dips to sandwiches and everything in between.

Appetizers:

Gruyere Bacon Dip

Slow Cooker Spicy Bacon Corn Dip

Crockpot Bacon-Wrapped Smokies

Bacon Cheeseburger Dip

Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Chex Mix

Side Dishes:

Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes

Slow Cooker Corn on the Cob

Crock Pot Potato Salad

Slow Cooker Smokehouse Baked Beans

Main Dishes:

Slow Cooker Seafood Gumbo

Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches

Turkey Bacon Avocado Sliders

BBQ Bacon Chicken Sliders

Raspberry Bacon Grilled Cheese

If you’re not adding bacon to your grilled cheese sandwiches, you’re doing it wrong! But hey, why not add some sweet raspberries in there while you’re at it? You can even add some raspberry jam for an ever sweeter, fruitier flavor. Yeah baby. Now we’re talking! Grilled cheese just got a bacony, fruity flavor upgrade. You’ll never go back to your boring old grilled cheese recipe after you try this!

Raspberry Bacon Grilled Cheese Ingredients

Bread slices
Sharp white cheddar cheese
Raspberries
Cooked bacon strips (add as many as you like)
Butter
Raspberry jam

Directions:

1. Butter outer slices of bread generously. Add jam to the inside of one slice and butter to the inside of the other slice of bread. Assemble bread, raspberries, cooked bacon strips and slices of sharp white cheddar cheese in your desired order for maximum yumminess.

2. Place a frying pan over medium heat. Cook sandwich for 2-3 minutes per side until bread is brown and crispy and cheese is melted. If needed, heat in the oven at 350 until cheese is melty and gooey. Devour and enjoy.

Despite much skepticism from office co-workers, this potato salad turned out delicious! It’s made with low-fat Greek yogurt to create a dressing that is thick and creamy, but healthier than a heavy mayonnaise-based dressing. Fresh herbs bring out the flavor of the caramelized pears and the gorgonzola cheese. And the addition of bacon adds layers of savory flavor, texture, and smoky saltiness.

It’s best to make this ahead of time and let the flavors meld in the refrigerator overnight. I also noticed that it mellowed out the strong flavor of the gorgonzola. Your favorite combo of fresh herbs can be added/substituted for the thyme.

Bacon Gorgonzola Potato Salad:

10-12 medium red potatoes
3 hard-boiled eggs, yokes only
1 pound bacon, chopped (I used Maplewood smoked bacon)
3 small pears, cored and finely chopped
1/4 cup mayo
1 1/2 cups low fat or fat free plain greek yogurt
1/2 – 3/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
2 tsp white wine vinegar
pinch of sugar
3 tsp onion powder/salt
1 1/2 tsp thyme (may sub other herbs)
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

1. Cook Potatoes: Scrub and cut your red potatoes into medium size chunks. Put in a large pot and fill with cold water, and a pinch of salt. Boil potatoes until tender, but not too soft. Drain, but don’t rinse. When you potatoes are done, pour them into a wide baking dish lined with paper towels to absorb the excess water.

2. Boil Eggs: Put the eggs in a pan filled with water, then turn the heat on. Once the water starts to boil, turn the burner off, leaving the pan on the hot burner. Cover and let sit for 12 minutes. Sprinkling a little baking soda and salt in the boiling water will help the eggs crack less and peel easier.

3. Cook Bacon: Chop your bacon into small-medium pieces then cook them in a large frying pan until desired crispiness. Transfer bacon onto paper towel-lined dish to drain. Leave the hot bacon grease in the pan.

5. Cook Pears: Wash and chop your pears into small chunks (be sure your chunks are smaller than your potatoes). Sauté your chopped pears in the hot bacon grease until they start to get soft. Set aside to drain on paper towels.

6. Mix Creamy Base: Peel the eggs and cut in half. Pop out the yolks, and toss them into a large mixing bowl with the gorgonzola, mayo, greek yogurt, vinegar, sugar, onion powder, fresh thyme/herbs, salt and pepper. Mix together until creamy. I personally do not like egg chunks in my potato salad so I did not put the whites into the salad, but if you want to include them, cut the rest of the egg whites into bite-size pieces, then set aside.

7. Add Chunks: Once the potatoes are cool, pour them into the creamy egg mixture along with the bacon and pear (add the egg whites if you are using them). Fold softly until combined. If you want, reserve a small amount of bacon bits to sprinkle over the top when serving. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Be sure to keep your potato salad cool so that it stays fresh.

The origin of the name “hushpuppy” is dubious. Some sites claim that it dates back to the Civil War, when soldiers would toss fried cornbread in order to silence dogs, or to “hush the puppies.” Others say that it originated when men went out on extended fishing trips. At night, as the men would fry up fish around the campfire, fried cornbread balls were given to quiet the begging, barking dogs so the men could enjoy their meal in peace and quiet.

Today, hushpuppies are a Southern cuisine staple that are traditionally served as a side dish. Whether you feed these to your dog is entirely up to you! We’ve added bacon to the traditional hushpuppy recipe and served them with a sweet and spicy dipping sauce that is heavy on the spicy. These delicious, savory cornmeal bites should become a comfort food staple in your recipe repertoire, regardless of where you live. Serve them up at your next summer shindig and render your guests speechless as they contemplate how something so simple can be so incredibly delicious.

Bacon Corn Hushpuppies:

I have a small deep fryer that I set to 350-375, but you can fill a deep pan or cast iron pot with a few inches of peanut or canola oil and heat on medium-high until it reaches 375 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal mix, flour, sugar and salt.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the creamed corn, yellow corn, sour cream, and egg. Add in the chopped bacon and green chilies stirring gently until just combined.

Whisk in your dry ingredients until smooth.

Prepare a baking sheet with paper towels, then top with a cooling rack (if you have one). This is where your hushpuppies will drain.

Using two spoons or a metal trigger ice cream scoop, carefully lower 5 to 6 dollops of batter into the hot oil, one at a time. Cook, flipping occasionally, until the hush puppies are a deep golden brown, approximately 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place onto the prepared baking sheet.

Continue with the remaining batter, returning the oil to 375 degrees F in between batches. Serve the hushpuppies immediately. Keep warm in a low oven, if necessary.

Honey Sriracha Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup honey

4 tablespoons buttermilk

2 – 4 tablespoons sriracha

1/2 – 1 tablespoon cayenne

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

Whisk together all ingredients until well blended. This sauce can be made customized to your preferred level of spiciness. I like things at a medium-high spicy level. I used 3 Tbsp sriracha and 1/2 Tbsp cayenne and I got a nice medium-spicy sauce. It’s best to start with less spice, as you can always add more. If you make it too spicy, just add a little more buttermilk and honey. I refrigerated my sauce overnight to let the sugars and spices blend together, but you don’t have to.

*I could not find self-rising cornmeal at my local grocer, and I already had all-purpose flour, so I searched the web for an easy fix (you can find these simple recipes on Food.com):

Self-Rising Cornmeal:

1 cup Cornmeal

1 tbsp Baking Power

1/2 tsp Salt

Self-Rising Flour:

1/2 cup all-purpose Flour

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

S’mores Bacon Pancakes

Did you know that International Pancake Day is on the same day as Shrove Tuesday, or more popularly know as Mardi Gras? Well, now you do, so don’t miss out. This year International Pancake Day is on Tuesday, February 9th. Pancakes are always amplified by bacon. It’s probably the perfect breakfast combination. Actually, we think bacon and pancakes are good at any time of the day. And let’s take things to the next level by mixing up this breakfast specialty with a dessert twist. We combined Boss Hog’s Maple Pancake Mix and Bacon Bits with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers to create these ooey gooey S’more Bacon Pancakes. Top these tasty hotcakes with more chocolate, graham, and marshmallows or even drizzle with maple syrup and dollop of whipped cream as well. Boss Hog’s Maple Bacon Pancake Mix has so much maple flavor, you probably don’t even need any syrup, but a little extra sweetness never hurt anyone *wink*.

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon

The Ultimate Cross-Country Road Trip for Bacon-Loving Foodies

So you want to embark on a cross-country road trip? Why not see all the sights and famous landmarks across the nation and eat some of the best bacon while you’re at it? Get your maps, gas up your car, grab your friends, pack up your bags, and head out on the open road to enjoy experiencing these bacon-loving capitals across the United States.

