Praline Bacon

Photo by Carmen Troesser

Courtesy of Monarch's Josh Galliano & Sauce Magazine


INGREDIENTS
1 lb. thick sliced bacon*
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup pecan pieces, or walnut pieces


DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a baking sheet, place a piece of aluminum foil that fits the entire tray.

Evenly place the pieces of sliced bacon on the tray, and make sure that no piece overlaps another.

Cook the bacon for 10 minutes. You don’t want the bacon to be fully cooked; it should be about half-way cooked with a good amount of fat rendered.

Remove the bacon from the oven, and allow to cool to room temperature. Before the bacon fat solidifies, pour the fat off of the sheet tray and reserve for another use.

In a food processor, combine the brown sugar and the pecan pieces, then pulverize. Remove the mixture from the food processor and reserve in an airtight container.

Distribute the pecan/sugar mixture over the top of the bacon slices, making sure to cover the tops of the bacon completely. This is not sprinkling on the mixture, but more of a packing the mixture on to the bacon.

Return the bacon to the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on your oven. You want the bacon to become crisp at this point, but not to have any of the nuts burn.

Remove the bacon from the oven, and allow to cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a serving plate. Be careful, the bacon fat and the caramelized sugar can cause a severe burn.

* If you’re not curing your own bacon and slicing it yourself, then you should buy some good bacon. You can find quality bacon from the following producers:  Wenneman’s (you can actually find their bacon sold at various places around town, like Soulard Market); Behrmann’s; Swiss Meats; Burger’s Smokehouse. You can also find quality bacon sold at The Wine Merchant and The Wine and Cheese Place.