Candied Bacon Blts Food

PIG CANDY BLT

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the brown sugar in a pie dish. Gently press each slice of bacon into the sugar until coated (there can be small patches of uncoated bacon). Line a baking sheet with a wire rack and spray with cooking spray. Arrange the bacon on the rack. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until the bacon is super crisp and golden, 30 to 50 minutes (depending on the thickness of the bacon). Remove the rack from the pan and let the bacon cool on the rack.
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Place the vegetable oil and onions in the pan and gently cook, stirring only occasionally to let the sugars develop, until the onions are a deep golden brown, about 30 minutes. If necessary, deglaze the pan with red wine a couple of times. Season with the vinegar, salt and pepper and set aside.
• Combine the mayonnaise, barbecue rub and hot sauce in a small bowl to make an aioli.
• Build the sandwiches: Season the tomato slices with salt; cut the bacon slices in half. On each toasted bun, place a layer of caramelized onions, followed by about 6 half slices of bacon, a tomato slice, a romaine leaf and a nice schmear of the aioli on the bun top only. Close and serve with extra aioli on the side.

CANDIED BACON BLTS

Steps:

• For the candied bacon: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line one rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and another with parchment paper. Arrange the bacon slices very close together on the foil-lined baking sheet -- they should all fit on one.
• Sprinkle about 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar and a few grinds of black pepper over each slice of bacon. Bake until the bacon is evenly browned and very crisp, 15 to 17 minutes.
• While the bacon is still hot, transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet and divide into 2 groups, overlapping 5 slices slightly on top of each other. Let cool while you prepare the rest of the sandwich.
• For the sandwich: Lay the tomato slices on a large plate and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on one side of each slice of bread. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
• When the skillet is hot, add 2 slices of bread, mayo-side down, and toast until deeply golden brown. Remove to a plate and repeat with the remaining 2 slices of bread. Let cool completely. If desired, spread more mayonnaise on the untoasted sides of the bread.
• To build each sandwich, layer half of the lettuce, basil, onion, tomato slices and bacon between 2 slices of bread. If desired, cut the sandwich in half.

THE BEST BLT (BACON, LETTUCE, AND TOMATO) SANDWICH

Steps:

• Place a griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Add bacon and place a bacon press, skillet, or masonry trowel on top of it to keep it flat as it cooks. Cook until lightly browned on first side, about 5 minutes, then flip, cover again, and continue cooking until bacon is browned on both sides and fat has rendered, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside.
• Place bread on same skillet or griddle and toast in bacon fat over medium-low heat, swirling occasionally, until evenly browned on first side. Flip and brown second side.
• Lay toasted bread on a work surface and spread mayonnaise on both top faces. Divide lettuce evenly between both pieces of bread. Layer tomato slices on 1 piece of bread and sprinkle generously with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Break bacon slices in half and layer them onto the sandwich in 2 layers of 3 half slices each, alternating the orientation of bacon in each layer for more structural stability. Close sandwich and cut in half diagonally. Serve immediately.

CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• Spread the brown sugar on a plate. Coat the bacon on both sides of with the brown sugar, pressing to adhere. Lay the slices on the rack.
• Bake until dark brown and almost completely crisp (the bacon will continue to crisp as it cools), 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to cool. Crumble or chop before using.

CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Put bacon slices in a bowl, season them with pepper and toss with the brown sugar. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or foil and arrange the bacon in a single layer on top. Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the bacon. Top with another layer of parchment or foil and top it, squarely, with another baking sheet. The baking sheet will flatten the bacon as it cooks.
• Place the tray in the center of the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Check the bacon by lifting the top tray and parchment. If it is not golden brown and fairly crispy, resist the temptation to turn up the oven temperature, and cook it for 10 to 15 minutes longer. Check it again. Keep in mind that when you remove the tray and transfer the bacon to a serving platter or individual plates, the bacon will "crisp" up a little more. Be patient!