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Spice-Rubbed Bacon

Source of Recipe

From "Old-School Comfort Food" by Alex Guarnaschelli


Recipe Introduction

"This bacon is great with eggs, pancakes, or on toast with some thick slices of tomato. But you knew that already. What makes *this* bacon special is the combination of spices, which complements the salty and smoky aspects of the bacon. It's also the texture: Cooking bacon between two baking sheets flattens it and renders it super crisp, making the bite into a strip more substantial."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
â—¦ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
â—¦ 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, lightly crushed
â—¦ 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
â—¦ â…“ cup packed light brown sugar
â—¦ 12 thin slices bacon


Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.

In a medium bowl, mix together the curry, red pepper flakes, coriander, pepper, and brown sugar. Add the bacon slices and coat them on both sides with the sugar mix. Arrange the bacon strips in a single layer, gently stretching them so they form a thin layer, on the baking sheet. Sprinkle any sugar left in the bowl over the bacon. Top the bacon with a layer of parchment or foil and lay another baking sheet squarely on top.

Bake until golden brown and fairly crisp. Check the bacon after 20 minutes by lifting the top baking sheet and parchment. It will go from ready to burned fairly quickly because of the brown sugar. If it's not ready, resist the temptation to turn up the oven temperature; instead, simply bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer before checking again. Keep in mind that when you remove the bacon from the oven and transfer it to a rack to cool, it will crisp up a little more. So be patient! Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6