I could probably convince my children (and Mr. Official) to do just about anything by waving a strip of perfectly cooked bacon under their nose. Getting bacon to that perfectly cooked state got a lot easier when I discovered this method of preparing it in the oven. I wish I could say I came up with it on my own, but I can't. You'll find scads of recipes and directions floating around cyberspace, so if you haven't tried baking your bacon, you really should.
Sweet and Peppery Bacon
Ingredients:
Sliced bacon (we prefer thick-sliced but you can use thin - check after 5-6 minutes on each side)
Coarse-ground pepper
Brown sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 400 F. Line a heavy baking sheet or broiler pan with foil. (Use at least two layers and maybe three - you'll thank me later.)
Place bacon strips on foil and sprinkle lightly with pepper and brown sugar - roughly 1/8 teaspoon pepper and 1 teaspoon brown sugar per 6 slices of bacon. Turn the strips over and sprinkle the other side now, or midway through with another sprinkle of pepper and brown sugar.
Place in oven and bake for 8-10 minutes. Turn and finish cooking to desired crispness, usually another 5-7 minutes (more or less depending on thickness of bacon strips.) Drain on paper towels.
In case you're wondering, no this doesn't splatter up the oven - the only cleanup is to throw away the foil. (I told you it was a perfect recipe.) At last, I can concentrate on creating perfect pancakes instead of dividing my attention between flipping the hotcakes and bacon sizzling in a skillet or in the microwave! The addition of a little pepper and brown sugar adds a scrumptious layer of flavor.
Happy cooking,