Newport, Oregon

Sure, Portland, Oregon, has made a name for itself over the years as a top dining destination and even more so as a beer drinker’s paradise. But we found Oregon’s delicious secret hiding out in the coastal city of Newport. The town is home to the famed Rogue brewery, which also happens to be where we found a delicious maple bacon beer. That’s right, maple bacon beer.

Rogue’s Maple Bacon Ale is bottled in a bright, pepto-like bottle and is emblazoned with a voodoo man. Why, you ask? This beer was the result of a partnership between Rogue and Portland’s Voodoo Doughnut, which has since expanded to other cities, including Denver and Austin, Texas. This beer basically tastes like a liquified maple bacon donut — and it’s awesome.

Austin, Texas

One word, five letters. You guessed right — it’s bacon! And, it’s also the name of a quaint, yellow-painted restaurant in Austin, Texas. Since 2011, Bacon has been serving up fresh, yet innovative homestyle meals and eats. Here, bacon lovers can order dishes like the drool-worthy biscuits and bacon gravy, served with two buttermilk drop biscuits and homemade bacon gravy; or the bacon waffle, made with crispy bacon baked right into the fluffy waffle. Other menu items include the:

• • Bacon salad
• • Bacon fries
• • Bacon Reuben
• • Bacon breakfast tacos

Let’s face it: You can’t travel to Austin without eating some breakfast tacos. In Austin, the saying goes, “Keep Austin Weird.” But we don’t think there’s anything weird about their love and appreciation for all things bacon.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

When you’re not feeling too hot, you visit the doctor. And when you’re craving a bacon-flavored pastry, you go to the Cupcake Doctor. Based in Colorado Springs, this cupcake shop turns out more than a dozen unique flavors on a daily basis. One of those flavors just happens to be the Maple Bacon. The cupcake is baked with bacon pieces and topped with a bacon brown sugar glaze, maple buttercream frosting and finished off with a bacon garnish. Keep your chocolate cupcakes and give us a box of these!

When it comes to planning your cross-country road trip, what else do you need besides a big appetite for bacon? Well, you’ll need to make sure your car is in good working order by checking the tread of your tires. In addition, plan ahead for the worst and pack a car-safety kit — equipped with flares and emergency supplies — just in case. Colorado Springs is known for experiencing inclement weather, so it’s best to be prepared.

New York, New York

New York is referred to as the Big Apple, but we think it should be called the Big Bacon. Why? Here, folks love their bacon. They love their bacon so much so that mixologists throughout Manhattan have dedicated their time and energy into procuring bacon-themed cocktails. From bacon bitters, garnishes and even bacon vodka, these bartenders know a thing or two about making delicious bacon-flavored drinks.

`Drinkers and bacon lovers alike can indulge in the BLT Mary at Cookshop, Bacon Old Fashioned at Recette, Bacon Martini from Double Down Saloon and Bacon Manhattan at Barley & Grain’s. But you must be 21 or older to imbibe. Sorry, kids.

Teriyaki Bacon Pineapple Rings

Bacon-wrapped pineapple is a pretty standard bacon recipe these days. And what’s not to love about a sweet, juicy piece of fruit wrapped with a piece of salty, delicious bacon? It’s just a fantastic combination. I hosted a family BBQ the other day and served teriyaki-marinaded skirt steak for the main dish. Teriyaki has always been a favorite among my family, and it reminded me just how versatile a Teriyaki marinade can be. I thought why not combine these two things together to give bacon-wrapped pineapple a much needed upgrade.

I knew before I made these that they would be good, but, oh man, did I underestimate just how amazing they would be. Once I was done snapping pictures, I sat down and ate the whole plate. They were SO good. I told myself that the next time I want to make burgers, I need to top them with these Teriyaki Bacon Pineapple Rings along with some guacamole or a few pieces of tempura-fried avocado.

Ingredients:

MAKES 4 RINGS
1 can sliced pineapple (about 8 slices)
8 slices of thin-cut bacon, uncooked
1 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
2 tsp. sesame oil
3 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Directions:

1. Stack two pineapple rings on top of each other, then carefully wrap them with bacon, stretching the strips if needed. It took 2 pieces of bacon to wrap around the whole ring. Repeat with the whole can of rings, this should get you 4 complete pieces.

2. Whisk together remaining ingredients to make a teriyaki marinade. Pour the marinade over the rings in an airtight container and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

3. Remove the rings from the marinade and barbecue on the grill over medium-low heat until the bacon is cooked and crispy on both sides. Cool for a couple minutes, then eat them up!

Bacon-Wrapped, Crab-Stuffed Watermelon

Bacon-Wrapped Grilled Corn on the Cob

Bacon Guacamole

Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon

Sriracha & Bacon Potato Salad

Macaroni Salad with Bacon

Baked Sweet Potato Chips with Blue Cheese and Bacon

Loaded Hasselback Baked Potatoes

Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Hot Dogs

Bacon Burgers with Grilled Onions

BBQ Bacon Sliders

Bacon S’mores Bars

Bacon Weave Apple Pie

Maple Bacon Bourbon Ice Cream

Bacon, Chocolate Chip Cookie & Ice Cream Sandwich

This recipe is from Santa Monica’s Pono Burger restaurant. Touted as one of Los Angeles’s best milkshakes, it combines vanilla ice cream, homemade salted caramel, and bacon. The salted caramel sauce is easy to whip up and doesn’t require a thermometer. This sweet, rich sauce can be used in other dessert recipes. Drizzle it over bacon brownies or add it to a homemade salted caramel frappucino.

This salty, sweet and savory dessert treat was created by Pono Burger’s head chef and owner, Windy “Makani” Gerardi. Makani blends her passion for burgers with the Hawaiian concept of “pono” or “doing things the right way.” A mom and wife, Chef Makani puts her heart into everything she does and believes that quality comes from that extra bit of love in every culinary creation. Be sure to visit Pono Burger the next time you are in Southern California to sample the best burgers and shakes in Los Angeles. Until then, beat the summer heat and make this “ono” shake at home.

Serves 1

1/4 cup Salted Caramel (see recipe below) + more for drizzling
3 scoops organic vanilla ice cream
3 teaspoons bacon bits (see recipe below)
Organic whipped cream, for topping

Add salted caramel, ice cream, and 2 teaspoons of bacon bits to a blender. Mix until combined.

Pour into a glass. Top with whipped cream, a drizzle of salted caramel, and remaining teaspoon of bacon bits.

Salted Caramel:

3 cups organic sugar
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups organic heavy cream
1 teaspoon organic vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Add sugar and water to a heavy-bottomed pot. DO NOT STIR! Bring to a boil and cook until chestnut brown in color. Remove from heat, and being careful not to burn yourself, add cream, vanilla, and salt. Stir and let cool to room temperature before using.

Bacon bits:

1 pound bacon

Heat griddle to 425 degrees F. Place bacon on griddle and cook until crisp, using a bacon press.

Remove from griddle and cool thoroughly. Place bacon on a cutting board and chop until in crumbles.

Copyright © 2015, Makani Carzino, www.ponoburger.com

Fire up the grill and don’t forget the bacon! These recipes take the hot dog to a new level, and a tasty level it is!

It’s no secret that Americans love hot dogs. Consider these hot dog stats:

– In 2015, consumers spent more than $2.5 billion on hot dogs in U.S. supermarkets.

– On July 4th, Americans will enjoy 150 million hot dogs, enough to stretch from D.C. to L.A. over five times.

– During Hot Dog Season, Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans typically consume 7 billion hot dogs or 818 hot dogs consumed every second during that period.

Americans love hot dogs so much, July has been designated “National Hot Dog” month. And bacon-wrapped hot dogs are becoming increasingly popular. Wrapping hot dogs in bacon adds a layer of flavor and texture and vastly increases the appeal of the hot dog.

The versatility of hot dogs also contributes to their popularity. When you think about all the combinations of various toppings, buns, dogs, and bacons, you could make hot dogs every day of summer and come up with something different each time.

These recipes will help you mix it up this summer and make sure your hot dog dishes are never dull and boring.

