It’s true – we are officially beekeepers and my obsession with everything honey is only getting worse. My husband thought I’d gone over the edge when I said I was putting honey on bacon. I had to add in the bourbon part just to get him to try it. But YUM – what a combination – honey, bourbon and bacon should officially be called the food of the gods.
I was trying to describe it to my favorite people at Channel 5 yesterday when I got to cook with Lelan on Talk of the Town (Click here to view). That was so much fun – I just love everyone there. It feels like family, but I’m afraid I might be considered the “crazy relative” after enthusiastically revealing some of my new honey experiments.
But here’s the thing, honey and bacon together is not as weird as it sounds. Who among us hasn’t “accidentally” gotten a little syrup on a piece of bacon when enjoying waffles or pancakes? Well, honey is just as good – no better – with bacon. This is an easy snack to make and about as addictive as any treat you may crave. Plus it’s fun to serve your friends snacking bacon – it’s sort of like fulfilling a secret fantasy. Who doesn’t want a little bacon snack? Full disclosure – in case you haven’t figured this out – this is not health food, it’s a treat. A little bit is perfect with some toasted French bread and maybe a small wedge of cheese. It’s also marvelous crumbled over a salad (is that health food?) or topping a creamy soup. I bet it would be delicious crumbled over the Egg Salad recipe from earlier in April. In fact I’m pretty sure you can think of a lot of ways to serve Honey Bourbon Snacking Bacon. Probably all ingredients are present and accounted for in your fridge and pantry right now. I can’t wait until my own pantry has honey from our backyard bees. I’ll be buzzing (sorry couldn’t resist) with recipes when that happy day arrives. Bee prepared.
Ingredients (easy to double or triple depending on crowd and math ability)
6 slices of bacon
3 Tbsp honey
1 Tbsp bourbon
Garlic salt
Black pepper
Directions for bacon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil and place bacon on it, being careful not to overlap pieces. (hint: If you have a baking rack it helps to use it on top of the paper or foil – with bacon placed on top of the rack.)
Bake for about 15 minutes, checking occasionally, until bacon is starting to get crispy in parts.
If you are not using a baking rack, remove most of the accumulated fat before brushing on honey mixture.
Combine honey and bourbon in a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Lightly brush honey sauce on top of the bacon and sprinkle with a small amount of garlic salt and pepper.
Bake another 5 to 8 minutes until bacon is crispy and dark. (Will crisp as it cools.)
Remove from oven and let cool completely. (By that I mean you get to taste a bite – then let it cool for guests.)
