Chocolate Covered Bacon
Thanksgiving, Passover and the Super Bowl are my favorite holidays and not necessarily in that order.
I should inform all of you that I am a die-hard Cleveland Browns fan and an avid Miami Dolphins fan. If you are not familiar with football, the Browns have never made it to the Super Bowl and the Dolphins haven’t done so since 1985. So without being told, I know I have picked two rather pathetic teams to be ‘mine.’
I do not like college football; yet there is something about the excitement of professional football that gets under my skin and has me hooked for the entire season. How could I do anything other than embrace the Super Bowl?
The combination of the two best teams playing football (perhaps not necessarily by record, but by knowing how to win, when it is most important) and a party with incredible food is my idea of an amazing holiday.
The food varies a bit from year to year, depending upon who is hosting the party. One food item that I, as hostess, have discovered is Chocolate Covered Bacon. I made it for the first time New Year’s Eve 2010 and people loved it so much that I thought I would blog about it before this upcoming Super Bowl.
I got a lot of very weird, questionable looks from friends when I first introduced this delectable treat. I knew my friends who keep kosher were not going to give it a shot, since bacon is most definitely not on the ‘approved’ list of kosher foods. Yet, even some of my friends who were lapping up the shrimp, were also wondering aloud if I had gone over the deep end with the Chocolate Covered Bacon.
Almost unanimously, those who were brave enough to give it a shot loved it. Seriously, what’s not to love? Smoky, thick cut bacon, cooked nice and crisp, that is then dunked into a warm bath of melted chocolate is the perfect indulgence.
Basically, there are two requirements for someone who wants to try this. One, you must love bacon; two, you must love chocolate. Combining the two ‘loves’ makes for something totally irresistible.
My biggest challenge, when it comes to eating Chocolate Covered Bacon, is knowing when to stop. I don’t; but I hope you do!
| Chocolate Covered Bacon | Print |
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
- 2 cups chocolate chips (milk, semisweet or bittersweet)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Slice the bacon into thirds horizontally. Separate the individual pieces.
- Line a large baking sheet with a double layer of paper towels. Place to one side of the skillet.
- Cook the bacon over medium high heat until crispy, but not too browned. Transfer bacon to the paper towels, cover with additional paper towels and allow the bacon to drain and cool.
- Combine the chocolate chips with the vegetable oil in a glass bowl. Microwave until melted and stir until smooth.
- Cover a baking sheet or large tray with aluminum foil and place on one side of the melted chocolate. Place the bacon on the other side.
- Use tongues to dip the bacon, one piece at a time, into the chocolate. Allow the excess chocolate to drip off. Place onto the aluminum foil.
- Once the bacon is all covered, place the aluminum foil tray into the freezer. Freeze until the chocolate is set.
- Transfer to a serving dish and enjoy.
- Betsy's tidbits:
- I am more of a dark chocolate lover, but am also a big advocate of use the kind of chocolate you like best. Whichever one you choose, Chocolate Covered Bacon will be divine.
- The amount of chocolate needed may vary depending on how many slices of bacon are dipped into the chocolate. Around my house, several pieces are eaten before the dipping even starts. My sorority sister, Ilene, told me that one of her favorite treats is Chocolate Covered Fritos. I used my excess chocolate to stir Fritos into and then I spooned them onto the aluminum foil and continued with the recipe. Delicious! If Fritos are not your thing, cover nuts instead. They will have a bit of a smoky taste as the bacon has been dipped into the chocolate first.