Chili Dog with Bacon Chili

Throw the ingredients for this bacon chili in the crock-pot before you head to work and dinner will come together in a flash.

Cheese Stuffed Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs

This recipe is for anyone doing Keto, thinking about Keto or just wanting a simple combination of cheese, bacon and dogs.  On top of that an easy 10 minute prep gives you time for all the other holiday tasks.

The Rico

The Spicy Chipotle Sauce whips up fast and really gives this recipe its zing. Make a double batch of sauce and use it on other favorite summer recipes like burgers, tacos and baked potatoes. A slightly sweet Gewurztraminer wine will balance out the spiciness of the dish.

The Sonoran

Creamy avocado, diced tomatoes, cilantro and pinto beans are the essential ingredients to this popular recipe. Serve it up with your favorite Mexican beer.

The Cowboy Hot Dog

It’s got BBQ sauce, white cheddar, bacon and spicy brown mustard. You don’t have to own a pair of cowboy boots to appreciate these bold flavors!

Hawaiian Dogs with Pineapple Salsa

These teriyaki dogs with pineapple salsa are served on a soft, sweet King’s Hawaiian bun. They’ll make you feel like you’re vacationing on a tropical island. Especially when served with Maui Brewing Co’s Coconut Porter or a Kona Pale Ale.

With only 3 ingredients, you can baconify one of your favorite candy bars: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Bacon, chocolate and peanut butter are a triple whammy of addictive, complimentary flavors.

We decided that a typical Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is way too small, so these ginormous cups are as big as the palm of your hand. The interior consists of peanut butter and whole bacon strips so you get a lot of salty, bacony flavor surrounded by a thick shell of sweet milk chocolate.

For those of you who prefer those dark chocolate or white chocolate Reese’s, feel free to use whatever chocolate you prefer. Enjoy!

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups with Bacon

Ingredients:

Three 11 oz. bags of Wilton milk chocolate melting wafers
One 11 oz. bag of Wilton peanut butter melting wafers
6 slices of bacon

Equipment needed:

3 ¼” mini-tart liners
Cupcake pan

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a cupcake pan and place 8 peanut butter wafers in each cup. Place in oven for 5 minutes or until wafers are melted. Use a toothpick to spread the peanut butter evenly over the bottom of each slot. Place in refrigerator to chill.

2. While peanut butter is cooling, melt the milk chocolate wafers in a double boiler. When peanut butter discs are cool, carefully remove them from the pan. Arrange the tart liners on a baking sheet or tray. Pour the melted milk chocolate into the tart liners, filling ¼ of the liner. Place the peanut butter discs on the melted chocolate and press down slightly.

3. Cut each strip of bacon so that it will cover the peanut butter. Do not let the bacon touch the edge. Add the rest of the milk chocolate so that it fills the tart liner.

4. Dice the remaining bacon strips finely for bacon bits and sprinkle on top. Place the tray in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes and devour.

Maple Bacon Donuts are all the craze right now and it’s not hard to see why. The combination of sweet maple syrup and crispy bacon is an undeniably delicious pairing. It’s like having a plate of syrup-coated pancakes and a side of bacon all in one tasty treat.

We took the idea of maple bacon donuts and created these Maple Bacon Donut Kabobs to make a party-friendly snack that’s fun to eat and easy to make. Plus, we think the ratio of bacon-to-donut favors bacon much more than those bacon donuts you’ll find at your local donut shop!

Impress your coworkers, friends, and family by making these Maple Bacon Donut Kabobs for your next work luncheon, birthday brunch, or breakfast-themed party. Use glazed donut holes for a more traditional maple bar flavor or get crazy and use chocolate-frosted donut holes to add a whole new level of rich flavor to your donut kabobs! We used Entenmann’s Glazed Pop’ems for our kabobs, but any donut holes will work.

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Maple Bacon Macaroons

These Maple Bacon Macaroons come from ANourishedAppetite.com and combine just the right amount of crispy bacon and sweet maple syrup in the traditional macaroon to give you a cookie that you don’t have to feel guilty about. California-based Blogger, Natalie, is dedicated to sharing recipes and tips on how to heal the body and feel nourished. Natalie’s Maple Bacon Macaroons remind her of dipping bacon in maple syrup and eating stacks of syrupy pancakes. It’s clear that Natalie was channeling our favorite breakfast meal when she made this recipe!

Natalie shares her own food journey that started when she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 7. Her motto is “loving yourself, one meal at a time”, and clearly dessert is included! You can follow her journey on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and look for more recipe inspirations on her Pinterest.

What You’ll Need

• Unsweetened Shredded Coconut
• Egg Whites
• Maple Syrup
• Vanilla Extract
• Sea Salt
• Gourmet Bacon

Celebrate National Maracoon day the bacon way on May 31st by visiting ANourishedAppetite.com for simple instructions on how to make these delicious cookies. She says “I hope for your sake you always have cooked bacon on hand because it really does make your day so much better!” You took the words right out of our mouths, Natalie!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Father’s Day is the day for dads to eat whatever the heck they want. And what do dads like to eat? Bacon. BBQ. Beer. Burgers. Brats. You get the idea. Basically, lots of food with lots of meaty, salty, cheesy, sugary calories. We’ve rounded up the best bacon dishes to make for Dad on his special day.

Breakfast.

Sticky Bacon Buns

Mancakes with Whiskey Maple Syrup

Guinness & Bacon Waffles

Appetizers.

Bacon-Wrapped Onion Rings with Sriracha Sauce

Triple Bacon Meatballs

Sweet Bacon Tator Tots

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Main Dishes.

Bacon-Weave Pizza

The ‘Murica Burger

Bacon Fries

BBQ Bacon-Wrapped Chicken

Pulled Pork the Wright Sauce Way

Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

Desserts.

Bacon, Beer and Potato Chip Cookie Bars

Bacon Bourbon S’mores

Chocolate Stout Cupcakes with Bacon

Maple Candied Bacon

Loaded Maple Bacon Donut “Fries”

Maple Bacon Brownies

Throwing the Ultimate Bacon-Themed Party

Throw the most delicious party ever — make your soiree bacon-themed. This tasty breakfast food is incredibly versatile and can be celebrated in a number of ways. You can incorporate bacon into your party through foods, beverages, decor and activities. Bacon is an all-ages theme, which can be enjoyed by both adults and kids. With a little creativity, you can throw a tasty and unforgettable event. Here are some tips on how you can throw the ultimate bacon-themed bash:

Food

The main food ingredient of the party is a no brainer: bacon! This food has a number of flavor properties that lend well to other fancy foods. Your catering can include savory delights, like bacon-wrapped dates, bacon-wrapped scallops, bacon-wrapped grilled asparagus and cheesy bacon jalapeno poppers. For sweets, look into making bacon candy bars, toasted cashew and bacon brittle, chocolate-covered bacon turtles, bacon topped donates and candied bacon. Since bacon glistens with grease, make sure you have plenty of napkins and wet wipes for your guests. You can also make all your bacon foods bite-sized, so they can be served on a small skewer or appetizer pick.

Drinks

Toast to bacon, with a bacon-infused cocktail. Bacon vodka is widely available and can be found at most liquor stores. Check out bakonvodka.com to see which retailer, near you, carries this delectable spirit. You can create delicious Bloody Mary’s, margaritas, maple-bacon martinis, pickled bacon martinis, chocolate bacon cocktails, bacon l’orange and blt martinis. If you’re more of a whiskey drinker, you’re in luck — there is also a bacon-flavored bourbon on the market. This unique bourbon is distilled by Ol’ Major in Tennessee and can be enjoyed on the rocks or even as an old fashioned.

Decor

Your bacon party decor can be as literal or abstract as you’d like. You can utilize farm decorations for your party, since bacon comes from pigs. Hay bales as seating, troughs as drink coolers, and farm signs — you get the idea. You can also post up some humorous bacon signage, like “Keep Calm and Eat Bacon,” “Join The Bacon Party,” and “Either You Like Bacon Or You’re Wrong.” Create bacon garland that you can hang from the ceiling or the walls. You can create the garland out of construction paper or you can print out colored images of bacon strips. Really amp up your decor game and hang a bacon or pig pinata. You can fill the pinata with bacon-flavored candies or coupons for bacon products at your local butcher.

