How to Cook Bacon

Bacon is a worldwide product. In America, it is the cured and smoked pork belly. Beside, American bacon, there are two other common pork belly bacon types: streaky bacon from England and pancetta from Italy. Bacon is also made from pork sides, pork loins, and even jowls (cheeks). All these types of bacon are out there waiting for you to try them, but they may be hard to find at your local supermarket. Bacon made from pork loins is also called Canadian bacon. That you should be able to find. But what about jowl bacon?

There are three realistic ways to get your hands on hard-to-find bacon. Order it from an online charcuterie, travel abroad, or make it yourself. A charcuterie is someone who deals primarily with the curing and cooking of pork products like bacon, ham, sausage, pȃté, terrine, galantine, and confit. This is a branch of food preparation in which my brother is very interested, which is another way to get your hands on great bacon. My brother's homegrown, homemade bacon is the bacon I am using for this article. I used some other stuff, which was not nearly as good, for the pan-fried bacon section.

Ways to Cook Bacon

1. How to grill bacon. Bacon is easiest to grill when it is a thicker cut. If it is too thin, it will get brittle and may end up falling through the grates. Grill bacon at the same temperature you would grill other meats. Let it grill on the first side until you begin to see fat bubbling up through the bacon. Then flip it. It is not a perfect science, so just flip it back if it's not crispy enough for you. Grilled bacon gets really crispy and delicious. When it's done, set it on a paper towel for a minute before serving it.
2. How to pan fry bacon. This is perhaps the most traditional manner in which to cook bacon. The only downside of this is the splattering bacon grease coming out of the pan. This is why we never fry bacon naked. One key to getting the bacon crispy is to drain the grease after you cook the second side a little. Once the fat's out of the way, the bacon will crisp up in a couple of minutes. Click here if you want to read the full article on pan frying bacon.
3. How to bake bacon. Baking bacon is an old trick used by large-volume cooking establishments, like the buffet or banquet hall. That is unless they have a clean deep-fryer handy. But I will get to that in the next step. Baked or roasted bacon is really easy to make. Just line up some bacon on a sheet pan or cookie sheet and jam them in to a 375º F oven on the middle rack for 9‒14 minutes until the bacon is done. If you have a lot of fat midway, drain that and the bacon will crisp up faster.
4. How to deep fry bacon. This, as I was saying earlier, is perhaps the most common way to cook bacon on the line at a restaurant. The downside of this method is that the bacon often picks up the flavor of whatever else is cooked in that oil, mainly fish. At home, deep frying has always seemed like a bad idea. It makes your house smell bad. But if you want to do it, go for it. The bacon should take around 5 minutes in a 350º F fryer.
5. How to microwave bacon. Cooking bacon in the microwave has really caught on. There are tons of different trays and devices on which to microwave bacon. I am sure these things work fine but so does a paper towel and a plate. Seriously, my uncle showed me this. Just lay out 3 paper towels, put bacon on them, put more paper towels on top, and fold the whole thing in half. Put it on a microwave safe plate and nuke for 2‒3 minutes. Check it and continue microwaving until they are done. The fat gets absorbed away and the bacon cooks really quickly.

Best bacon sandwich ever!

One of my all-time favorite things to do with bacon, besides just eating it plain, is to make a peanut butter BLT. That's right—a bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwich with peanut butter on it. And not in place of the mayonnaise either. There is something about that combination that just screams perfection. You may be grimacing now but you wouldn't be if you tried it, unless you are one of those incredibly weird people who doesn't like peanut butter. Peanut butter is right at home in savory foods like bacon sandwiches. It is used in soup, sauces, dips, and marinades all the time. Seriously, you have to try it.

The Bacon-Wrapped Filet Mignon

I too have wrapped a filet mignon with a strip of bacon. I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. I viewed bacon wrapping as a lowbrow, cheap imitation of the classic French cooking tradition of barding. But, as it turns out, it's pretty damn good. So check it out: bacon-wrapped filet mignon.