In this household, bacon is a hot commodity! I wish I had a way of calculating how many pounds of bacon we consumed during quarantine last year — it was a lot, to say the least. Because of my very experienced bacon cooking skills since getting married (lol) I thought it’d be fun to share how we like to cook bacon in the Tebow household! Now, most of you are probably thinking “Demi, isn’t there only one way to cook bacon?” but, I want to tell you a few tips and tricks I’ve learned to make the most delicious bacon ever.
Obviously, you start with BACON. I like to cook our bacon on the stovetop because I like the way it tastes more so than in the oven. My number one trick for cooking the perfect bacon is taking some sterilized kitchen scissors and cutting the uncooked bacon into bite sizes. Remember though, when you cook bacon it will shrink a bit, so don’t cut your pieces too small. I feel like when I cut it, the bacon is the perfect size to add to any meal!
Now it’s time to start cooking! I like to turn my stove on medium heat, so the bacon doesn’t burn. I don’t add butter or oil to my pan because bacon already has so much fat, you don’t need it. Using a pair of tongs, you can break apart the pieces before adding them to the heated pan, or they fall apart themselves as they begin cooking. I don’t add salt to my bacon because it’s salty enough, but I do add a secret ingredient (well not so secret now). I like to add a very tiny bit of BBQ spices. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just use whatever BBQ spices you have on-hand, and you only need a tiny bit to sprinkle on top. I think it adds a little bit of flavor. My BIG secret ingredient, however, is Italian seasoning! Add a pinch or two of Italian seasoning to the bacon while it’s cooking, so that flavor gets soaked in. I love Italian seasoning on everything, but Tim and I have found that we especially love it on our bacon, too!
Once the bacon starts to brown and get crispy, I add some black pepper (for just a touch more flavor). I’ve found that pepper burns quickly so adding it towards the end helps. Once the bacon looks ready (browned through and crispy), I use my tongs to get the pieces out. Have some paper towels ready for when you pull out the pieces so the paper towel can absorb some of the grease. Once cooled, you have some super tasty bacon bits to use with eggs and toast, on a salad, or let’s be honest, even just to eat by itself! Yum!
Side note: I wait for the grease to cool a bit, and then scoop it out with a few paper towel sheets or pour into a jar to keep for cooking later or to dispose of. Just remember you can cause a blockage if you pour grease down your sink! Hopefully one day there will be an easier and better solution to dispose of it!
Ingredients:
- Streaky Bacon
- Black Pepper
- BBQ Spice
- Italian seasoning