Activities

In addition to eating and enjoying various bacon culinary delights, there are bacon-themed activities for your guests. Have some cooked bacon on hand, where you and your friends can create bacon art. Utilize large sheets of butcher paper and have teams come up with a work of art, where their only tool is bacon. You could also use the butcher paper and bacon for a game of Pictionary — where teams must create images with bacon as visual clues. Keep the kids entertained with some breakfast-themed word puzzles. The puzzles will keep them engaged and busy, while also incorporating the bacon theme. Have a bacon tasting session where everyone can try different cuts and types of bacon. You can judge the bacon by its seasoning, flavor, texture and overall quality. Print out judge sheets for your guests so they can rate and keep track of their favorite bacon varieties.

Best Bacon Burger Recipes

According to an article on PreparedFoods.com, the rise in beef prices has forced food services to alter their menus to adjust for the increased cost of making burgers. You’ll now find a larger selection of healthier vegetarian and alternative protein patties displayed on the menus of your favorite burger joints. But not all food services are trying to go healthy. This increase in cost has also given way to a more savory kind of burger, the bacon burger.

Due to high cost of beef and low cost of pork products, many popular food services are now combing that savory, seductive pork product into their burgers to offset extra costs of beef. And as bacon-lovers, we are reaping all of the benefits! Bacon burgers are more popular than ever, and with good reason: everyone loves bacon! Even fast food places  are servings up bacon burgers. To celebrate Hamburger Day on May 28th, we’ve put together this list of the Best Bacon Burger Recipes that mix that meat-candy inside the patty or display it proud and loud right on top. Which burger will you be celebrating Hamburger Day with?

Bacon Guacamole Sausage Burger

Stuffing the burgers with guacamole delivers the “wow” factor and the sausage patty is a porktastic twist on a traditional beef burger.

Bacon Peanut Butter Burger

While it might sound too weird at first, peanut butter is actually the perfect complement to bacon and burgers! It’s creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor counterbalances bacon’s salty crispiness.

The Ultimate BBQ Bacon Burger

Burgers are such a great dish, because you can put anything – and everything – on them. This burger loaded up with tons of smoky, spicy flavors to create the perfect excuse to throw a bacon barbecue.

Candied Bacon Cinnamon Roll Burger

We’ve all seen bacon cinnamon rolls, but how often do you see them cooked on the bbq and used as buns for a cheeseburger? Not very often.

Tony Roma’s Steakhouse Burger

This gourmet burger is made with rosemary bacon, Havarti cheese, and a red wine reduction sauce that you have to taste to believe.

Pub 1842 Peanut Butter Bacon Crunch Burger

This playful riff on the cheeseburger combines creamy peanut butter, salty bacon and crunchy potato chips to pack a surprising one-two crunch that is hard to forget.

The Hanover Inn Bacon Cheeseburger

The chipotle pepper mayo is addictive and gives the burger a spicy kick. The extra crispiness that’s added by the fried onions is a great addition to this juicy burger.

Chef Robert Burmeister’s Reuben Cuban Bacon Burger

This recipe comes from Chef Robert Burmeister of Staten Island. Rob is a fellow bacon enthusiast who claims to “bleed bacon.” He even has a series of cool T-shirts and a pork-inspired tattoo to prove it. He’s been Executive Chef at local Staten Island restaurants Harvest Cafe, Chow Gourmet, and Edible Productions, Inc. and owns catering company The Culinary Renegade Events & Catering. Chef Rob is also an award winning Chili, Salsa, Burger, Chili Verde and BBQ Pulled Pork Champ, so there’s no doubt that this recipe is gunna be awesome.

Rob and his pork creations have been on Cutthroat Kitchen, Chopped, Next Pork Personality and starting Sunday, May 22nd, he will be a contestant on the 12th season of Food Network Star. That’s right, not only is he a Bacon Freak, but he’s also an up-and-coming Food Network Star. All through this season of Food Network Star, we can look forward to seeing him keep the spirit of bacon alive through the power of his culinary magic. Chef Burmeister and twelve other talented culinary hopefuls will be put through the ringer this season, battling it out in challenges that not only test their kitchen skills but also their on-camera chops, to find out who has the talent and charisma to follow in Giada De Laurentiis’ and Bobby Flay’s footsteps and win the ultimate prize: their own Food Network show.

You can keep up with Robert’s culinary adventures by following him on Facebook and Twitter. Be sure to tune in Sunday nights at 8/7c to see how he progresses in becoming a Food Network Star. The Food Network Star season twelve winner will be crowned on Sunday, July 31st at 9pm ET/PT. We’re rooting for you, Rob! Best bacon wishes!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Potato Chip Fried Bacon

Here at Bacon Today, we spend a lot of time thinking about what sweet dessert we can enjoy our bacon with. It’s not very often that our brains are thinking about what salty foods we can add bacon too, since we’re usually munchkin on some crispy salty bacon. But today is a little different. We got that super-salty craving and found the perfect thing to satisfy it when we were browsing recipe over at OhBiteIt.com.

Her recipe for Potato Chip Fried Bacon was exactly what our mouths wanted, and we knew that there’d be other bacon freaks out there who needed this recipe in their life. Creator of OhBiteIt.com has this to say about her crazy creation:

“Sometimes I just have to laugh~ a soft, almost creepy kind of laugh all to myself, at the fact that I’m not the least bit ashamed of this crazy combo!

I mean..yes, I’m the one who chose to fry this Bacon in a thick coating of umm..Potato Chips… But that doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m crazy, right??! Just imagine, crispy bacon with a crunchy, salty, and toast coating of our favorite potato snack.”

This recipe only takes a little bit of time to make, but it takes a strong will not to gobble up all that delicious bacon before you get it nice and coated in salty chips.

Ingredients You Will Need:

Gourmet Bacon
Potato Chips, crinkled is best
Eggs
Flour
Oil for frying

What are you waiting for? Gather up your bacon and ingredients, then head on over to OhBiteIt.com for simple instructions on how to create these salty, crispy food masterpieces. And if you want to take these dad boys to the next level, drizzle some melted semi-sweet or dark chocolate over them for an extra layer of deliciousness.

Best Bacon Recipes For Mother’s Day:

Maple Bacon Waffle Bake

Chocolate Strawberry Bacon Pancakes

Easy Potato and Bacon Breakfast Casserole

Maple Bacon Scones

Bacon, Egg and Toast Cups

Bacon and Onion Quiche

Bacon Grilled Cheese

Bacon Mac’n Cheese

Candied Bacon and Strawberry Pizza

Basil, Bacon and Peach Baked Brie

Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies

Bacon, White Chocolate and Macadamia Nut Cupcakes

Bourbon Bacon Brownies

Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

Whipped Vodka Candied Bacon

Pancakes ‘N Bacon Cookies

Bacon Margarita Cupcakes

Cinco de Mayo is the perfect day to over-indulge in yummy Mexican food. Chips, salsa, guacamole , Margaritas, and… cupcakes? Well sure, if they’re Margarita cupcakes. We recently discovered this terrific recipe from the Brown-Eyed Baker blog and decided to try it out for this year’s Cinco de Mayo festivities. And of course, we had to improve it by adding BACON! Because bacon does indeed make everything better.

Just what exactly makes a cupcake a Margarita cupcake? Tequila! And lime. Tequila is added to the batter and the frosting, and is also brushed onto the cooked cupcakes to infuse them with even more tequila flavor (or to increase the alcohol content). Depending on how boozy you want these cupcakes to be, you could certainly choose to omit any of these steps.

Lime juice and lime zest are added to the frosting which give these their Margarita flavor. The star ingredient is the bacon (of course). You could add cooked, chopped bacon bits to the batter, or top the cupcakes with bacon sprinkles. Or, do both (as we did)! Bacon is the perfect addition for those who don’t like a super-sweet cupcake. Adding bacon makes ‘em sweet and savory. We also added cayenne pepper to the batter to give the cupcakes a hint of spice. Use a jalapeno or chipotle bacon if you like a lot of heat!

