Braised Fresh Bacon Food

UNCURED FRESH HOMEMADE BACON

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 200 F.
• Combine the spices and coat the pork belly thoroughly all over. Wrap snugly in 2 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Place in a roasting pan and cook for 3 1/2 hours. Turn off the oven and leave the pork inside to cool for 1 1/2 hours. Remove and refrigerate overnight.
• Unwrap the pork belly and scrape off any gelatinous juices. Cut into thick slices and brown in a pan just as if you were cooking bacon. A little extra fat from the foil can be added to the pan to help get things going.
• Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with more salt if needed.

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 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.

BRAISED ROMAINE LETTUCE WITH MUSTARD AND BACON

Steps:

• Brown the bacon in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Place the romaine halves in the same pan, cut-side down, and brown in the rendered bacon fat, turning as needed until wilted, about 4 to 6 minutes. Remove the lettuce to the plate with the bacon. Add the wine to the skillet and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that cling to the pan. Add the broth, thyme, and mustard and bring to a simmer. Return the lettuce to the skillet, and season with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil over high heat, and then adjust heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Place a circle of parchment paper directly on the lettuce, or set a lid slightly ajar on the skillet. Cook the romaine until tender, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer the romaine to a serving dish and reduce the cooking liquid to a saucy glaze. Remove the thyme sprig and pour the cooking liquid over the lettuce, sprinkle with the bacon, and serve.

SKILLET-BRAISED BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large skillet over medium-low heat; cook until just crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving bacon grease in skillet.
• Increase heat to medium-high under skillet; saute Brussels sprouts in the bacon grease until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add garlic to Brussels sprouts; saute until garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour chicken stock over Brussels sprouts mixture and cover skillet with a lid; simmer until Brussels sprouts are bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove lid and continue simmering until liquid is evaporated and sprouts are tender, about 5 more minutes.
• Remove skillet from heat and stir bacon, butter, vinegar, salt, and pepper into Brussels sprouts mixture until butter is melted.

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.

SAUTEED SPINACH WITH BACON

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crispy, 5 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon, leaving fat in skillet; drain on a paper towel. Set aside.
• Increase heat to high; fill skillet with as much spinach as will fit. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing spinach and adding more as it wilts (it may take up to 2 minutes to fit it all). Continue to cook until tender, 1 to 3 minutes.
• Tilt skillet to drain water from spinach (using slotted spoon or a spatula to hold spinach back). Mix in vinegar; season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with crispy bacon.

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.