wow! Why didn't any of my friends tell me!

[joegoda]

You can cook bacon in the oven, and it comes out flat and there's no splatter mess to clean up! I is a happy bacon eatin' fool tonight.

Comments

[tapestry01.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmmmmm, bacon...

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Yep. 15 minutes @ 450, sitting on a rack inside a baking sheet, and it's the most perfect, flat and cooked bacon I've ever made.

And it is goooo-ooood!

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

And you can easily drain off the fat for other bacony uses. We cook our bacon this way. The full 12oz in one batch :)

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

But Bill, Bill... I'm just one little man living in a big silver box. Granted, I could eat that 3/4 of a pound in one sitting, or I could freeze it. After it's cooked, it's kinda like jerky, sorta.

Umm... but help me out. I remember my mom using bacon fat for stuff, but I can't remember what. Some ideas would be appreciated.

Ahhhhhhhh.

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Ah, my friend, now we must with bowed heads and solemn footfalls step away from what is now known as "healthy eating." Of course, in doing so, we shall pound back in on stomping feet, crowing like Lost Boys, to the hallowed halls of YUMMY.

Let us begin with bacon grease as a cooking medium. If you make cornbread, grease your muffin tins with it.

If you make mashed potatos, make a double batch, but leave half of the morsels un-mashed. Refrigerate them and cook them the next night in bacon fat until crispy.

Place a tablespoon of popcorn kernels into a paper bag. Pour a tablespoon of melted fat over the unpopped corn, staple the top shut - two staples, no more. Microwave until the pops are two seconds apart. Don't worry, there's not enough conductivity in two staples to blow the appliance off the counter. It will, however, blow your mind. You might want to staple it down, too.

A scant teaspoon does wonders for a can of green beans. Fresh cracked black pepper adds a lot, too.

If you pan fry your steak, do it with bacon fat. MMMmmm.

And, finally, my personal favorite:

White Gravy

2T bacon fat
1T All purpose flour
1C milk, whole if possible
salt and pepper to taste.

Make a roux: Melt the fat over medium-high heat - not hot enough to smoke! Add the flour and stir until well-mixed. I like to add the pepper to the flour: the heat releases a lot of flavor from the peppercorns, but can make the gravy a little hot.

Before the roux starts to brown, add the milk. Stir until smooth. Salt and, if you haven't already, pepper to taste.

Substitute chicken stock, beef stock, and pork stock for chicken, beef, and pork gravy, respectively. Little more flour and a little more fat, and you can jazz it a little white or red wine. I like port for beef.

(Because there are others who might like this, I'll post this again in my own journal.)

Re: Ahhhhhhhh.

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Say Bill... is it all right if I come to your house just to eat? Forget the tour of the town, much as I may love those, but seriously chum. You have my yum center spinning. Have pity on a poor old hermit living like a bachelor?

Excellent Ideas, all of them! I'm gonna have me so good eatin!

How's Missy, by the way?

Re: Ahhhhhhhh.

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

This is one of the many things about which Bill and I agree....I also keep bacon grease in a cup in the fridge. That's what I use to make my biscuits. I hadn't tried the popcorn idea, but I certain will soon, although I have done the stapled paper sack thing; it works great.

While we're tempting you, here's my Belgian waffle recipe...um, I think I'll post it to my LJ so I can access it again easily.

Re: Ahhhhhhhh.

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

You guys are killin' me! Course, I'm not complaining... just making an observation. If I gain the extra pounds, I'll just work it off in adventure!

I have decided that I will, soon, be making a trip up to KC, just to hear Bill play. Soon is relative to me, so it may be next month, may be December. But definitely soon.

Re: Ahhhhhhhh.

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Definitely. You will LOVE that coffee shop. I'd not be at all surprised it a story came out of it; such nifty folk there.

Hmmmm...first Saturday in December, if I'm remembering, right?

Re: Ahhhhhhhh.

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

First Saturday in December is sooo doable!

Re: Ahhhhhhhh.

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Might be here too, google calendar says nothing at the moment. I'll check with hubby.

[motherpockets.livejournal.com]

Mail it to me!

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Why, Mama Pockets! There you are.

[capi.livejournal.com]

*LOL*

all them times i've mentioned that i'm cooking bacon... what did you think i was talking about?? *LOL* OVEN bacon!! YEAH!! I cook a whole pack at a time, or maybe two, even, and i keep it in a container, all cooked. I cook it in the cool of the morning, warming the house up, and never ever in the warm part of the day, cuz that is frugal, aye?? And then there is bacon, ready to eat any time anybody wants it!

Only, i never cooked it as fast as you. I'll have to try it that fast. I've been cooking it for 35 minutes at 375! takes forever!! I like your way better!! *LOL* WIN!!

We use the grease for eggs, or pancakes, or for a grilled sammich, or... hmmm... what else? I have not been cooking much lately. I'll have to think about it.

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

I looked it up, Sis, like I do most things I'm curious about. The site I went to said 15 minutes at 450. I found that mine cooked just fine in about 12 or 13. Course, I also checked it in between times. I have open electrical elements at the base of the oven, and the last thing I want is a grease fire.

It was ummmm mmm good!

[capi.livejournal.com]

YAY!!! So! It's somewhere between 15 and 20 minutes in my oven and with my bacon. Different thicknesses of bacon, i suppose. YUM!!!

[joegoda.livejournal.com]

Still faster than before! And I also think it has to do with the amount of moisture, fat and how crisp you want your bacon.

This is bacon time!