For the tequila, we used a Silver Tequila, but you can substitute your favorite brand. So bake these up for your next Mexican-themed party and watch them get devoured! But trust us, they are so moist and delicious, you’ll want to make them year-round.

Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes

*Ingredients:*

*For the Cupcakes:*

4 pieces cooked, crumbled bacon
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
Zest and juice of 1½ limes
2 tablespoons tequila
¼ teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
1 pinch cayenne pepper (to taste)

*For the Tequila-Lime Frosting:*

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons tequila
Cooked and crumbled bacon
Pinch of coarse salt

*Directions:*

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper liners.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the butter and sugar together until pale, light, and fluffy (about 5 minutes).
4. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
5. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the lime zest, lime juice, bourbon vanilla extract, cayenne pepper and tequila. Mix until combined. (The mixture may start to look curdled at this point, but don’t worry).
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the dry ingredients in three batches, alternating with the buttermilk in two batches. Mix only until just incorporated, using a rubber spatula to give it one last mix by hand. Stir in the cooked bacon pieces.
7. Divide the batter between the muffin cups. Bake for approximately 25 minutes or until just slightly golden and a skewer shows only moist crumbs attached.
8. Allow cupcakes to cool for 5 to 10 minutes, and then remove to a cooling rack. Brush the tops of the cupcakes with tequila. Set the cupcakes aside to cool completely before frosting them.
9. To make the frosting, whip the butter on medium-high speed of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment for 5 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, and gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing and scraping the sides of the bowl until all is incorporated. Mix on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add the lime juice, tequila and salt and mix on medium-high speed until incorporated and fluffy. If the frosting appears too soft, add one additional teaspoon of sugar at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frost cupcakes and garnish with bacon bits and lime zest. Enjoy!

Bacon Jams BLT Pasta Salad

Here’s another awesome recipe from The Bacon Jams! This Bacon Jams Pasta Salad has all the delicious flavor of a BLT sandwich, but in a pasta salad. It’s the perfect dish to bring to a summer BBQ, picnic or potluck. For Mother’s Day, Father’s Day or 4th of July celebrations, get ready to get asked repeatedly for the recipe. With only 5 ingredients, it whips up in a snap. We add cooked, chopped bacon, but with the Bacon jams Red Chile & Garlic jam, there’s already plenty of bacon flavor in here! That’s because the Bacon Jams are made with 100% real hickory smoked bacon. Get yours here and make this amazing pasta salad today!

Bacon Dishes for Game of Thrones Parties

Do you love Game of Thrones? Do you love bacon? Of course you do. You are awesome! Want to mix two of your favorite things and throw an amazing GOT season premiere party? Then keep reading. The idea of GOT having its own cuisine isn’t as crazy as it sounds, especially to those who have read the books. Take a look at all the mentions of food in the GOT novels. There’s also a GOT food blog, a GOT cookbook, and there’s even a GOT food truck.

When planning a GOT menu, think hearty, stick-to-your bones English, Irish and medieval fare. Recipes should incorporate ingredients that would appeal to peasants and kings alike; gamey meats like quail or venison, bacon and sausages, root vegetables, potatoes, figs, dates, cheeses, and hearty breads and flaky pastries. Add some mead, stout, hard cider or mulled wine and you’ve got yourself a feast fit for King Joffrey’s wedding!

Main Dishes:

Pork Roast Stuffed with Bacon & Black Mission Figs

Bacon Bird with Turkey Neck Gravy

Roman-style Tenderloin with Bacon and Sage

Beef, Bacon and Mushroom Pie with Dark Ale

Guinness Irish Beef Stew

Bacon-Wrapped Venison Tenderloin

Side Dishes & Appetizers:

Roasted Potatoes and Pearl Onions with Bacon

Turnips with Bacon and Pickled Mustard Seeds

Medieval White Beans and Bacon

Collard Greens Gratin with Bacon

Blue-Cheese Stuffed, Bacon-Wrapped Dates

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Hazelnuts

Desserts & Drinks:

Bacon-Infused Mead

Bread Pudding with Pears and Bacon

Chocolate Stout & Bacon Skillet Brownies

The Bacon Addict Movie

As a bacon fan, have you ever wondered what life would be like if you truly were addicted to bacon? The upcoming film “The Bacon Addict” is a ridiculously comedic look at what could happen if a man was really addicted to bacon. It features plenty of off-the-wall humor including bacon hoarding and a wonderfully cheesy love story.

“The Bacon Addict” is currently on Indiegogo.com and needs some help from our bacon fans to bring it to completion. The film is currently in post-production. One of the final steps in completing the film will be to secure funding for the music licensing in the sound tracks. Then it’s on to film festivals for “The Bacon Addict”!

Brought to you by Documanda Productions, the film stars JP Gerner, Chelsea McGinty and Sean Wallace. This is the first short film endeavor from writer/producer team Jonathan Schaade and Amanda Young. Check out the trailer below and then visit Indiegogo.com for more info on “The Bacon Addict” and your opportunity to score some sweet “Bacon Addict” film swag with your support.

Even if you can’t contribute financially, there are other ways to help. If you like what you see here, please spread the word about The Bacon Addict on your various social media outlets. Talk to your friends who love Bacon (probably pretty much all of them) and let them know how you are supporting a hilarious comedy short film about your one true love: BACON! Because we bacon addicts need to stick together and help each other out. Right? Right!

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Recipe videos have become incredibly popular over the last year, and for good reason. It’s easy to watch a video and determine if it’s something you’d like to make. And if you decide to make it, all you have to do is follow along with the video instructions. One of our favorite video channels is The Backyard BBQ Show on YouTube. The Backyard BBQ Show is all about teaching you how to make delicious BBQ in your backyard. They show all the steps of their recipes from start to finish with detailed information that is easy to understand, and they include all the tips and tricks you’ll need. They also include information on barbecue tools, suggestions for sauces and rubs, and so much more to help anyone barbecue better. So gather up these ingredients and then watch this video to learn how to make this Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts. Be sure to check out their channel or web page for more delicious bacon-filled BBQ recipes!

8 slices bacon
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced
1/4 green pepper, sliced
grated parmesan cheese
seasoning to taste

Fried Chicken and Bacon Poutine

When we find a food blog that we know our readers will love, we just have to share it. Realfoodbydad.com is devoted to the creation of easy-to-make, everyday meals, snacks and desserts that are perfect for busy families. Blogger Matt Robinson also shares his adventures of being a husband, dad and coach. This Fried Chicken and Bacon Poutine recipe recently caught our eye and knew we had to share it with our fans. Poutine is reaching epic popularity lately, and for good reason. Poutine is a classic Canadian dish made up of french fries, cheese curds and gravy. It’s the ultimate comfort food! And when you add fried chicken and bacon, it reaches epic levels of deliciousness. Don’t be daunted by the long ingredient list, the results are definitely worth the time. Be sure to follow Matt on Facebook and Instagram for more recipe inspiration.

Introducing Bacon Freak’s New Cookbook “Bacon Freak Cookbook: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast”

Baconfreak.com, the Internet’s #1 bacon super store, announces the debut of their new bacon cookbook in partnership with Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.! Los Angeles, CA – June, 2016.

BaconFreak.com, the company that exists to bring their customers into bacon heaven, has announced the release of their new cookbook, “Bacon Freak: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast”, from Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. Bacon Freak’s creative team serves up a book filled with 50 mouthwatering recipes, fun infographics, booze pairings, information on cooking bacon perfectly, and a list of must-visit bacon festivals and food trucks.

The book states that “‘Bacon Freak’ is a cookbook for today’s bacon fan. There are no limits when it comes to creatively cooking with bacon and with bacon’s soaring success, we’ve proved that pigs really can fly. Bacon makes all foods better, and because food is life, bacon makes life better, too.” The team at BaconFreak.com developed these recipes with the sole-purpose of enjoying bacon and life together as one, because to a bacon freak, bacon is life. You won’t find any fancy-pants recipes in this book, just flavorful dishes developed by bacon lovers, for bacon lovers.

