Braised Fresh Bacon Recipes

BACON BRAISED STRING BEANS

Steps:

• Coat a large straight sided skillet lightly with olive oil. Add the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and bring to a medium heat. Cook until the bacon has gotten brown and crispy and has let off most of the fat. When the garlic becomes golden brown and very aromatic, remove and discard. They have fulfilled their garlic destiny.
• Add the mushrooms to the bacon pan, season with salt, to taste, and cook until they become soft, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and the chicken stock, season with salt, to taste, cover and cook over medium-low heat for 40 to 45 minutes. If the liquid reduces too much during the cooking time, add water to make up the difference. Remove the lid and cook until almost all of the liquid is reduced. When done the beans should be very tender, almost falling apart and VERY flavorful. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.
• What a bean!

BRAISED CABBAGE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat; cook and stir onion and bacon until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Add cabbage and mix well; pour in beer. Cover stockpot and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

CRISPY DEEP FRIED BACON

Steps:

• Whisk together the eggs and milk in a bowl until smooth. Separate the bacon strips, and soak in the milk mixture for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Remove the bacon from the egg mixture, and toss with the flour to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Fry the bacon strips 3 to 5 slices at a time until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Once all of the bacon has cooked, place onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until crispy, about 7 minutes.

QUICK-BRAISED GREENS AND BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Prepare the greens: Cut the tough stems out of the greens and discard. Stack the leaves, roll tightly crosswise and slice into 3/4-inch-wide ribbons. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander, cleaning them a second time if the water remaining in the bowl is visibly dirty.
• Cook 2 bacon slices in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Meanwhile, cut the remaining 2 bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Add the 1/4-inch bacon strips to the hot bacon fat and cook, stirring, until the fat in the bacon strips starts to render, about 1 minute. Add the onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium, add the greens, season with salt and pepper and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook until tender with a little bite, about 3 minutes.
• Uncover and add the beans and hot sauce. Stir until the beans are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among serving dishes and crumble the cooked bacon slices on top. Serve with more hot sauce.

BRAISED BACON CAROLINA RICE

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a 4-quart heavy pot over low heat until some of fat is rendered, about 5 minutes. Add onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened but not browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in spices.
• Add stock and tomato juice and bring to a boil. Stir in rice and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed and rice is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes (rice will be moist rather than fluffy and dry). Stir in celery leaves, butter, kosher salt, and pepper to taste, then remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.

BRAISED FRESH BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat oil until it shimmers. Season pork with salt and pepper to taste, and place it skin side down in skillet. Cook until skin is browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
• Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from skillet, and add onion, carrots, celery, leek and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Return pork to skillet, skin side up, and add enough stock to surround but not cover meat, about 2 cups. Bring stock to a simmer, then transfer pan to oven. Bake, uncovered, for 1 hour. Add another cup of stock, and continue baking until pork is tender enough to cut with a fork, about another hour.
• Allow pork to cool in braising liquid. Remove pork from liquid, then gently lift off and discard skin; use a small knife to separate any pieces that do not lift off easily. Score fat, making crosshatch incisions, then cut pork into four equal pieces.
• Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Strain braising liquid, discarding solids. Return liquid to skillet, bring to a simmer and skim off fat. Return pork, fat side up, to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven, and bake, without basting, until pork is heated through and fat is well browned, about 20 minutes. Serve pork in shallow bowls topped with a bit of braising liquid.

BACON BRAISED GREEN BEANS

Steps:

• Set a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the green beans and toss to combine with the bacon and onions.
• Increase the heat to medium high and add the chicken stock. As soon as the stock begins to boil, place the lid on the pan and cook the beans for about 6 minutes. Remove the lid, season the beans with the salt and pepper, and toss well. Replace the lid and cook until the beans are tender, 1 or 2 minutes longer.
• Remove from the heat and transfer the beans to a serving dish or small platter.

CIDER-BRAISED SLAB BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place bacon in an 8-inch square baking dish, and rub all over with pepper. Bring cider and maple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan, and pour over bacon. Cover with foil, and braise bacon in oven 55 minutes. Turn over bacon, cover, and braise 50 minutes more. Remove foil, and let bacon cool in liquid.
• Remove bacon from braising liquid, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer liquid to a small saucepan; bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to a glaze (you should have 1/3 cup).
• Toss bacon in glaze to coat, and cook in a nonstick pan or preheated cast-iron skillet over medium heat, turning once, until deep brown and caramelized, 3 to 4 minutes total.