Some of the mouthwatering recipes you’ll find in this book include: Bacon Weave Chorizo Breakfast Burrito, Mocha Latte Bacon Pancakes, Bacon Citrus Salad, Bourbon and Bacon Sweet Potatoes, Bacon-Wrapped Fried Ravioli, Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Meatballs, Maple Bacon Macarons and Bourbon Bacon Pecan Bars. Each recipe is ranked for difficulty on a scale from 1 to 5 so you can find recipes that suit your comfort level.

This book truly has everything you need to get your bacon freak on! “Bacon Freak: 50 Savory Recipes for the Ultimate Enthusiast” is set to be released on November 1, 2016 and pre-orders will begin in October 2016.

About BaconFreak.com: Bacon Freak is known for its selection of more than 50 different varieties of gourmet bacon. Known as “the only bacon you can fry naked,” when you cook a pound of Bacon Freak bacon, you get a pound of bacon! Their products have been featured in People, Maxim, Sports Illustrated, Food Network Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Comfort Food, 805 Living, Glamour and Inc. Magazines.

If there’s one thing that we might love more than bacon, it’s a huge pile of steaming chili cheese fries. The combination of spicy chili, melty cheese, and crispy french fries is pretty irresistible in our book. Not to mention that its super easy to add bacon to these now matter where you are, if you have a packet of bacon bits handy! But sometimes it’s just so hard to eat them without making a big mess. So, we gave this awesome meal an upgrade by turning it into a portable, single-serve snack. With only a handful of ingredients and a little bit of time, you’ll be eating these bacon and cheese loaded Bacon Chili Cheese Tater Tot Cups in no time at all. Make these tater cups as your next afternoon snack or as a flavor-packed appetizer at your next gathering.

From The World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

These recipes were submitted by one of our super bacon fans. Staff Sergeant Brian Morelli has been in the Army for 12 years. He has deployed to Iraq twice and works as a Cyber Warfare Specialist.

As if that’s not impressive enough, he also enjoys making homemade mozzarella and growing fresh herbs and vegetables in his garden. You know, in his spare time, when he’s not out making the world a better, safer place. Yeah, we’re crushin’ on Brian. Just a little.

Brian has shared three of his favorite ways to cook with bacon on a stick.

Who doesn’t love a good “on a stick” recipe? And bacon on a stick represents the very best of the “on a stick” possibilities. These recipes are all perfect for football season. You’ll need some tasty bacon for these ideas, so grab some bacon here.

Let’s take a look at three ways to use bacon on a stick to make some amazingly delectable meals.

1. Deep Fried Chicken and Waffles on a Stick

Brian says, “Take a deep-fried, boneless chicken breast strip, wrap it in bacon and dip it in pancake batter with a maple syrup drizzle.”

We say that deep fried loveliness looks even more delicious slathered in honey.

2. Bacon-Wrapped Corn Dog on a Stick

Brian says, “It’s a bacon-wrapped hot dog dipped in corn bread batter, then deep-fried. I add curried ketchup.”

Brian, you had us at deep-fried, but you truly won us over with curried ketchup.

3. Bacon and Mozzarella on a Stick

Brian says, “I use my homemade mozzarella, wrapped in bacon and bread crumbs. I serve it with a homegrown Roma tomato and basil bruschetta. I grew the veggies and herbs in my garden and made the cheese from scratch.”

Many thanks to Brian for these fantastic submissions!

OMG that’s a lot of bacon! *Swoon*

Bacon and Egg Fat Bombs

This recipe is from KetoDietApp.com, your source for keto-friendly recipes. A keto diet is a low-carb diet, so keto recipes often use lots of low-carb bacon. Like this Bacon and Egg Fat Bombs recipe! This is an ideal recipe to make on Easter Sunday. You can make dyed Easter eggs for the kids, and make these fat bombs for the adults. Made with only 6 ingredients, these are fairly easy to make and are a real crowd-pleaser. They’d be great as an appetizer for any party or game day event. They’re a great alternative to deviled eggs with bacon for those who are looking for something a bit more creative and unusual. The recipe below serves 6 but can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled depending on how many you are serving.

Baconfreak.com, the Internet’s #1 bacon super store, announces the debut of Bacon Soft Caramels! Los Angeles, CA – November, 2015: Bacon Freak, the company that coined the phrase “Bacon is Meat Candy”, has announced the launch of their new “meat candy” item in partnership with Dallas Caramel Company in Dallas, TX. These Bacon Soft Caramels are an experience bacon lovers won’t want to miss! Sink your teeth into these soft, buttery caramels, bursting with the flavor of 100% real bacon pieces.

“The popular opinion is that everything is better with a little bacon,” said Rain McDermott, creator of Dallas Caramel Company. “We thought we’d try and see if the conventional wisdom applies to caramel—and it does! We use real pieces of bacon and fold it into our bacon caramel. And don’t think for a second we skip out on adding just a bit of flavor-packed bacon fat.”

Rain McDermott started the Dallas Caramel Company in 2007 to satiate her curiosity: could she make delicious caramel that would satisfy her sweet tooth? And the answer was yes! In 2012, Rain opened her doors and began taking orders and now has a full line of hand-crafted caramels, including these little pieces of bacon caramel heaven. Her caramels have been described as bold, unapologetically delicious, and with flavor as big as Texas. You can order a 1/2 pound bag of Bacon Soft Caramels at BaconFreak.com.

About BaconFreak.com: Bacon Freak is known for its selection of more than 50 different varieties of gourmet bacon. Known as “the only bacon you can fry naked,” when you cook a pound of Bacon Freak bacon, you get a pound of bacon! Their products have been featured in People, Maxim, Sports Illustrated, Food Network Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, Comfort Food, 805 Living, Glamour and Inc. Magazines. Their upcoming “Bacon Freak” Cookbook will be published by Sterling publishing in 2016.

There are so many side dishes in existence, that it’s nearly impossible to choose which dish to enhance with bacon’s versatile flavors. Since we couldn’t decide for ourselves, we combined two of our favorites: creamed corn and black bean salad.

The corn, peppers, and cilantro add a brightness to the dish, while the cream cheese and black beans bring a hearty, creaminess to the dish. And, of course, the crispy gourmet bacon adds a whole new level of textures and flavors.

We’re pretty sure that when you bring this to your next gathering, everyone is going to begging for more. So in that case, you might want to make a double batch!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

So make up a batch or two of this awesome bacon and take it to the bar with you tonight when you’re out celebrating. You’ll be the most popular person at the pub. We guarantee it!

Green Guinness® Beer-Battered Bacon

1 package thick-cut bacon
7 oz. Guinness® Draught Beer
1 ½ cups flour
1 heaped Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp green liquid food coloring

Line an edged baking sheet with foil. Lay the bacon strips on the sheet, then place in the oven. Heat the oven to 375° F and cook for 13 minutes. When done, transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain excess grease. You can cut the bacon into smaller pieces if you’d like.

Heat 2-3 inches of oil in a deep fryer or skillet to 350° F.

Pour beer into a mixing bowl, then whisk in the flour, baking powder, salt, pepper, and green food coloring until smooth and frothy. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes.

Cut each strip in half, then coat each piece in the batter. Fry for about 2-4 minutes, turning once halfway. Place cooked pieces onto a cooling rack or another paper towel-lined plate. Serve warm with GUINNESS® Draught Beer Glaze.

Guinness® Draught Beer Glaze:
7oz of Guinness® Draught
2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup honey

Pour all ingredients into a medium saucepan and combine with a whisk. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 25 minutes or until reduced to half of original amount.
Glaze will thicken as it cools.

Guinness beer, with its chocolatey flavor and coffee undertones, is the perfect addition to chocolate waffles. This hearty stout gives the waffles a deeper chocolate flavor. And the Guinness Chocolate Sauce and the Guinness Whipped Cream are out of this world! With candied bacon mixed into the waffle batter, it just doesn’t get any better than this. Enjoy, bacon fans!

Chocolate Guinness Bacon Waffles

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. salt
4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup Guinness Draught
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup candied bacon, chopped

Directions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda and brown sugar.

In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, milk, and beer. In medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and vanilla extract. Slowly pour the beer mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly until fully combined.

Slowly pour the beer-egg mixture into the flour mixture, whisking until all dry ingredients have been incorporated. There will be a few lumps. Gently stir in the chopped candied bacon.

Preheat your waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s directions and lightly, and evenly, grease it with cooking spray. Pour a portion of the batter into the heated waffle iron and cook to desired doneness. Top the waffles with your favorite waffle toppings. Here are a few suggestions:

Guinness Chocolate Sauce

6 oz. Guinness Draught
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Whisk ingredients together, bring to a boil, reduce and simmer for 20 minutes.

Chocolate Guinness Whipped Cream

1 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
2-3 Tbsp. Guinness Draught

Put your mixing bowl and whisk or beaters in the refrigerator. Make sure your cream and beer is cold, don’t let them sit out too long.

Pour the cream into the mixing bowl and whisk/beat until slightly thick. Add the sugar, cocoa powder, and Guinness. Whisk/beat until soft peaks form. Serve immediately.

Bacon Jams S’mores

This recipe is from TheBaconJams.com. If you’re wondering what Bacon Jams are, we’re glad you’re here! Because as a bacon fan, Bacon Jams are an essential item in your kitchen. Available in 3 different varieties, Bacon Jams are delicious spreads made with real bacon that can be used in an endless variety of ways.

Incorporate them into burgers, sandwiches, pasta dishes, potato dishes, breakfast dishes and dessert recipes like these Bacon Jams S’mores. The sweetness of the All Original Bacon Jams compliments the sweetness of the traditional s’mores recipe. After one bite of this awesome dessert, you’ll call them S’mmmmmmmores! Y

ou can make this dessert at home or on a camping trip. Bacon Jams are so easy to take on a camping trip and for adding bacon to your campfire meals. Stock up on Bacon Jams here.

From The World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

Best Bacon Dishes in Los Angeles

Crispy, salty and smoky: the mere image of bacon is enough to induce salivation and cravings for the tasty pork treat that defies your taste buds. Whether topped on hamburgers, dipped in maple syrup or sprinkled on salads, you love bacon. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the average American eats nearly 18 pounds of it every year.

But Bacon passion extends beyond the kitchen and into technology. There are bacon-themed apps you can download, such as Wake Up & Smell the Bacon, which rouses sleepers with the smell of crackling bacon, and Sizzl, which is a dating app for bacon lovers.

Bacon has inspired everything from food blogs to cross-country road trips in search of the perfect bacon dish. If you’re traveling to Los Angeles, which has a variety of multicultural dining influences, it is home to some of the best bacon meals in the country. Use your Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge’s 16-megapixel camera to share mouthwatering photos on Instagram and its GPS capabilities to find the seven bacon-worthy restaurants below:

Maple Bacon Donut at Nickel Diner

This sweet and salty beauty is what the restaurant calls its “morning celebrity,” and Foursquare users agree. Notching the top spot on Foursquare’s 2016 list of best places in LA to get bacon, Nickel Diner’s Foursquare fans swear by this round confection.

Bacon Quesadilla at Grub

It’s OK to do crack at Grub, as the restaurant’s self-proclaimed “legal high” comes in the form of a savory, sweet and spicy bacon dish. It is covered in gooey cheddar cheese, wrapped with roasted onions and covered in an apple pear drizzle in a spinach tortilla. It has received raves on TripAdvisor because it is highly addictive.

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp at Más Malo

Bacon plus shrimp plus tortillas equals paradise, according to The Huffington Post, which named the Ensenada-style bacon-wrapped shrimp one of its top bacon picks. Habanero, cream, shallots and lemon juice add to the dish, which you can eat taco-style or in a burrito.

Bacon and Eggs Pizza at Pizzeria Mozza

Bacon and eggs finds new meaning at Pizzeria Mozza, which pairs the classic combo with Yukon gold potatoes and Bermuda onions on one of its most popular pies. CBS Los Angeles calls it one of the best spots in LA to satiate your bacon craving. The pizzeria also has several other bacon pizza options as well as a bacon side you can add to any dish.

Duck and Bacon Sausage at Wurstküche

Worlds collide as bacon meets duck at Wurstküche, a German restaurant featuring exotic flair. Foursquare fans call the meal a must-have, as the flavors combine to create a match made in heaven.

Bacon Chocolate Bar With Salt and Pepper Ice Cream at Animal

Yelp users call this dessert “ridiculous,” as in ridiculously good. The innovative dish blends mouthwatering bacon with hazelnuts, crispy wafers and chocolate. The cool cream pairs wonderfully with the spicy pepper, making it a dessert to savor.

Bacon Bacon Mac at Beer Belly

You know there’s going to be bacon in every bite when it’s mentioned twice in the dish, and the Bacon Bacon Mac doesn’t disappoint. Beer Belly takes ingredient creation to a new level with its housemade bacon cheese whiz, which is paired with Tillamook cheddar, Swiss cheese, bacon bits and a bacon weave to make it beautifully delicious. Pair it with some bacon fat fries, which Yelp users say has “everything about bacon that you love,” including bacon fat, fried bacon bits, arugula, chili morita and maple vinegar dip. Now you’ve achieved bacon nirvana.

Irish Bacon is the most popular cut of bacon in the British Isles. Unlike American bacon which is made from just the pork belly, Irish bacon is cut to also include the loin. But since cut of bacon is new to some of us, we wanted to make sure you have a tasty recipe to make with it!

Saint Patrick’s Day celebrations began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland,and has since turned into a world-wide celebration of Irish culture. To celebrate that, we’ve put together this smoky, crispy Fried Irish Bacon with Bacon Cabbage Slaw recipe.

The crispness and acidity of the slaw compliments amazingly with the crunchy juicy flavors of the fried Irish bacon. If you don’t consider Irish bacon “real” bacon, don’t worry, there’s American bacon in the cabbage slaw, too. Sláinte mhaith!

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon.

This is the world famous, internationally beloved PIG SOWSE! This is not a novelty sauce that disappoints your taste buds, this is the real deal. Porcus Infernum is a versatile and delicious hot sauce with mild heat, bacon flavor and mild sweetness.

This “Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner” sauce can be used on anything to add hot hot heat and bacon flavor! It tastes great on scrambled eggs, pulled pork sandwiches, wings, ribs and so much more. The possibilities are endless. It even makes the world’s best Bloody Mary better!

Voodoo Chile Sauces exists to entertain your taste buds. What separates them from the pack is their relentless commitment to quality and their focus on crafting layered, complex sauces that people will want to eat and share. They use only the finest ingredients and they go to great lengths to find just the right balance of flavors, heat and finish.

Their initial claim to fame was being the first to create a delicious, versatile gourmet bacon sauce after being told by the experts that it could not be done. It took over a year and a half and dozens upon dozens of gallons of discarded, failed attempts, but since then they have since enjoyed a following of devoted customers and enthusiastic fans from virtually every corner of the earth.

Porcus Infernum remains their flagship sauce to this day. They’re not the ones who coined the phrase, “The world’s best bacon hot sauce, bar none.” Their customers did! So in the ever-increasing world of bacon hot sauces, trust us when we say this is the best bacon hot sauce for those seeking mild heat (rated a 3 out of 10 on the heat scale).

Bacon Wrapped, Deep Fried Twinkies

At Bacon Today, there are many things we love. Those things include bacon, twinkies, deep fried foods, and bacon wrapped foods.

So when we saw this recipe from Ohbiteit.com, we knew we had to share it with our fans who share “similar values.” This recipe takes the classic American snack food, the beloved Twinkie, wraps it in bacon and deep fries it. Oh yeah!

On the junk food rating, can you get any junkier? Or any more delicious? Crispy bacon wrapped around sponge cake with its cream filling? Mmm-hmm. You know you want some! Don’t sit there and pretend like you’re above the bacon-wrapped, deep-fried Twinkie. We want to make this with all Hostess products like Ho Ho’s and Ding Dongs. So gather up some bacon and some Hostess snack cakes and head on over to Ohbiteit.com for simple instructions on how to create these junk food masterpieces.

Bacon Clam Chowder

National Clam Chowder Day is on 2/25! Our favorite type of chowder is New England style. With a rich, creamy stock, this Bacon Clam Chowder is perfect on a late winter day. Filled with potatoes, clams and lots of bacon, you can enjoy this hearty chowder recipe for several days. Serve it in a sourdough bread bowl for extra deliciousness! And feel free to add as much bacon as you like. Several strips of extra-crispy, hickory-smoked bacon would be ideal sprinkled on top of this clam chowder. This recipe is from Mypinterventures.com. Gather up these ingredients then head on over for the instructions.

6 pieces bacon (cut into pieces)
1/2 Medium onion (chopped)
7 cups potato (chopped into bite size pieces)
4 cans chopped clam (6.5 ounce cans – drain clams and reserve juice)
3 cans cream of celery (10.5 ounce cans)
2 cups milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 can corn
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Porcus Infernum Beer Candied Bacon

This recipe is from the creative minds behind Porcus Infernum, the world’s best bacon hot sauce. The combination of spicy and sweet is truly addictive. The bacon strips are basted with a dark beer, maple syrup and hot sauce mixture and then cooked to crispy perfection. The result is some candied, spicy bacon strips that prove that bacon truly is “meat candy!” You can make these candied bacon strips as hot as you’d like. Just be sure to make a huge batch because you won’t be able to stop eating them.

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon

Scotty O’Hotty Beer Bacon Chipotle Hot Sauce

With so many hot sauces on the market, how do you know which ones are the best? Scotty O’Hotty’s Beer Bacon Chipotle Hot Sauce is “the world’s most awarded bacon sauce.” Yes it’s true, this hot sauce combines 3 of the most important food groups into 1 savory, smoky, beer bacon delight that is Scotty O’Hotty’s best-seller. Their hot sauces are proudly made in Michigan using all-natural ingredients. This delicious, gluten-free hot sauce can be used on anything from burgers, brats, hot dogs, steaks, eggs, tacos, chili, pasta, fries and fish.

This mild sauce is rated “E” for everyone and has been taste-tested by some of the best culinary experts in the country. We’ve been told “the BBC is the best bacon sauce in the universe.” Check out the impressive list of awards this hot sauce has won:

1st place Scovie Award 2016
1st place (chipotle) Chili Pepper Magazine awards 2015 (Houston Hot Sauce Festival)
3rd place World Hot Sauce Awards (Louisiana) 2015
1st place WOFI award 2015 (Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire)
Scovie award winner 2015
1st place (chipotle sauce) 2014 The Hot Pepper Awards (NYC)
1st place (specialty sauce) 2014 The Hot Pepper Awards(NYC)
2nd place (mild sauce)  2014 The Hot Pepper Awards (NYC)
Foodie Award, Best on a Burger, 2014 The Hot Pepper Awards
1st Place Hot Sauce, Cleveland Fabulous food show
1st place (specialty sauce) Chili Pepper Magazine awards 2014 (Houston Hot Sauce Festival)
2nd place (Chipotle sauce) Chili Pepper Magazine awards 2014 (Houston Hot Sauce Festival)
2nd place WOFI award 2014 (Jungle Jim’s Weekend of Fire)
3rd Place Screaming MI MI award NYC Hot sauce Expo 2014

If you’re still not convinced that this hot sauce is one of the best, check out these YouTube reviews and Team O’Hotty as they prepare Beer Bacon Sliders on Fox 2 in Detroit.

And here’s the Scotty O’Hotty TV commercial.

Why Bacon Is Good With Everything

A few years back, the New York Post took a stab at explaining the question all bacon eaters have asked themselves from time to time—why does bacon taste so good? The explanation is admittedly a little complex, but the main point is this: Many foods, like bananas and almonds, have one distinct flavor molecule that our taste buds respond to. In comparison, the taste of bacon is actually a collection of various flavors, all working together to create an incredibly distinct and harmonious taste. Without one of these flavors, bacon wouldn’t be nearly as good.

So, the reason everyone loves bacon so much is basically science. Outside of this, there is the fact that bacon is incredibly versatile, and can be used to tie just about any dish together. Creatively using bacon in cooking is a little trendy these days, and novice and experienced chefs are adding this popular ingredient to desserts, cocktails, and everything in between. You may not be ready to try your hand at a bacontini anytime soon, but we are fairly certain you will love any of the following recipes employing creative uses of bacon.

Bacon and Maple Pancakes

Bacon is meant for breakfast food—you are probably accustomed to adding it to your omelets or eating it alongside your sunny-side-up eggs. Adding bacon to your pancakes may seem a little out there, but this unconventional flavor combination is to die for, we promise.

Nothing pairs together quite as well as the sweet and salty of the bacon with maple syrup. Here’s a delicious bacon and maple pancake recipe from willcookforsmiles.

Bacon and Chocolate: The Perfect Combination

Bacon for dessert may seem a little adventurous, but you would be surprised just how well the sweetness of chocolate complements with the savory flavor of bacon. These days, you can see bacon is added a wide variety of desserts including donuts and ice cream. Our favorite combination is the to-die-for bacon and chocolate. Try it yourself using this recipe for chocolate covered bacon. It requires no more than intermediate baking skills and all ingredients can be easily found in most grocery stores. Better yet, you can purchase dark or milk chocolate covered bacon at Bacon Freak and have it delivered to your door!

Spaghetti Carbonara: A More Conventional Approach

If you are looking for a more conventional recipe that includes bacon, consider a favorite Italian dish, spaghetti carbonara. While the traditional recipe typically includes pancetta, many chefs find that thick cut bacon works just as deliciously in this dish. Here’s a super tasty and incredibly simple spaghetti carbonara recipe that can be prepared in under half an hour and is simple enough for anyone with basic cooking skills.

Best Bacon and Nutella Recipes

World Nutella Day is on February 5th! Much like International Bacon Day, World Nutella Day was founded because of its devoted fan base. Sara Rosso, an American blogger living in Italy, founded World Nutella Day on February 5, 2007. And Nutella fans loved it! From Italy to India to Israel, World Nutella Day has since become a global phenomenon. Every fan of sweet and savory knows that Nutella + Bacon = Heaven! The easiest way to get your Nutella and bacon fix is to spread Nutella on crispy bacon strips. But if you want to take your obsession a little further, these are the best recipes to experiment with. From breakfast items to dessert recipes and some surprising examples like our beloved “snackwich,” check out these Best Bacon Nutella Recipes. Which one will you make?

Bacon and Nutella Cupcakes

Bacon Nutella Napoleons

Nutella and Bacon Stuffed French Toast

Bacon Nutella Brownies

Bacon and Nutella Pastry Puffs

Peanut Butter and Nutella Bacon Pie

Peanut Butter Nutella and Bacon Snackwich

Bacon Guacamole Sausage Burger

This recipe is from Hormel.com. These bacon guacamole sausage burgers are a GREAT Memorial Day BBQ recipe! Stuffing the burgers with guacamole delivers the “wow” factor to your burger game. And the sausage patty is a porktastic twist on a traditional beef burger. Made with Wholly guacamole, these burgers are easy to make. Add your favorite bacon, cheese, buns and condiments and you’ve got a game day burger that is sure to impress!  To see more bacony good recipes, go to Hormel.com.

From the World of Sweet, Sweet Bacon

Maple Dijon Bacon Chicken

This recipe is from Wholesomedelicious.com. The creamy sauce, maple syrup, dijon mustard, chicken, bacon and mushrooms create an irresistible combination of flavors. This recipe is suitable for those on the Paleo diet or for those looking for some dairy-free and gluten-free options. Chicken, bacon and mushrooms go together like peas and carrots, and the addition of the creamalicious sauce makes this dish out-of-this-world amazing! Check out Wholesomedelicious.com for more awesome, wholesome, hearty recipes and be sure to follow Amy on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more recipe inspiration.

From the world of sweet, sweet bacon.

Bacon Peanut Butter Burger

Looking for an unusual burger recipe to serve your guests for Memorial Day? Look no further! This Bacon Peanut Butter Burger recipe is just the thing you need to pique your guest’s curiosity and taste buds. While it might sound too weird at first, peanut butter is actually the perfect complement to bacon and burgers! It’s creamy texture and slightly sweet flavor counterbalances bacon’s salty crispiness. So celebrate with these delicious burgers. We suggest using black pepper bacon on these burgers but feel free to substitute your favorite kind. This recipe is from Hormel Bacon.

From the world of sweet, sweet bacon.